ICT AND EDUCATION: SURVEY ON FEEDBACKS AND CONCLUSION FOR USAGE OF ICT IN EDUCATION

Now, let's check out the survey which was collected from feedback of the Elmo UK national-wide seeding project and see what happened in the schools in UK. 1. HAS THE VISUALISER/DOCUMENT CAMERA INCREASED OR DECREASED INTERACTIVITY WITH CHILDREN?   All the teachers felt that the visualiser/document camera aided in increasing interactivity with children 2. HAS THE VISUALISER/DOCUMENT CAMERA IMPROVED CHILDREN'S CONCENTRATION?   Over 90% of teachers felt that concentration in the classroom increased due to use of the visualiser/document camera. 3. HAS THE VISUALISER/DOCUMENT CAMERA CONTRIBUTED TO NARROWING THE GAP BETWEEN CHILDREN IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS?   Over 78% of teachers felt that the visualiser/document camera aided in bringing children closer together in academic achievements. 4. HAVE YOU HAD MORE FUN WITH THE VISUALISER/DOCUMENT CAMERA IN THE CLASSROOM?   Over 90% of children had more fun in the classroom due to the visualiser/document camera. 5. HAS THE VISUALISER/DOCUMENT CAMERA REDUCED OR INCREASED YOUR PREPARATION TIME?   Over 55%of teachers have recognized that the visualiser/document camera decreased lesson preparation time. None of teachers felt that preparation time increased for lessons.

Integrating ICT into education seems to be a necessary issue for educators / education administrators  in the world. However, if teachers cannot make good use of the ICT tools, the money and time spent on  the ICT is going to be a waste. Also, if the educational budget is limited, looking for a cost-effective and  high-performance ICT tool can be the first priority. So how about getting started on using ICT in education with the visualiser/document camera? You don’t  need to waste time learning how to use a Visualiser because it is so easy to operate. And, you could even  use it without a PC, which is very budget friendly. Please remember this point : SIMPLE IS BEST!  Educational ICT tools are not for making educators master ICT skills themselves, but for making educators  create a more effective learning environment via ICT.

WHAT IS ICT IN EDUCATION

What is ICT in Education?

"ICT"is the Information and Communication Technologies.  "ICT in Education" means "Teaching and Learning with ICT". Educational ICT tools can be divided into 3 categories: Input source, Output source and Others. 　See the following graph：   Worldwide research has shown that ICT can lead to improved student learning and better  teaching methods. A report made by the National Institute of Multimedia Education in Japan,  proved that an  increase in student exposure to educational ICT through curriculum integration  has a significant and positive impact on student achievement, especially in terms of  "Knowledge・Comprehension" · "Practical skill"  and "Presentation skill" in subject areas such  as mathematics, science, and social study. However, you can see that there are many education  technology solutions provided in the world which may cause confusion among educators about  how to choose the right ICT solution. Let's have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of  ICT tools for education and discover what kind of education ICT solution is suitable for your school  needs.

ICT AND EDUCATION: THE DISADVANTAGES

 One of the major barriers for the cause of ICT not reaching its full potential in the foundation stage is teacher’s attitude. According to Hara (2004), within the early years education attitudes towards ICT can vary considerably. Some see it as a potential tool to aid learning whereas others seem to disagree with the use of technology in early year settings. Blatchford and Whitebread (2003:16), suggests that the use of ICT in the foundation stage is “unhealthy and hinders learning”. Other early years educators who are opposed to offering ICT experiences within the educational settings take a less extreme view than this and suggest that ICT is fine, but there are other more vital experiences that young children will benefit from, (Blatchford and Whitebread, 2003). In theory some people may have the opinion that the teachers who had not experienced ICT throughout their learning tend to have a negative attitude towards it, as they may lack the training in that area of the curriculum.

         Another important drawback to using ICT in schools is the fact that computers are expensive. According to the IT learning exchange (2001), in most schools ICT will be the single largest curriculum budget cost. This may be seen as a good thing but on the other hand there will be little money left over for other significant costs. This has led to an increase in government- or donor-funded projects aimed at providing ICTs to schools in disadvantaged communities. Previous research shows that even in cases where the technology is provided, educators are not effectively integrating such technologies in their pedagogical practices. 

ICT AND EDUCATION: THE ADVANTAGES

 The  Effectiveness  of ICTs in Education

ICTs are a potentially powerful tool for extending educational opportunities, both formal and non-for mal, 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, 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.

·         ICTs help prepare individuals for the workplace.

One of the most commonly cited reasons for using ICTs in the classroom has been to better prepare the current generation of students for a workplace where ICTs, particularly computers, the Internet and related technologies, are becoming more and more ubiquitous. Technological literacy, or the ability to use ICTs effectively and efficiently, is thus seen as representing a competitive edge in an increasingly globalizing job market.

 

Benefits/Advantages  of ICT in Education

Here are some of the benefits which ICT brings to education according to recent research findings.

General benefits

·         Greater efficiency throughout the school.

·         Communication channels are increased through email, discussion groups and chat rooms

·         Regular use of ICT across different curriculum subjects can have a beneficial motivational influence on students’ learning.

Benefits for teachers

·         ICT facilitates sharing of resources, expertise and advice

·         Greater flexibility in when and where tasks are carried out

·         Gains in ICT literacy skills, confidence and enthusiasm.

·         Easier planning and preparation of lessons and designing materials

·         Access to up-to-date pupil and school data, any time and anywhere.

·         Enhancement of professional image projected to colleagues.

·         Students are generally more ‘on task’ and express more positive feelings when they use computers than when they are given other tasks to do.

·         Computer use during lessons motivated students to continue using learning outside school hours.

Benefits for students

·         Higher quality lessons through greater collaboration between teachers in planning and preparing resources .

·         More focused teaching, tailored to students’ strengths and weaknesses, through better analysis of attainment data

·         Improved pastoral care and behaviour management through better tracking of students

·         Gains in understanding and analytical skills, including improvements in reading

·         Comprehension.

·         Development of writing skills (including spelling, grammar, punctuation, editing and re-drafting), also fluency, originality and elaboration.

·         Encouragement of independent and active learning, and self-responsibility for learning.

·         Flexibility of ‘anytime, anywhere’ access (Jacobsen and Kremer, 2000)

·         Development of higher level learning styles.

·         Students who used educational technology in school felt more successful in school, were more motivated to learn and have increased self-confidence and self-esteem

·         Students found learning in a technology-enhanced setting more stimulating and student-centred than in a traditional classroom

·         Broadband technology supports the reliable and uninterrupted downloading of web-hosted educational multimedia resources

·         Opportunities to address their work to an external audience

·         Opportunities to collaborate on assignments with people outside or inside school

Benefits for parents

·         Easier communication with teachers

·         Higher quality student reports – more legible, more detailed, better presented

·         Greater access to more accurate attendance and attainment information

·         Increased involvement in education for parents and, in some cases, improved self-esteem

·         Increased knowledge of children’s learning and capabilities, owing to increase in learning activity being situated in the home

·         Parents are more likely to be engaged in the school community

·         You will see that ICT can have a positive impact across a very wide range of aspects of school life.

ICT and Raising Standards

Recent research also points to ICT as a significant contributory factor in the raising of standards of achievement in schools.

• Schools judged by the school inspectors to have very good ICT resources achieved better results than schools with poor ICT.
• Schools that made good use of ICT within a subject tended to have better achievement in that subject than other schools.
• Socio-economic circumstances and prior performance of pupils were not found to be critical.
• Secondary schools with very good ICT resources achieved, on average, better results in English, Mathematics and Science than those with poor ICT resources.

A range of research indicates the potential of ICT to support improvements in aspects of

literacy, numeracy and science.

• Improved writing skills: grammar, presentation, spelling, word recognition and volume of work .
• Age-gains in mental calculations and enhanced number skills, for example the use of decimals .
• Better data handling skills and increased ability to read, interpret and sketch graphs Improvements in conceptual understanding of Mathematics (particularly problem solving) and Science (particularly through use of simulations)

The use of ICTs help improve the quality of education

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 colorful, 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.

Enhancing teacher training. ICTs have also been used to improve access to and the quality of teacher training. For example, At Indira Gandhi National Open University, satellite-based one-way video- and two-way audio-conferencing was held in 1996, supplemented by print-materials and recorded video, to train 910 primaryschool teachers and facilitators from 20 district training institutes in Karnataka State. The teachers interacted with remote lecturers by telephone and fax

ICT AND EDUCATION

This blog is intended as a home to some to know about ICT & Education, the challenges that I face as a blogger in sharing and having information about ICT and Education is collecting of valuable info, data and to analyse it according to the needs and today educational environment . The posting is taken generally from several sources which explain accordingly about ICT and Education.If you have anything interesting to add or if you are interested in becoming a contributor to this blog, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Introduction

Information and communication technologies in education refers to teaching and learning the subject matter that enables understanding the functions and effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). As of 2004, a review and contexualization of the literature on teaching ICT as a subject implied that there was limited, systematically-derived, quality information.

Educating educators about technology

In order to use technology effectively, educators need to be trained in using technology and they need to develop a good understanding of it. Technology is used to enhance learning, therefore it is important for educators to be comfortable using it to ensure that students get the full advantages of educational technology.

Technology training appears to focus mainly on technology knowledge and skills while overlooking the relationships between technology, pedagogy, and content. As a result, teachers learn about “cool” stuff, but they still have difficulty applying it for their students’ learning.Teacher candidates need opportunities to practice effective technology integration strategies in supportive contexts during technology courses, technology-integrated methods courses, and field experiences.

Teacher education programs can facilitate improvements not only in students’ technology skills but also in their beliefs and intentions regarding integrating technology into instruction.Technology training directly affects preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and value beliefs, which in turn influence their student-centered technology use.