INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION

Ln. T.PUSHPANATHAN,
Asst.Professor of English, School of Education,
SCSVMV University, Kanchipuram
pushpanath.scsvmv@gmail.com

Abstract
One of the many challenges facing developing countries today is preparing their
societies and governments for globalization and the information and communication
revolution. Policy-makers, business executives, NGO activists, academics, and ordinary
citizens are increasingly concerned with the need to make their societies competitive in
the emergent information economy. By enabling Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs), countries can face the challenge of the information age. With ICTs
they can leap forth to higher levels of social, economic and political development.
Globalization and technological change-processes that have accelerated in tandem
over the past fifteen years – have created a new global economy powered by technology,
fueled by information and driven by knowledge.
The emergence of this new global economy has serious implications for the nature
and purpose of educational institutions. As the half-life of information continues to shrink
and access to information continues to grow exponentially, schools cannot remain mere
venues for the transmission of a prescribed set of information from teacher to student
over a fixed period of time. Rather, schools must promote “learning to learn,” i.e., the
acquisition of knowledge and skills that make possible continuous learning over the
lifetime. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but
those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
This paper focuses on the state of present teaching methods (chalk and talk) in
India and advocates the role of ICT and its significance in the field of education. It also
intends to gratify the needs of the learners through feeding a tasty food called ICT.

Introduction
Learning does not take place better or faster simply by replacing one instructional
medium with another. The effective use of technology in education requires thought,
experimentation, and a willingness to spend the time needed to develop and refine
strategies until they are proven to be effective. Patience is important; it takes time to see
the results of our efforts.
Education serves many purposes in our society and these purposes have changed
over the years as we have grown from a cluster of colonies to assume the leadership role
in the global economy. Throughout time, the core purpose of education was to insure that
our citizens had the skills they needed to actively participate in a democratic society.
As we complete the twentieth century and prepare for the twenty-first, it is
important to realize that our world is far different from the one which existed a hundred
years ago. In the 19th century, a largely agrarian workforce existed alongside an
emergent industrial economy powered by muscle, water and steam. Since the turn of this
century, we have had the flight of airplanes, commercial radio broadcasts, television, the
invention of modern computer technologies, the emergence of new sciences (e.g.,

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bioinformatics, chaos and complexity) and a continued rapid increase in the development
of new information in a myriad of fields and endeavors.
Concerns over educational relevance and quality coexist with the imperative of
expanding educational opportunities to those made most vulnerable by globalization—
developing countries in general; low-income groups, girls and women, and low-skilled
workers in particular. Global changes also put pressure on all groups to constantly
acquire and apply new skills. The International Labour Organization defines the
requirements for education and training in the new global economy simply as “Basic
Education for All”, “Core Work Skills for All” and “Lifelong Learning for All”.

ICT
Information and communication technologies (ICTs)—which include radio and
television, as well as newer digital technologies such as computers and the Internet—
have been touted as potentially powerful enabling tools for educational change and
reform. When used appropriately, different ICTs are said to help expand access to
education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace,
and raise educational quality by, among others, helping make teaching and learning into
an engaging, active process connected to real life.
ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are defined, for
the purposes of this primer, as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to
communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.”(Blurton) These
technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and
television), and telephony.
In recent years there has been a groundswell of interest in how computers and the
Internet can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education at
all levels and in both formal and non-formal settings. But ICTs are more than just these
technologies; older technologies such as the telephone, radio and television, although
now given less attention, have a longer and richer history as instructional tools. For
instance, radio and television have for over forty years been used for open and distance
learning, although print remains the cheapest, most accessible and therefore most
dominant delivery mechanism in both developed and developing countries. (Potashnik)
The use of computers and the Internet is still in its infancy in developing countries, if
these are used at all, due to limited infrastructure and the attendant high costs of access.

Access to Education
ICTs are a potentially powerful tool for extending educational opportunities, both
formal and non-formal, to previously underserved constituencies—scattered and rural
populations, groups traditionally excluded from education due to cultural or social
reasons such as ethnic minorities, girls and women, persons with disabilities, and the
elderly, as well as all others who for reasons of cost or because of time constraints are
unable to enroll on campus.

Anytime, Anywhere.
One defining feature of ICTs is their ability to transcend time and space. ICTs
make possible asynchronous learning, or learning characterized by a time lag between the
delivery of instruction and its reception by learners. Online course materials, for example,

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may be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ICT-based educational delivery (e.g.,
educational programming broadcast over radio or television) also dispenses with the need
for all learners and the instructor to be in one physical location. Additionally, certain
types of ICTs, such as teleconferencing technologies, enable instruction to be received
simultaneously by multiple, geographically dispersed learners (i.e., synchronous
learning).

Access to remote learning resources

Teachers and learners no longer have to rely solely on printed books and other
materials in physical media housed in libraries (and available in limited quantities) for
their educational needs. With the Internet and the World Wide Web, a wealth of learning
materials in almost every subject and in a variety of media can now be accessed from
anywhere at anytime of the day and by an unlimited number of people. This is
particularly significant for many schools in developing countries, and even some in
developed countries, that have limited and outdated library resources. ICTs also facilitate
access to resource persons-mentors, experts, researchers, professionals, business leaders,
and peers – all over the world.

How can the use of ICTs help improve the quality of education?
Improving the quality of education and training is a critical issue, particularly at a
time of educational expansion. ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several
ways: by increasing learner motivation and engagement, by facilitating the acquisition of
basic skills, and by enhancing teacher training. ICTs are also transformational tools
which, when used appropriately, can promote the shift to a learner-centered environment.

Motivating to learn.
ICTs such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine
text, sound, and colourful, moving images can be used to provide challenging and
authentic content that will engage the student in the learning process. Interactive radio
likewise makes use of sound effects, songs, dramatizations, comic skits, and other
performance conventions to compel the students to listen and become involved in the
lessons being delivered. More so than any other type of ICT, networked computers with
Internet connectivity can increase learner motivation as it combines the media richness
and interactivity of other ICTs with the opportunity to connect with real people and to
participate in real world events.

Facilitating the Acquisition of basic skills.

The transmission of basic skills and concepts that are the foundation of higher
order thinking skills and creativity can be facilitated by ICTs through drill and practice.
Educational television programs such as Sesame Street use repetition and reinforcement
to teach the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes and other basic concepts. Most of the early
uses of computers were for computer-based learning (also called computer-assisted
instruction) that focused on mastery of skills and content through repetition and
reinforcement.

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Radio and Television
Radio and television have been used widely as educational tools since the 1920s
and the 1950s, respectively. There are three general approaches to the use of radio and
TV broadcasting in education: (Perraton)
1) Direct class teaching, where broadcast programming substitutes for teachers
on a temporary basis;
2) School broadcasting, where broadcast programming provides complementary
teaching and learning resources not otherwise available; and
3) General educational programming over community, national and
international stations which provide general and informal educational
opportunities.
The most notable and best documented example of the direct class teaching
approach is Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI). This consists of “ready-made 20-30
minute direct teaching and learning exercises to the classroom on a daily basis. The radio
lessons, developed around specific learning objectives at particular levels of Maths,
Science, health and languages in national curriculum, are intended to improve the quality
of classroom teaching and to act as a regular, structured aid to poorly trained classroom
teachers in under-resourced schools.”(Perraton) IRI projects have been implemented in
Latin America and Africa. In Asia, IRI was first implemented in Thailand in 1980;
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal rolled out their own IRI projects in the 1990s.
What differentiates IRI from most other distance education programs is that its primary
objective is to raise the quality of learning—and not merely to expand educational access
—and it has had much success in both formal and non-formal settings.(Bosch) Extensive
research around the world has shown that many IRI projects have had a positive impact
on learning outcomes and on educational equity. And with its economies of scale, it has
proven to be a cost-effective strategy relative to other interventions.25

Internet
Internet is another great achievement of ICT. Internet is one of the technologies
available for global resources and information haring. Internet has become a common
resource of the whole mankind, inquiring and sharing information become easier than
ever. With Internet, geographical distance and state borders are eliminated. The Internet
can be a powerful democratizing force, offering greater economic, political and social
participation to communities that have traditionally been undeserved and helping
developing nations meet pressing needs. It needs to ensure that everyone has a chance to
share in the benefits of the Digital Age, information technology. Internet can be a tool
for rural development.

Teleconferencing
Teleconferencing refers to interactive electronic communication among people
located at two or more different places. There are four types of teleconferencing based on
the nature and extent of interactivity and the sophistication of the technology: 1) audio
conferencing; 2) audio-graphic conferencing, 3) videoconferencing; and 4) Web-based
conferencing.
Audio conferencing involves the live (real-time) exchange of voice messages over
a telephone network. When low-bandwidth text and still images such as graphs, diagrams

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or pictures can also be exchanged along with voice messages, then this type of
conferencing is called audio-graphic. Non-moving visuals are added using a computer
keyboard or by drawing/writing on a graphics tablet or whiteboard. Videoconferencing
allows the exchange not just of voice and graphics but also of moving images.
Videoconferencing technology does not use telephone lines but either a satellite link or
television network (broadcast/cable). Web-based conferencing, as the name implies,
involves the transmission of text, and graphic, audio and visual media via the Internet; it
requires the use of a computer with a browser and communication can be both
synchronous and asynchronous.
Teleconferencing is used in both formal and non-formal learning contexts to
facilitate teacher-learner and learner-learner discussions, as well as to access experts and
other resource persons remotely. In open and distance learning, teleconferencing is a
useful tool for providing direct instruction and learner support, minimizing learner
isolation.

Telecollaboration
Online learning involving students logging in to formal courses online is perhaps
the most commonly thought of application of the Internet in education. However, it is by
no means the only application. Web-based collaboration tools, such as email, message
boards, real-time chat, and Web-based conferencing, connect learners to other learners,
teachers, educators, scholars and researchers, scientists and artists, industry leaders and
politicians – in short, to any individual with access to the Internet who can enrich the
learning process.
The organized use of Web resources and collaboration tools for curriculum
appropriate purposes is called Telecollaboration. Judi Harris defines telecollaboration as
“an educational endeavor that involves people in different locations using Internet tools
and resources to work together. Much educational telecollaboration is curriculum-based,
teacher-designed, and teacher-coordinated. Most use e-mail to help participants
communicate with each other. Many telecollaborative activities and projects have Web
sites to support them.”(Harris) The best telecollaborative projects are those that are fully
integrated into the curriculum and not just extra-curricular activities, those in which
technology use enables activities that would not have been possible without it, and those
that empower students to become active, collaborative, creative, integrative, and
evaluative learners. There are currently hundreds of telecollaborative projects being
implemented worldwide and many more that have either been completed or are in
development.

Conclusion
If there is one truism that has emerged in the relatively brief history of ICT use in
education, it is this: It is not the technology but how you use it! Put another way: “How
you use technology is more important than if you use it at all…[and] unless our thinking
about schooling changes along with the continuing expansion of [ICTs] in the classroom
then our technology investment will fail to live up to its potential.”
Technology then should not drive education; rather, educational goals and needs,
and careful economics, must drive technology use. Only in this way can educational
institutions in developing countries effectively and equitably address the key needs of the

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population, to help the population as a whole respond to new challenges and
opportunities created by an increasingly global economy. ICTs, therefore, cannot by
themselves resolve educational problems in the developing world, as such problems are
rooted in well entrenched issues of poverty, social inequality, and uneven development.
What ICTs as educational tools can do, if they are used prudently, is enable developing
countries to expand access to and raise the quality of education. Prudence requires careful
consideration of the interacting issues that underpin ICT use in the school—policy and
politics, infrastructure development, human capacity, language and content, culture,
equity, cost, and not least, curriculum and pedagogy.
The role of ICTs in the education is recurring and unavoidable. Rapid changes in
the technologies are indicating that the role of ICT in future will grow tremendously in
the education.
ICT also focuses modification of the role of teachers. In addition to classroom
teaching, they will have other skills and responsibilities. Teachers will act as virtual
guides for students who use electronic media.
Ultimately, the use of ICT will enhance the learning experiences of students. Also
it helps them to think independently and communicate creatively. It also helps students
for building successful careers and lives, in an increasingly technological world.

Reference:

Blurton, C., “New Directions of ICT-Use in Education”. Available online

http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/lwf/dl/edict.pdf;

Bosch, A., “Interactive Radio Instruction for Mathematics: Applications and Adaptations
from Around the World”; available from
http://www.techknowlogia.org/TKL_active_pages2/CurrentArticles/main.asp?
FileType=HTML&ArticleID=255; p. 45.

Harris, Judi, “First Steps in Telecollaboration”; available from

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~jbharris/Virtual-Architecture/Articles/First-Steps.pdf; p. 1.

Perraton, H. and C. Creed, “Applying New Technologies and Cost-Effective Delivery

Systems in Basic Education”; available from
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001234/12348 2e.pdf;

Potashnik, M. and J.Capper, “Distance Education: Growth and Diversity;” available from
http://www.worldbank.org/fandd/english/pdfs/0398/0110398.pdf;

Thornburg, David. Technology in K-12 Education: Envisioning a New Future

http://www.csbsju.edu/Documents/Education/pdfs/Thornburg.pdf