INTEGRATION OF ICT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
World over, educational institutions are under pressure to integrate
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with teaching, learning,
evaluation, research, administrations and professional development. This increased
emphasis is justified considering the knowledge, skills, and competencies required
by the young generation to survive in an increasingly sophisticated technological
world. Undoubtedly, ICT has brought about many challenges and opportunities for
education. The educational system needs to come to terms with these new
challenges and take full advantage of the opportunities. If educational institutions
have to ensure that their students leave the institutions as confident individuals
capable of using new technology creatively and productively then their teachers
should have the competence to integrate the emerging technologies and the digital
content with all their operations.
Steps to Integrate ICT
In school level, Integrating Information and Communication Technology in
Teaching – Learning Process involves in the following steps:
1. Awareness: To instruct and creating awareness of Information and
communication technology among teachers.
2. Fundamental Knowledge: To create and insert the basic knowledge of the
modern technology those are involved in teaching and learning towards
teachers. The basic knowledges are (a) Nature of Media, (b) Use of Media in
teaching learning process and (c) implementing the media in teaching.
3. Proper Training: It is needed to give proper training to teachers about the
equipment and instrument, which are utilized and involved in teaching.
4. Implementation / Put into Practice: After receiving the training, the teachers
should implement their training in their teaching and evaluation.
5. Follow–up Activities: While implementing new technology, there may so
many difficulties and experiments arise. These may be eradicated through
sharing and consulting the expert.
Awareness
Basic Knowledge
Proper Training
Implementation
Follow-up
Integrating ICT in School Education
ICT has been developed as a new subject in the field of education during the
last few years. The term ‘Education’ includes teaching, learning, instruction and
training. In schools, ICT has its application in the following general working areas:
Curriculum Construction: In the present technological and psychological
age, the application of scientific and technological knowledge is much
essential for the curriculum construction. The curriculum construction has
become a very tedious job in the field of education. It can be simplified with
the help of educational technology.
Selection of Teaching – Learning Strategies: The selection of teaching –
learning strategies turns easy with the help of educational technology.
Selection of Audio-Visual Material: Another important working area of
educational technology is that the teacher can select easily the audio-visual
aids with its assistance.
Determination of Educational Objectives: The software aspect of
educational technology contributes in the formulation of teaching
objectives.
Teachers Training: The new innovations in educational technology can be
used successfully in teachers’ training and it is actually being done, such as
micro- teaching, stimulated teaching, system approach, classroom interaction
and teaching models etc.
Feedback: In the field of education, educational technology has emphasizes
on feedback for evaluation. Many experiments have been carried out in the
area.
Hardware: One form of educational technology also occurs as hardware
devices such as teaching machines,
tape-recorder, television, computer and satellite.
The learning in the classroom can be made effective with their use.
Opportunities of Integrating ICTs in Education
Modern universities and institutes have a mission to make teaching learning
process effective and interesting. Study of use of ICTs in education, reveals the
following opportunities:
A. Improved Teaching Learning Process: The traditional way of teaching
learning process can be made more effective and interesting by using information
and communication technologies. For example, when a teacher uses audio, video,
or power point presentations in his/her lecture, the whole class becomes more
attentive about the lecture. Such activities also help students to understand the
things easily.
B. Increased Availability of Study Material: In traditional learning system,
students and teachers are limited to get knowledge on a particular topic through
printed materials only. But use of ICT facilitates them to get variety of study
materials on a particular topic using internet from anywhere and anytime.
C. Support for Distance Education and E-Learning: The use of ICT supports
distance education and e-learning. Each of the different ICTs - prints, audio/video
cassettes, radio and TV broadcasts, computers or the Internet may be used for
this purpose. There is a minor
