Information Management
Information Management
Introduction
Education is one of the most important things that a person must obtain. The traditional face-to-face contact between the educator and the students inside the classroom has been a very effective teaching method among teachers. However, the emergence of computer technology also enables new techniques when it comes to the teaching methods of many educators, especially for college courses that involve information technology (IT) topics. Computers are now one of the main tools that are being used in IT-related courses in many institutions. Thus, even the educators who teach non-IT related courses are extensively using computers as their support tool in teaching various topics. There are many educationalists who claim that the extensive use of computers in teaching is now replacing the traditional face-to-face method of teaching.
Technological advancement provides different opportunities for educators to teach various disciplines to their students. One of terminologies being brought to this topic is the information and communication technology or ICT. This terminology is a representation of different applications or communication device, which encompass television, radio, computer, cellular phones, network software and hardware, and even satellite systems that help educators in fulfilling their tasks. Although these technological tools enable educators in fulfilling their tasks nowadays, there is still a wide gap between how educators use the traditional way of teaching versus the utilization of information and communication technology within the context of education.
The goal of this study is to discuss the current use of ICT on educational system and how it applies on the teaching methods of many educators. More than just the current uses, ICT also holds potential uses in the future, not just for school education purpose, but also for non-academic uses. Additionally, this study will present the possible impacts of ICT to various institutions and different various groups, such as healthcare, business, and social development.
ICT is a great help for educators. ICT enables faster and easier way of communication through technological advancement. There are various applications and services that the ICT is associated with, such as distance learning and videoconferencing. That is why; the issue encompassing ICT is more focused on the decline of face-to-face interaction between the teachers and their students inside a classroom. Moreover, the ICT can also be defined as a vast field the embraces virtually most technologies, which can store, transmit, and receive electronic signals. To simply put, it is a new avenue that is being used more than just a teaching support. This study argues that apart from the current use of ICT in education, this form of technological advancement can also be used in other institutions, thus, information and communication technology impacts such institutions as well as different client groups. Overall, information and communication technology is a method that helps in not just the educators but also different institution through its current and future uses.
Information and communication technologies or ICT is now viewed as one of the most common tools that help people to accomplish daily tasks. Not only that teachers are utilizing this technology, but also many other institutions are using ICT in order to communicate with their clients and employees. Even governments of different nations are now using ICT to ensure the welfare of the people through faster communication. Thus, ICT is one of the ways that national security can be ensured through improved communication channels between government agencies. In the future, ICT can become more innovative and advanced in terms of reliability. The current satellite technology that helps people communicate faster could become an obsolete technology as there will be more sophisticated satellite technology that can transmit data with less technical requirement. More and more people and institutions can use ICT across wider usage.
In terms of ICT’s contribution to education, there are notable facts that led to the improvement of teaching methods of many educators around the world. According to Noor-Ul-Amin (n.d.), information and communication technology has become one of modern society’s significant building blocks. In fact, many countries are now considering ICT as an essential part of educational system. It was suggested that understanding ICT along with its basic concepts should be included as part of core education. This is apart from basic writing, reading, and numerical skills.
There is a better future waiting for education in relation to the utilization of ICT in the educational system. In fact, ICT had significant impacts on the field of education, from which it affected the teachers’ method of teaching and even the students’ learning and research. Thus, there were numerous research pertaining to the success and benefits of ICT towards improvement of educational system (Noor-Ul-Amin, n.d.). Which is why, the current uses of ICT in education is considered a constant change for the better utilization of such technology that will further affect the education, learning, and research. In the future, there could also be more sophisticated software and hardware that can be developed in order to increase ICT’s applicability across different disciplines in different colleges and universities. ICT will no longer be a mere tool for communication, but a supporting tool for further leaning. In the future, ICT will not only enhance the learning environments, but it will also serve as a new opportunity for new generations to prepare themselves for their future lives and professional careers. Furthermore, there will be more changes in the way teachers handle their profession. There will be changes in their responsibilities as well as the skill sets in terms of future teaching that involves higher level of information and communication approach. The future use of ICT will also require educators to become more facilitative than didactic in terms of future teaching roles.
More than just a simple use in the future, the information and communication technology holds various possibilities when it comes to improving the accessibility as well as the overall quality of education. At present, ICT shows that it is able to provide flexible delivery of education. This enables the learners to gain access to knowledge and learning materials in anytime of the day, regardless of their location.
For as long as there is an Internet connection, learners will be able to access the more advanced way of learning. In the future, ICT can influence the method learners are being taught as well as how the students learn because the future processes will be more learner-driven and no longer fully-controlled by educators.
Similar with other institutions’ use of ICT, Internet technology is also being utilized in many classrooms in the United States (Leu et al., 2004). This is a representation that ICT is not only being used for remote teaching of educators and students, but it is also used inside the classrooms itself. According to National Center for Education Statistics, the classrooms in the country that has at least one computer increased from three percent (3%) to ninety two percent (92%) and that was only between years 1994 and 2002 (Leu et al., 2004).
If there was a large increase of computer through ICT during the past decades, then it represents a continuous an upward trend of ICT-related teaching approach across different schools in the United States.
Moreover, the future use of ICT in education can be predicted based upon its previous applications, such as the continuous improvement and transformation of internet access in many schools. During the early days, public schools in the United States have been connecting to the internet using a phone modem. Afterwards, these schools adopted new technologies, such as connecting to the internet through broadband technology. This approach enabled faster and more reliable internet connection.
Currently, some teachers who teach subjects, such as geography, use satellite-powered maps to locate specific places on earth. In the future, there is a high possibility that the utilization of satellite-powered technologies will increase and there might also be a reduction of external device usage in order to save important data. For example, many students use external drives to store files and materials used in their learning. However, in the future, more and more students will use cloud storage, which only requires and password to access their saved data.
Educational development through ICT utilization in the future can also be used in rural development (Bhatnagar, n.d.). Government agencies have to be energized to cope with challenges in implementing the rural development programs through application of advanced ICT, which may also require the field officials to become ICT-literate
As for ICT’s impacts on various institutions and client groups, there is a significant definition that will link ICT with its contribution to reduce poverty as well as the other socio-economic problems (Perron et al., 2011). The World Health Organization or WHO views ICT as one of the factors that can help in the promotion of health improvement especially in the developing countries. There are three ways, from which ICT can be used in this effort. Perron et al. (2011) said that these three ways are: 1) ICT can be used for training to develop doctors’ advance practice skills; 2) it can also be used as part of delivery to remote areas; and 3) ICT can be used to increase efficiency and transparency of governance.
There will also be some positive effects that will be given to businesses connected with ICT, such as the computer manufacturers, software developers, and even the small and medium enterprises that utilize ICT for their business promotion and operations. The evolution of information and communication technology has influenced many small and medium enterprises significantly. Bazhenova, Taratukhin and Becker (n.d.) said that ICT will help changing the business operations and infrastructure through creation of premises for the development of competitive advantages.
Moreover, the merging of different technologies within the scope of ICT enables the development of new industries (Buhalis, 1998). For example, the need for more internet providers may enable the rise of new competitors. In fact, ICT can reshape the competition across different economic activities. Additionally, the future use of ICT can help institutions in achieving various strategic benefits through utilization of ICT, such as establishment of barriers to potential new entries, differentiating the products and services, and even ensuring a competitive pricing (Buhalis, 1998).
Conclusion
ICT encompasses different computing devices, more than just a desktop computer that has an internet connection. The emergence of smartphones, thinner and more powerful laptops, and other gadgets are all associated with ICT. It is presumably correct that in the near future, there will be more and more people who will be able to connect with each other as there will be more places that have internet connection, which is the basic requirement for ICT to work. People will be able to know the real-time news due to the real-time updates that can be sent to their smartphones or tablets. In the future there will be more institutions that will use ICT, not only with their daily operations, but even on the simplest task within the organization.
Additionally, many of the institutions become successful due to the utilization of ICT, as this technology does not only encompass a simple electronic form of communication, such as e-mail. ICT also includes SMS, video messaging and video calling. Even the emergence of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, is associated with ICT utilization. In fact, educational, business, and political institutions use social media as way to reach both their employees and clients.
There are numerous possible uses of ICT in the future. It may provide huge improvement in the way teachers attend to their profession, which may also require them to obtain additional knowledge about information and communication technology. This will also improve the educators’ competitiveness when it comes to providing education to their students, as there will be faster and more convenient ways to share information among his or her students. Therefore, ICT could provide development in educational system.
Somehow, there will be a reduction personal interaction that ICT can provide in the future. Unlike the traditional way of learning, where teachers teach in front of the class, the emergence of ICT across different educational setting may reduce this traditional method of teaching. On the other hand, there are various positive attributes within the emergence of ICT in education.
There will be a reduction of stress and physical effort in relation to traditional teaching or the face-to-face teaching inside the classroom. That is because, in the future, both teachers and students will be able to interact with each other, while learning inside the comfort of their own homes. Therefore, the emergence of ICT in many institutions, specifically in schools, represents the constant use of this technology for current and future educational use.
In relation to the discussion of ICT’s impact and influence on development, there are numerous future possibilities that this technology may provide. The current ICT use of different government agencies in collaborating with each other can be enhanced using more sophisticated communication technology, such as satellite communication for remote rural and poor areas. Apart from the current and future educational use of ICT, such technology can also provide various improvements in different institutions and client groups, such as the software developers, small and medium enterprises, and most especially, the ICT devices manufacturers.
References
Bazhenova, E., Taratukhin, V., & Becker, J. (n.d.). Impact of information and communication technologies on business process management on small and medium enterprises in the emerging countries.
Bhatnagar, S. (n.d.). Information Technology and Development: Foundation and Key Issues.Indian Institute of Management, 1-12.
Buhalis, D. (1998). Strategic use of information technologies in the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 19(5), 409-421.
Leu, Jr., D. J., Kinzer, C. K., Coiro, J., & Cammack, D. W. (2004). Toward a Theory of New Literacies Emerging From the Internet and Other Information and Communication Technologies. Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, 1570-1613.
Noor-Ul-Amin, S. (n.d.). An Effective use of ICT for Education and Learning by Drawing on Worldwide Knowledge, Research, and Experience: ICT as a Change Agent for Education.
Perron, B. E., Taylor, H. O., Glass, J. E., & Margerum-leys, J. (2010). Information and Communication Technologies in Social Work. Advance Social Work, 11(2), 67-81.
