ICT (Information & Communication
Technologies)
What are
ICTs and what types of ICTs are commonly used in education?
ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and
are defined, for the purposes of this primer, as a “diverse set of
technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create,
disseminate, store, and manage information.”4 These technologies include
computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and
telephony. In recent years there has been a groundswell of interest in how
computers and the Internet can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of education at all levels and in both formal and non-formal
settings. But ICTs are more than just these technologies; older technologies
such as the telephone, radio and television, although now given less attention,
have a longer and richer history as instructional tools.5 For instance, radio
and television have for over forty years been used for open and distance
learning, although print remains the cheapest, most accessible and therefore
most dominant delivery mechanism in both developed and developing countries.6
The use of computers and the Internet is still in its infancy in developing countries,
if these are used at all, due to limited infrastructure and the attendant high
costs of access. Moreover, different technologies are typically used in
combination rather than as the sole delivery mechanism. For instance, the
Kothmale Community Radio Internet uses both radio broadcasts and computer and
Internet technologies to facilitate the sharing of information and provide
educational opportunities in a rural community in Sri Lanka.7 The Open
University of the United Kingdom (UKOU), established in 1969 as the first
educational institution in the world wholly dedicated to open and distance
learning, still relies heavily on print-based materials supplemented by radio,
television and, in recent years, online programming.8 Similarly, the Indira
Gandhi National Open University in India combines the use of print, recorded
audio and video, broadcast radio and television, and audioconferencing
technologies.
How can ICTs help
expand access to education?
No comments:
Post a Comment