Believe it or not, the present world is mushrooming with information and knowledge revolution. In this era of knowledge sharing and explosion, the role of education and learning has changed the meaning and perspectives of our approach and philosophy of life. One of the important elements of life is education. And, especially the meaning of modern education attaches new values to life, learning, expectations of learning, method of teaching, demands of educators, and use of tools and technology. So, the relevance of rapid advancement in information and communication technology (ICT) is indispensable in the field of learning, method of teaching, and creation of innovative and knowledge-based minds. Therefore, the needs of tools and technologies in education gives me enough reasons to agree with the paramount significance of the modern technologies to deliver the teaching and learning process effectively.
Body
I feel that no matter where one goes, there is always a need to meet the challenges of change and technological innovation in education. In the context of the ever-growing global demand of knowledge boom, my perception is that holding the mastery over ICT skills and utilizing ICT towards creating an improved teaching and learning environment is of paramount importance to teachers in grooming a new learning culture and philosophy of e-pedagogy. But, the author firmly believes that the integration of pedagogical technology plays a key role in this transformation, and the desired transformation demands visionary leadership and active involvement of all stakeholders of education: policy makers, top and middle level managements, teachers, and parents. Thus, the role and contribution of teachers are crucial and pivotal that act as an igniting force for the use of education technology in an improved socio-academic structure of learning and teaching.
My personal experience makes me believe that the difference in the quality of modern tools and technologies in academic sector plays a significant role in shaping the minds of the young generation. Such difference was clearly visible last week when I took an initiative to pay a visit to two schools of different levels. One was the government-sponsored where people from the lower strata underwent for schooling, and the another school was the privately-controlled and aided where the children of the rich and creamy layers of the society took the learning. Believe it or not, there was an astonishing amount of differences between these two types of school. The domain of differences was visible not only in the technological infrastructure but also in the method of teaching, academic qualification of teacher, and goal of learning and teaching. In the government-aided school, they were still using chalk and talk, and there was neither efficient use of time and resources, nor positive interaction between students and teachers. On the other hand, the privately-owned schools were fully equipped with modern resources of tools and technologies that really facilitate in generating quality teaching-learning atmosphere and build a creative character for the future generations. So, I felt that the uses of tools and technologies are the obligatory, not optional, needs of the learning process in order to groom a world of tomorrow with a solemn vision of taking on the challenges of the 21st century.
Use of tool and technologies
In order to understand this better, it makes good sense to know the availability of technologies that are widely available to teachers in school education for different grades to facilitate effective teaching and learning. So, there will be an evolution of e-pedagogy which deals with the philosophy of mixing electronic and digital application with teaching methodology. Further, it deals with the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching through the internet or electronics. In this context of education, some of the modern tools and technologies that help in the teaching-learning process are:
Interactive Whiteboard and slate - The Interactive Whiteboard allows you to write notes and highlight information in digital ink. All you need is a projector attached to a Windows XP computer system, a white screen or board. Some of the salient features of interactive white boards and slates are:
a) A low-reflective surface ensures best possible visibility of the projected lesson from anywhere in the classroom, without distracting hotspots or glare.
b) A touch-sensitive surface, which is also available in the market, allows a teacher or learner to use either their finger or a stylus – a small writing device - to control and interact with computer software, depending on preference.
c) A bundled serial cable and USB cable – a popular hardware interface that allows users to
attach secondary hardware devices to their computer - ensures compatibility with all types of classroom computer or laptop.
Radio, television, telephony, computers, and internet – These are basic ICT equipment that facilitate an interactive and effective teaching-learning process.
Datalogger -It is an electronic device that helps you record data over time or in relation to location. This recording can be done with either with a built-in instrument or sensor or via external instruments and sensors. It also enables learners to spend less time on taking multiple readings and more time on discussing and analyzing results.
Digital Microscope – It is a type of a traditional microscope that enables you to output a digital image to a computer. It is basically used to view the microscope image and record "snapshots".
Digital audio and video device – Digital video is a type of video recording system. It works by using a digital video signal, and is used for stop-motion animation. It is used not only to enhance the presentation methodology of teaching-learning process but also to enable you to capture events easily in a classroom.
Keeping the aforesaid interactive education tools such as whiteboard and slate, radio, television, telephony, computers, and internet, into account, it makes good sense in this modern age to implement for all the grades of students in multiple way. But, some of tools and technologies such as data logger, digital microscope, and digital audio and video device, can be for higher grade of learners. Though they will enjoy the content which is coated with deep layers of animation and images, using them for lower level of learners will be an area of concern.
Advantage of the use of Educational tools and technology in classroom
Learning in the modern context has taken innumerable forms. Some of the needs for integrating ICT in education to enhance teaching and learning are:
a) To transform our society into a learning society by making education accessible and affordable to all.
b) To develop and adopt of the use of ICT resources as a viable supplement to the traditional formal system.
c) To equip teachers or educators with a new knowledge power, modern skill-set, new competencies to cope with the changes that have been brought about in teaching/learning process due to the introduction of ICT in education.
d) To engage and motivate all learners and also to support the development of problem-solving and thinking skills in an open-ended environment.
e) To enable learners to make positive links between two different subjects, and also help teachers use ICT across the curriculum.
f) To encourage learners to hypothesize and discuss various possibilities that might happen.
g) To ensure the visualized thought, creative communication, and development of language skills (Reading, writing, speaking and listening) for different level of learners.
Benefits of using ICT in a classroom
Based on scientific and pedagogical researches in education technology, it has been proved beyond doubt that an effective use of technology can contribute to a higher level of learning. So, some of the benefits for the application of modern tools and technology are:
Conclusion
In the light of the aforesaid facts and analysis of relevance and impact of information and technology in education sector, I am of the firm opinion that education serves as a liberating force in life. In order to creative a positive impact on the teaching-learning environment, I strongly believe that these modern educational tools and methods are an enlightening supplement to bridge the gap between education and the technological world in which we live. So, let us join our hands and take a pledge to contribute in developing the quality teaching-learning process by being an active participant in this mission of making learning a fun with knowledge. Undoubtedly, this solemn endeavor by the agencies concerned will usher in a new era of learning-teaching approach and such a transformative shift in education technology will pave a strong platform for creating a base of future generations that meet the challenges of the changing worlds.
1) Lambert, J. & Cuper, P. "Multimedia technologies and familiar spaces:21st-century teaching for 21st-century learners." Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 8(3), 2008. http://www.citejournal.org/vol8/iss3/currentpractice/article1.cfm April 16, 2012.
2) “Committee on Workforce Needs in Information Technology.” Building a workforce for the information economy, 2001. http://books.nap.edu/html/building_workforce/ April 16, 2012.
3) Faculty at the University of Virginia's. “U.Va. Secures $6.4 Million from U.S. Department of Education to Improve K-12 Teaching and Learning.” University of Virginia. August 30, 2010. http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=12722 April 16, 2012.
