Concept and Importance of ICT

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. Information and Communication Technologies consist of the hardware,
software, networks, and media for collection, storage, processing, transmission and
presentation of information (voice, data, text, images), as well as related services.
ICTs can be divided into two components, Information and Communication
Infrastructure (ICI) which refers to physical telecommunications systems and
networks (cellular, broadcast, cable, satellite, postal) and the services that utilize
those (Internet, voice, mail, radio, and television), and Information Technology (IT)
that refers to the hardware and software of information collection, storage,
processing, and presentation. For the purposes of this policy, Information and
Communication Technologies are defined as all digital devices, tools, content and
resources, which can be deployed for realising the goals of teaching-learning as well
as management of the educational system. According to National Research Council,
Learner-centered environment is where “the careful attention is paid to knowledge,
skills, attitudes and beliefs of the learners in the classroom”. ICT finds its use in
education for the following reasons:
 ICT assists students in accessing digital information
 ICT promotes collaborative learning in a distance-learning environment
 ICT offers opportunities to develop critical thinking skills.
 ICT produces a creative learning environment.
 ICT improves the quality of teaching and learning.
 ICT supports teaching by facilitating access to course content.

1.7.2. Scope of ICT

ICT has a vast scope in the field of education. At all levels of education,
whether at school or college, ICT has promising results. These encompass the areas
such as teaching- learning in and outside the classroom, in regular face-to-face set-up
or distance mode. Thus, the scope of ICT in education can be discussed in detail
under the following sections.

Use of ICT in teaching-learning process: The common use of ICT for teaching
includes preparation for notes, teaching learning resources and examinations. This
does not enable teachers to radically change their pedagogical practices. Teachers
need to go beyond

such simple use by involving students to use ICT so as to transfer students’ learning.
The best way of using ICT by teachers in teaching-learning process is to see that
students are motivated to use technology which takes care of concentration on
technology or on the teacher at a given time in the classroom.

Use of ICT for Publication purposes: The educational uses of ICT for
publication purpose is mainly to disseminate information or ideas and share them
with the school community, public, governmental organizations within the country or
abroad. These products of publication take the shape of a newsletter, brochure or a
website. Students can publish a newsletter by procuring the information related to an
organization-Governmental or Non- Governmental. While taking up publishing work,
student play roles such as editors, reporters, authors and designers of the newsletter.
Later they also plan, design, create and distribute them in and outside the school for
the people concern.

Use of ICT in Evaluation: Evaluation is a significant part of teaching which

comprises the learning process and also the provision feedback to learners. Teachers
in traditional face-to-face situations use interaction as an opportunity to provide
feedback to learners, besides communicating their strength and weaknesses. With the
advent of technological developments, there is limited opportunity for face-to-face
Interaction. Now, teacher uses a combination of two forms of evaluation: Formative
Evaluation: This is used as a learning tool, and to give and gain feedback on learner
ability and performance. Summative Evaluation: This is an evaluative method for
grading and making a judgement about the participant’s achievement in a course.
Formative evaluation can take the form of any one or many of the following types of
assignments:
 Portfolios: Portfolios are the collection of a student’s work over a period of
 time. They take the form of action plan with out.comes which is at various
stages of implementation; a series of paintings with student self-reflection; or a
collection of essays accompanied by an annotated bibliography and critique.
 Reports, essays and journals: These belong to specific kind on interest. These
are aimed at developing critical thinking skills and to make judgements about
various actions, plans, ideology, movements in history or a discipline specific
collection of readings.
 Case studies and scenarios: These are used to develop analytical skills based
on a specific area or knowledge.

 Online (asynchronous) conference discussions and synchronous oral

examinations: These evaluation techniques favour learners who are skilled
in presenting thoughts and ideas through inter-personal interaction.

Use of ICT for Research purpose: Products and processes of ICT provide
access to a lot of information on innumerable topics produced by people of diverse
areas and fields across the globe. This information is either singled out in
combination of the form of text, images, sounds, videos and animation. For research,
sifting through a number of websites in search of relevant, authentic and high quality
information is a challenging experience. So, while looking for resources one of the
easiest and safest methods of researching is to use directories. These aspects lead to
collaboration of research work in which the different areas or processes of the
research project can be shared to produce quality results and achieve the desired
goals.

Use of ICT for Administration: ICT for administration purposes include the
preparation of school announcements, reports, letters and student registration. ICT
makes the work of the heads of school easy and manageable and document storage
saves a lot of space, as physical files are replaced by electronic ones.

Use of ICT for Personal Purposes: At the personal level, ICT is used for
communication, personal development and entertainment purpose. Again, most usage
will be to search for and store information, and submit online application-
subscription, purchase or other personal uses.
 Use of ICT for Professional development: ICT uses for professional
development is indicated in searching for information for self-study and
communication. This enhances teacher’s confidence in their areas of specialization.
To further their teaching career, few teachers use ICT and consequently motivate
others to use ICT.

1.7.3 Characteristics of ICT

The characteristics of ICT in education can be discussed in detail under the
following headings:

Student-centric: In these classrooms, students play an active role in their

learning and teachers serve as mere guides. They are more facilitators of learning
than lecturers. They help students think critically and learn by doing and act as a
resource while their students discover and master new concepts. Student-centric
classroom environments put students’ interests first and are focused on each student’s
needs, abilities and learning styles.

Computing devices: Computers are readily available in modern classrooms,

since they are essential tools for 21 st century students and replace the utilities of pen
and paper. They not only give students the means to conduct online research and
master the technology skills they need, but they also give teachers the opportunity to
enhance their lessons. The ability to deftly operate a computer is a critical 21st
century skill. Computing devices greatly assist in teaching and learning and make
them more engaging and effective.

Active learning: In modern classrooms, students are actively engaged in what

they learn. Students participate in more active learning by working in groups or on
computers and complete projects and other interesting activities that help them
discover new skills. Students can learn actively by talking and listening, writing,
reading and reflecting. When students are encouraged to take an active interest in
learning, they are more likely to retain the knowledge they’ve accumulated.

Adaptive learning: Any classroom will always have students of different types
of learning abilities in it which often makes it difficult for teachers to make sure that
all of them understand the concepts. The modern approach of adaptive learning gives
students the freedom to learn at their own pace and in the way they are most
comfortable with. There are various kinds of software available for adaptive learning
that teachers can use to enhance the learning of their students.

Invitational environment: The classrooms should not be cramped or

overcrowded. Modern classrooms should have the basic material required for
teaching such as, interactive whiteboards and LCD projectors. The BYOD (Bring-
Your-Own-Device) approach can be adopted, so that students can bring their laptops
or tablets to the classroom for better personalized learning. Teaching with
technological material is more effective, stimulates student engagement, eases the
work of teachers and makes it easy for students to focus on learning.