Advantages of IT in Education
Information Technology is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and plays a role in almost every part of our lives. One of the areas that IT plays a major role in is Education. The role of Information Technology in Education is exploring the potential for technology to redefine the terms of teaching and learning. My personal opinion is that the use of Information Technology will benefit the education industry for many generations to come.
IT is already benefitting education in present times. As classroom computer technology is being used for different types of activities, students are required to be readers, writers, editors, and publishers and must be willing to collaborate and work closely with others. These are critical skills for students to learn as they grow and enter the workplace. Technologies such as podcasts provide students with the opportunity to learn at their own pace and the chance to go back and re-learn content whenever they want. This is especially helpful to ESL students and students with learning disabilities.
Here are some other benefits of the use of IT in education:
Access to information - Many years ago, our only source of information were books, which we’d have to painstakingly find in the sections of the library we all hated. Today information is easily accessed thanks to the internet. Also, online courses are accessible to the students who are unable to attend traditional educational buildings because of health, finance problems or any other complications.
Ease in teaching - Thanks to the technology, teachers now have more than one way of keeping an eye on the student’s progress. Moreover, audio-visual presentation, wide-screen televisions and projectors can be used for improving the delivery of instruction to improve learning and increasing the comprehension level among the students.
Technology makes education enjoyable – Most modern students enjoy it when teachers and lecturers make use of white board or touch screen technology. They find these classes more interactive and interesting, and their increased interest results in better comprehension and the absorption of more knowledge.
My opinion is that the advantages IT bring in to education are too great to ignore or downplay, and that we need to embrace it and make the most of the resources available to us in order to fully benefit from the advantages I mentioned earlier, and countless others! IT in education? Yes please.
Contribution submitted by Shakeel Abdul Kalick, 1434382.
References:
The Hitachi Foundation. 2015. “The Role of Information Technology in Education.” [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.hitachifoundation.org/our-work/business-and-work-grants-program/initiatives/past-initiatives/24-the-role-of-information-technology-in-education. [Accessed 8 May 2016].
Boundless. 2015. “Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom.” [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/education/textbooks/boundless-education-textbook/technology-in-the-classroom-6/edtech-25/advantages-of-using-technology-in-the-classroom-77-13007/. [Accessed 8 May 2016].