Ls. No. 1 Potential of ICT - Information

Potential of ICT Importance

1. Definition of ICT : The term information and communication technologies refers to forms of technology that are used to transmit, process, store, create, display, share or exchange information by electronic means. This broad definition includes such technologies as radio, television, video, DVD, telephone (both fixed line and mobile phones), satellite systems, and computer and network hardware and software, as well as the equipment and services

associated with these technologies, such as video conferencing, email and blogs.

2. ICTs work on the request-response model and hence are being increasingly implemented by all organizations to provide access to resources and services.

3. Concept of ICT: ICTs are diverse technological tools and resources that are used to create, disseminate, store, manage, and communicate information. Computer-based information technology is used for (1) data (2) data collection (3) data processing (4) storage (5) retrieval (6) presentation. All the modern electronic communication media are used in ICT to exchange information and knowledge between sender and receiver.

4. The information superhighway is an ever-growing global information and communication network of fiber optic cables that links computers and other communication networks, such as telephone networks, cable television networks and satellite communication networks. All types of information are digitized and packet ted before transmission over the Internet. The routing and reassembly of the packets are handled by protocols.

5. Knowledge Society generally refers to a society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labor. A knowledge society creates shares and uses knowledge for socio-economic development, and brings new forms of social interaction and cultural expression.

6. Education is important in a knowledge society as (i) a source of basic skills, (ii) a foundation for development of new knowledge and innovation, and (iii) a mechanism for socio-economic development.

7. ICT enables education and innovation for socio-economic development towards building and sustaining a knowledge society. It is a facilitator for major education and development reforms and is valuable only as a means to create knowledge societies.

8. Knowledge-society attributes include (i) higher order thinking skills, (ii) lifelong learning habits, (iii) ability to communicate and collaborate (iv) ability to access, evaluate and synthesize information.

9. Scope of ICT in education: (1) WWW is a vast repository of knowledge for students, teachers and scientists. (2) ICT enables learning anywhere and anytime through open universities and open education resources. (3) Television is one of the best communication mediums to educate. (4) Educational curricular contents for KG to PG can be delivered on CDs, DVDs, etc. (5) LCD projectors can be used for computer-aided teaching and interactive learning in the classroom. (6) Tests and examinations can be conducted online.

10. In ICT-enabled educational environments where the online world is integrated with the physical campus (school or university), students will face a new set of educational challenges. The changed role of teachers / educators will be to mentor and guide learners in this environment, rather than teaching them how to use ICT in education.

11. Changes which will take place in an ICT-enabled education system: (1) Emphasis more on 'learning' than on 'teaching'. (2) Digital age students, more active and collaborative rather than passive learners. (3) Learner-centered curriculum, with rapidly changing content. (4) Asynchronous (i.e., anywhere, anytime) teaching-learning process through e-learning. (5) Use of ICT (such as, Internet connectivity, CD / DVD/ TV, videoconferencing and multimedia presentation) for synchronous teaching-learning in classroom. (6) Online evaluation and result.

(7) Educational management through ICT.

12. Changing skill requirements due to ICT and globalization: (1) Basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. (2) Advanced skills of expert thinking and complex communication.

13. Transformative impacts of ICT on education: (1) With ICTs, actual study time need not equal classroom time. A school may adopt a dual-shift system to avoid overcrowded classrooms: students may attend school for half a day and spend the other half involved in educational activities from anywhere using ICTs. (2) ICTs can provide courses that small rural or urban schools cannot offer to their students because it is difficult for those institutions to recruit and retain specialized teachers, particularly to teach mathematics, science and foreign languages. (3) Schools that do not need a full-time teacher can use ICT and share one teacher among several schools. (4) With the help of ICT, experts or retired / part-time teachers in distant cities can teach the online courses.

14. ICTs, used well in classrooms, enhance the learning process by (1) allowing students to practice basic skills on their own time and at their own pace (2) allowing students to access worldwide information resources via the Internet and to use the acquired information to solve problems (3) offering the cheapest means for bringing the world into the classroom (4) motivating and engaging students in the learning process (5) facilitating understanding of abstract concepts (6) allowing students to communicate, discuss or exchange their work with others.