ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in Education

Ø  Information and communication technologies (ICT) include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television) and telephony. While the rise of computers and the Internet has provoked great interest in the ways in which they can be applied in education to improve its efficiency and effectiveness at all levels.

Ø  As a result of the increasing application of ICTs in education, a number of new learning approaches have emerged. E-learning encompasses learning at all levels, formal as well as non-formal, using information networks such as the Internet, an intranet (LAN) or extranet (WAN) for course delivery, interaction and facilitation. Blended learning refers to learning models that combine traditional classroom practice with e-leaning solutions. 

Ø  Schools use a diverse set of ICT tools to communicate, create, disseminate, store, and manage information. ICT has also become integral to the teaching-learning interaction, through such approaches as replacing chalkboards with interactive digital whiteboards, using students’ own smartphones or other devices for learning during class time, and the “flipped classroom” model where students watch lectures at home on the computer and use classroom time for more interactive exercises.

Ø  When teachers are digitally literate and trained to use ICT, these approaches can lead to higher order thinking skills, provide creative and individualized options for students to express their understandings, and leave students better prepared to deal with ongoing technological change in society and the workplace.