ICT- MEDIATED EDUCATION

ICT- MEDIATED EDUCATION

Definitions

ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are defined, as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television),and telephony.ICT will be used, applied and integrated in activities of working and learning on the basis of conceptual understanding and methods of informatics.----UNESCO

Concept

          ICT refers to the various technologies that enhance the creation, storage, processing communication & dissemination of information.ICT also refers to the different infrastructures, used in these processes, their applications and the numerous services these infrastructures render.        ICT = IT + Other media

Following are the elements of ICTs

1.     Media of communication (e.g., radio, television)

2.     Information Machine (e.g., computers)

3.     Telecommunication technologies and equipments (e.g., Satellites, phones, fasicimile machines, fibre optic cables)

So Information and communication technology refers to the whole gamut of information and communication technologies from,

A.V. networks Application development tools Application software Cellphones Computer aided learning & teaching systems Data&Voice communication system Database management system Document management E-commerce Electronic publishing E-mail Extranet Fax machine Handy camera Imaging systems Internet

Intranet Lan’s Multimedia & computers Multimedia technology Personalproductivity tools Projector Satellite services System software Telephones & PABX systems TV & Radio broadcast & others TV & VHS Presentation Video conferencing Voice mail Wan’s Web based development Wireless networks

Importance of ICT ü Expanding educational opportunities ü Increasing efficiency ü Enhancing quality of learning ü Enriching quality of teaching ü Facilitating skill formation ü Establishing and sustaining lifelong learning ü Improving policy planning and management ü Advancing community linkages

1. Expanding Educational Opportunities

          In addition open universities expand opportunities to populations that traditionally have been excluded from education due to geographic, cultural & social barriers, miniorities, girls, rural populations and the elderly.

2. Increasing Efficiency

          ICT have the potential to bring the products of the best teachers to classrooms “anywhere” in the world. For self-motivated, disciplined students.

3. Enhancing Quality of Learning

1.     They bring abstract concept of life. Teachers have a hard time teaching and students have a hard time learning abstract concepts, particularly when they  contradict immediate intuition and common knowledge images, sound movements animations & simulations may demonstrate an abstract  concept in a real manner.

2.     They provide opportunities for students to practice basic skills on their own time and at their place.

 4. Enriching Quality of Teaching:

          ICT  break of the professional isolation from which many teachers suffer with ICTs, they can connect easily with headquarters with colleagues and mentors with universities and centers of expertise and with sources of teaching materials. So quality of teaching increased.

5. Facilitating skill formation:

          ICT have the potential to contribute to skill formation in the same way that they enhance the quality of learning and teaching in general. Additionally network technologies have the potential to deliver the most timely and appropriate knowledge & skill to the right people at the most suitable time in the most convenient place. Etraining  allows for personalized just-in-time, up-to date & user centric educational activities.

6. Sustaining life long learning:

          This may be the first time in the history of the human race  when lifelong learning is not only desirable  and urgent but feasible as well. However successful exploitation of technology for lifelong learning for all depends on a number of factors. Adults need to have a minimum level of basic education including  literacy. School should equip individuals with the necessary cognitive & technical skills to peruse and manage their own continuers  learning.        How to search, assimilate, define problems, apply knowledge to problem solving, etc..,

7.Improving policy planning & management:

1. Management of institutions & Systems:-

          The same elements of computing & telecommunications equipment & services that made business more efficient & cost effective can be applied to schools and school systems to enable principals and superintendents to streamline operations, monitor performance & improve use of physical &human resources. Technology also promotes communication among schools, parents, central decision makers, & business that fosters greater accountability, public support connectivity with the market place. At the system wide level, technologies provide critical support in domains. Such as school mapping automated personnel & payroll systems, management information systems, communications & information gathering, analysis & use.

2. Management policy making:

The process of policy analysis & development is a sophisticated & strategic exercise. It is by necessity an intricate, nonlinear process in which a variety of people & organizations with the diverse perspective are actively involved in the process through which issues are analyzed & policies are generated implemented, assessed, adjusted, & redesigned.

Her ICTs can be valuable in storing & analyzing data on education indicators, student’s assessment, educational physical & human infrastructure, cost & finance. Technology not only can help in diagnosis but more important, it can also assist in constructing scenarios around different intended policy options to determine requirements & consequences. During policy implementation technology can be facilitate tracer studies & tracking systems as well as summative & formative evaluation.

8. Advancing community linkages:

          The vision of ICTs for all communities is easy to justify but hard to achieve. An implementation strategy must recognize the constraints & devices sustainable mechanisms to overcome them. The spread &use of ICTs have grown exponentially. Radio broadcasting cover  vast areas, satellite television encircles the globe. Personal computers that were little known or used n the 1950’s have, within a generation, become essential tool ,for work & communication & internet use have increased beyond imagination. So they connect people anywhere in the world.

NATURE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES ARE:

Transformative in nature:

          ICT transforms both the processes and the content of communication. The expression of ideas and facts can become more illustrative and can be transmitted at the speed of light over great distances. Information can be provided on an “as-needed” basis and can be sought and found by the end use.

Collaborative in nature

          ICT quickly and easily connects individuals one to one and one to many without regard to stature, distance, or time. The most popular  tools of ICT are designed to allow for and encourage collaboration. From young people conversing through Instant

NATURE OF I.C. T

Messaging (IM) to professionals conducting a strategy planning session through video conferencing, ICT provides the vehicle for interaction. A positive outcome of collaboration is the possibility for integration across domains, a state where the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Innovative in nature

          ICT inventions are often unpredictable. Miniaturization puts increasing power in the hands of end-users. As a young student designs an illustration to accompany her science report, she uses the same tools as a professionals graphic designer. A college graduate who includes a video-diorama of his recent works  in his electronic portfolio uses the same tools as the professional media specialist.

Dynamic (or) Constantly changing nature

          ICT is never static; education institutions, on the other hand, are often slow to change. The volatile nature of ICT presents challenges for education systems that must be accommodated, planned for, and harnessed to best advantage of new learning and teaching technologies.

v PARADIGM SHIFT IN  EDUCATION  DUE TO ICT.

As technology has created change in all aspects of society, it is also changing our expectations of what students must learn in order to function in the new world economy. Students will have learn to navigate through large amounts of information, to analyze & make decisions and to master new knowledge domains in an increasingly technological society. They will need to be lifelong learners, collaborating with others in accomplishing complex tasks and effectively using different systems for representing & communicating knowledge to others. A shift from teacher centred instruction is needed to enable students to acquire the new 21^st century knowledge & skills. The following table (Sandholtz, ring staff & Dwyer, 1997) identifies the shift that will take place in changing from a focus on learning. This new educational paradigm modifies aims and objectives, theories, methods, modes, aids, roles, and environment of education.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

The introduction of ICT in education fosters the educational objectives to be revised as the environmental expectation. The Blooms cognitive objective domine is revised as below. The learning objective’s hierarchical orders are revised and also renamed in the verbal form.  

Revised Blooms taxonomy         

EDUCATIONAL  THEORY.

          The Theory behaviorism is replaced by constructivism due to the influence of technology. The behaviorist viewed education as a change in behavior. This notion is replaced by constructivism. They believed that knowledge is constructed from their environment not received from any one (teacher).

LEARNING METHODS  

          The term teaching is replaced by learning. Reproductive learning is replaced by productive learning. So the traditional lecture method is replaced by activity based learning, problem solving project method of learning.

Teacher – Centered & Learner – Centered Learning Environments

	Teacher – centred learning environments	Learner – centred learning environments
Classroom activity	Teacher – centred, didactic	Learner – centred, interactive
Teacher role	Fact teller, always expert	Collaborator, sometimes learner
Instructional emphasis	Fact’s memorization	Relationships, enquiry & invention
Concepts of knowledge	Accumulation of facts, quantity	Transformation of facts
Demonstration of success	Norm referenced	Quality of understanding
Assessment	Multiple choice items	Criteria referenced, portfolios & performances
Technology use	Drill & practice	Communication, access, collaboration, expression

MODES OF TEACHING                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

          Traditional class rooms are replaced by e-learning, web based learning, web aided learning, virtual learning, video conferencing, teleconferencing etc because of the technological intrusion

RESOURCES OF LEARNING

          Physical libraries .hard bound books are replaced by technology into digital libraries, CD ROMs, e-books etc.

ROLE OF A TEACHER

          The name of the profession itself changed, based on their role in techno based education. The role of a teacher is shifted from knowledge transmitter to learning facilitator, collaborator, coach, mentor, and navigator.

Changes in Teacher role

A Shift from:	A shift to:
Knowledge transmitter, primary source of information, content expert and source of all answers	Learning facilitator, collaborator, coach, mentor, knowledge navigator and co learner
Teacher controls & directs all aspects of learning	Teacher gives students more options and responsibilities for their own learning.

ROLE OF A STUDENT.The students are called as learner in the techno based world of education. The role of a student is shifted from fact reproducer to active learner. Changes in student roles in Learner – centered environments

A Shift from:	A shift to:
Passive recipient of information	Active participant in the learning process
Reproducing knowledge	Producing & sharing knowledge, participating at times as expert
Learning as a solitary activity	Learning collaboratively with others

ASSESSMENT

The traditional system of evaluation is replaced by continuous assessment, Portfolio assessment, Performance assessment, Criterion referred test etc

Shifting the emphasis from teaching to learning can create a more interactive and engaging learning environment for teachers & learners. This new environment also involves a change in the roles of both teachers and students. As shown in table 1.2.( adapted from Newby et al., 2000) the role of teacher will change from knowledge transmitter to that of learning facilitator, knowledge navigator and co-learner with the student. ICTs provide powerful tools to support the shift to student – centred learning and the new roles of teachers and students. The teaching profession can’t be replaced by any technology. But it can insist on more professionalization of teaching. The chalk and talk behavior of the teacher may be changed into techno friendly teacher.

AFFORDABLE ICT EQUIPPED CLASSROMMS:

          Digital technologies are evolving & conveying rapidly. Some digital technologies are costlier due to some features provided for other purposes which are not useful in classroom for teaching / training.

          A laptop cost varying from Rs.45, 000 to Rs.2, 00,000 accorsing to their features. e.g., storage capacity, processor speed, RAM, etc. So the selection of appropriate ICTs with required features play an important role to reduce the cost. We should also choose handy and power backup technologies which can be easily shifted from one place to another.      A list is given below

1. Laptop / Notebook:

 Intel Celeron processor 2.6 GHz, 256 MB, RAM, 30 GB HDD, CDRW /DVD combo drive, DV In / Out, two hours power backup or higher configuration (approximately Rs.50,000 /-).

2. Mobile Phone

          Mobile phone with in – built modem for internet connection at high data speed (approximately Rs.5,000 / -)

3. Inkjet Printer

          Printer with copy and scan features (approximately Rs. 7,000 / -).

4. Multimedia Projector

 A multimedia projector (LCD or DLP). DLP projector is preferred due to high brightness, high resolution and handy compact size feather weight for portability (approximately cost Rs. 1,00,000/-).

5.Digital Video Camera Recorder

 Digital handy cam with DV in / out for recording moving or still images and playing them back, capturing images or movie on your laptop or direct recording on laptop. Two hours power backup (approximately Rs.30,000/-).

6.Interactive board

An integration of the ICTs is provided in a Hi-tech classroom. Approximately the cost of all above ICTs  is Rs.2,00,000/- which is affordable for a classroom.

CHALLENGES IN INTEGRATING ICT IN SCHOOL EDUCATION:

          The challenges are not strictly technological, it is educational & contextual.

1. Educational Policy

          Technology only a tool, no technology can fix a bad educational philosophy or compensate for bad practice. In fact if we are going in a wrong direction, technology will only get us the faster. So educational policy has to be made in terms of objectives, methodologies and role of teachers and students before decision can be made about the appropriate ICT interventions.

2. Infrastructure Facilities

 It has an ICT enhanced instruction basic infrastructure like electricity, building, computer, etc., to be needed.

3. Instructional Facilities

 To give an ICT based instruction a skilled manpower is needed in ICT field.

Teachers – Teachers professional development should have five foci :-

1.                 Skills with particular applications

2.                 Integration into existing curricula

3.                 Curricular changes related to the use of IT (including changes in instructional design)

4.                 Changes in teacher role

5.                 Underpinning educational theories.

6.                 Ideally, these should be addressed in pre – service teacher training and built on and enhanced in – service.

Research on the use of ICTs in different educational settings over the years invariably identify as a barrier to success the inability of teachers to understand why they should use ICTs and how exactly they can use ICTs to help them teach better. Unfortunately, most teacher professional development in ICTs is heavy on “teaching the tools” and light on “using the tools to teach”.

Teacher anxiety over being replaced by technology or losing their authority in the classroom as the learning process becomes more learner – centred an acknowledged barrier to ICT adoption – can be alleviated only if teachers have a keen understanding and appreciation of their changing role.

Educational administrators – Leadership plays a key role in ICT integration in education. Many teachers or student initiated ICT projects have been undermined by lack of support from above. For ICT integration programs to be effective and sustainable, administrators themselves must be competent in the use of the technology and they must have a broad understanding of the technical, curricular, administrative, financial and social dimensions of ICT use in education.

4 .ICT enhanced content

Content developers:-

 Content development is a critical area that is too often overlooked. The bulk of existing ICT based educational material is likely to be in English (see section on language and content below) or of little relevance to education in developing countries (especially at the primary and secondary levels). There is a need to develop original educational content(e.g., radio programs, interactive multimedia learning materials on CD-ROM or DVD, Web-based courses, etc..,), adapt existing content, and convert print-based content to digital media. These are tasks for which content development specialists such as instructional designers, script writers, audio and video production specialists, programmers, multimedia course authors, and web-developers are needed. Like technical support specialists, content developers are highly skilled professionals and are not, with the exception of instructional designers, historically employed by primary and secondary schools. Many universities with distance education programs, and those who otherwise make use of ICTs, have dedicated technical support and content development units.

5. Lack of committed & Trained Personnel.

Technical support specialists:-

Whether provided by in-school staff or external service providers, or both, technical support specialists are essential to be continued viability of ICT use in a given school. While the technical support requirements of an institution depend ultimately on what and how technology is deployed and used, general competencies that are required would be in the installation, operation, and maintenance of technical equipment(including software), network administration, and network security. Without on-site technical support, much time and money may be lost due to technical breakdowns.

6.Financial Resources:

          Equipments should be purchased, installed & maintained. Properly for that financial resources are essential.

7.Language used in ICT:

English is the dominant language of the Internet. An estimated 80% of online content is in English. A large proportion of the educational software produced in the world market is in English.

For developing countries in the Asia-Pacific where English language proficiency is not high, especially outside metropolitan areas, this represents a serious barrier to maximizing the educational benefits of the World Wide Web. Even in countries where English is a second language(such as Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, and India)it id imperative that teaching and learning materials that match national curriculum requirements and have locally meaningful content, preferably in the local languages, be developed.

Conclusion:

The strong belief in the potential of technology, market push & enthusiasm for introducing technology into schools create the temptation to implement them immediately & full scale.

Integrating technologies into education is a very sophisticated multifaced process and just like any other innovation. It should not be introduced without piloting its different components on a smaller scale.