ICTs in the Classroom-Why Use Them

Why Teach with ICTs?

By Patricia B. ArintoAssistant Professor

U.P. Open University

What are ICTs?Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are “technological tools and resources that are used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.”

C. Blurton

They “include hardware, software and netware, as well as institutional, financial, cultural and application-related parameters that determine how ICT[s] will be shaped and developed by society at large.”

The Research Council of Norway

Types of ICTs:

• Radio• Television• Telephony (landlines and cellular/mobile

phones)• Computers• Internet

The Knowledge Society

• Exponential increase in information• Shrinking half-life of information• The need to transform information into

knowledge• Knowledge-dependence• Knowledge as the key to social and

economic progress

5 Areas where ICTs can contribute to education:1. Expanding access2. Promoting efficiency3. Improving the quality of learning4. Enhancing the quality of teaching5. Improving management systems

Haddad and Draxler, 2002

Expanding access to education with ICTs• Broadcast technologies have been used

to reach geographically dispersed populations (e.g., Telesecundaria, radio and TV universities, Strong Republic Schools program)

• Distance education and open learning: providing education to marginalized sectors (e.g., women, persons with disabilities) and non-traditional learners (adults)

Expanding access to education

Promoting efficiency with ICTs• Supplementing conventional delivery

mechanisms to make educational provision more cost-effective

• Increasing learning time without extending classroom time through self-study modules, educational TV and radio programs, interactive software

Improving educational management with ICTs• Facilitating collection and analysis

of data• Improving flow of information

and communication• Facilitating decentralization

and devolution

Improving learning with ICTs• Motivating students/Engaging students in the learning

process– Through multisensory stimulation– By providing authentic information

Improving learning with ICTs• Facilitating acquisition of basic skills

through drill-and-practice – Educational TV shows such as Sesame

Street, Batibot, Math-Tinik– Computer-assisted instruction

• Fostering inquiry and exploration – Virtual tours– Simulations

Improving learning with ICTs• Developing skills that are necessary for the

21st century workplace:– technological literacy– information literacy– communication skills– problem solving skills– the ability to handle dynamic situations– the ability to work collaboratively with

others

ICTs and improving the quality of teaching• Teacher training at a distance (e.g., UP

NISMED’s Iskul on the Air, UPOU’s teacher training programs)

• Teacher support (e.g., teaching resources online, teacher networks)

• Teacher empowerment – to be creative, to innovate

On ICTs and teachers

“Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own…computers cannot replace teachers—teachers are the key to whether technology is used appropriately and effectively.”

Carlson and Gadio, 2002, p. 119

Teachers are the key in

ICT-supported learning

Myths about ICTs in education

• Macro myth: Merely providing ICTs to schools transforms the learning process

• Micro myth: Providing technologies means acquiring computers and securing a connection to the Internet

Haddad and Draxler, 2002, p. 4

Parameters for ICT integration (Or important considerations in ICT integration):

• Educational policy• Approach (to education) • Infrastructure• Contentware• Committed and trained personnel• Integration

“How you use technology in education is more important than if you use it at all.”

Thornburg, “Technology in K-12 Education:

Envisioning the Future”, 1999

‘To “tech” or not to “tech” education is not the question. The real question is how to harvest the power of technology to meet the challenges of the 21st century and make education relevant, responsive, and effective for [every]one, anywhere, anytime.’

Haddad and Draxler, 2002, p. 16