Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language ,

Online ISSN 2348-3083, SJ IMPACT FACTOR 2016 = 4.44, www.srjis.com

UGC Approved Sr. No.48612, OCT- NOV 2017, VOL- 4/24

IMPORTANCE OF ICT IN LEARNING

Mahesh Prasad Tripathi, Ph. D.

Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Education, R. R. P. G. College, Amethi-227405
[email protected]

“One of the many challenges facing developing countries in 21st century, i. e. the Century of
Knowledge, is that of preparing their societies for globalization & the information and
communication revolution to transform present society into Knowledge Society. Our Governments,
Policy-makers, Educationists, Non-Government Organizations and academia are concerned with the
need to make their societies competitive in the emergent Information and Communication Technology.
Globalization and innovations in technology have led to an increased use of ICT in all sectors
including education. Uses of ICT in education are widespread and are continually growing
worldwide. The report of the International Symposium, UNESCO, 1990 on “Learning to care:
Education for the Twenty-first Century” emphasized the integration of ICT for teaching- learning,
research and extension. The integration of ICT into classroom poses a challenge to teachers,
planners, thinkers and administrators. This study aimed at finding out the factors influencing the use
of ICT to make teaching- learning effective and identifying the innovations that ICT has brought into
teaching-learning process. ICT can be used to support teaching and learning as well as research
activities including collaborative and blended learning. ICT has introduced a new method and
strategy of learning called E-learning (Electronic learning) where learners study while they are at
home or work place without going to the school. This makes many workers or employees to update,
enroll and upgrade themselves easily. It is believed that ICT can empower teachers and learners,
making significant contributions to teaching and learning. The effectiveness of ICT in education has
been felt that introduction of ICT adequately is highly effective in learners’ learning and
achievement. Studies have shown that advanced schools use ICT in teaching and learning process for
innovations. The use of ICT enhances skills related to teaching and learning; and enriches complete,
updated and authentic knowledge. More researches need to be conducted to understand the links
between ICT and achievement, development, teaching and learning. This paper summarizes some key
research findings to help educational planners to identify relevant e-Learning benefits and make
judicious decisions to develop e-Learning strategies.”
Keywords: I C T, Internet, World Wide Web, Blended Learning, Collaborative Learning,
Educational Technology For All (ETFA).
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Education is the most important tool for development. India with its ancient heritage
of imparting education through Gurukul system created institutions of higher learning of
international repute. In spite of this there is crisis in all sectors of education. Though, India
has taken major steps in solving the issues and problems in all sectors of education. There are
several crises in education system in India at its all levels viz. Enrolment (GER), Curricula,

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Pedagogy, Value Inculcation, Use of Technology and ICT, Partnership (PPP), Funding,
Governance, Assessment and Accreditation. India has quantity but lacks in quality. In present
era Education includes modern Information and Communication Technology and pedagogy
to incline towards knowledge and ranks in examinations rather than applying the learning in
day today life of individuals to utilize the knowledge for development of society and nation
in true sense. Teachers are putting emphasis on marks rather than evaluating students as a
complete individual. Education is specifically concerned with students‟ development, the
refinement of knowledge, researches and extension. The vast developments in technology,
knowledge, Information and Communication Technology have created an enhanced learning
environment. A teacher is expected to face the new changes to enhance quality of education
by updating teaching methodology and applying educational innovations. As knowledge
societies expand, reforms in the Education programmes are important issues. As society
becomes more and more complex, the institutions are pressed to assume social obligations to
train for employment, to solve social problems, to set ethical directions for society. For
quality assurance, NCTE and NAAC have signed a MoU for assessment and accreditation of
all Teacher Education institutions. Information and Communication Technology has become
one of the basic needs for reformation and up gradation of modern society. The rapid growth
in ICT has brought remarkable changes in the twenty-first century. The integration of ICT
into classrooms poses challenges to teachers in teaching and learning process; and
administrators in management. Teachers and administrators have strong desire for the
integration of ICT into education but they encountered many barriers to it. For successful
integration of ICT into teaching-learning process, the factors that positively influence
teachers and administrators are their attitudes towards the usefulness of ICT in teaching-
learning process. Government policies on ICT literacy, ICT competence, professional
development, accessibility, technical support, leadership support and management are
facilitating the use of ICT in all sectors and fields of education. Studies indicate that ICT
embedded learning benefits students, teachers, societies, economies and other stakeholders.
Worldwide researches have shown that ICT can lead to improved teaching, student learning
and better teaching strategies. A report made by the National Institute of Multimedia
Education, Japan proved that an increase in student exposure to ICT has a significant and
positive impact on students‟ achievement, especially in terms of “Knowledge”,
“Comprehension”, “Practical Skills” and “Presentation Skills”. The video and animation in

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education like UNICEF‟s animation series, “Meena” children‟s television show, Edutoon
against gender bias and social inequity are very effective.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY:
ICT stand for Information and Communication Technology and is defined as a
diverse set of technological tools, techniques and resources used to create, to manage, to
disseminate, to store, and to communicate information. ICT is the combination of
Information Technology and Communication Technology. ICT in Education means
“Teaching and Learning with ICT”. In the present educational world, Information and
Communication Technology has great role to play in planning for teaching and learning. ICT
helps in educational planning in the following important aspects:
(a) It provides the ways to decide learning goals for students to develop desired
competencies.
(b) It provides support in educational administration.
(c) It provides resources for educational planning.
(d) It provides the criteria how to plan for examination, evaluation and assessment.
(e) It provides tools to improve students‟ abilities to learn through multimedia approaches.
(f) It provides support in educational management.
(g) It provides some software and applications that encourage reflections in learning.
(h) It provides support to plan for innovations.
(i) It provides models of good teaching.
(j) It provides support in learning management.
(k) ICT supports in research and extension.
(l) ICT supports to plan for quality management and assurance.
(m) ICT led to easy and quick access to worldwide knowledge through internet.
(n)ICT supports to plan for online platform in all sectors.
AIMS OF ICT:
The report of the International Symposium, UNESCO, 1990 on “Learning to care:
Education for the Twenty-first Century” emphasized the integration of ICT for teaching-
learning, research and extension. UNESCO aims to ensure access to the best educational
facilities to contribute to National Knowledge Network (NKN) to achieve the goals of
Education for All (EFA) which are possible due to ICT. The aims of ICT implementation in
education are as follows:

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1) To implement the principle of life-long learning.

2) To increase online learning or e-learning.
3) To increase a variety of educational methods i.e. Multimedia Approaches.
4) To provide blended platform.
5) To promote Equal Educational Opportunities to all.
6) To promote Collaborative learning.
7) To develop a system of collecting and disseminating information.
8) To promote ICT Literacy to all, Educational Technology For All (ETFA).
9) To develop Open and Distance Education.
10) To promote the culture of self learning.
11) To promote value education.
12) To implement e-governance.
ADVANTAGES OF ICT FOR EDUCATION:
The following are main advantages of ICT in education:

(a) Images with animation can easily be used in teaching to improve the interest and
retention of the students.
(b) Increases learner motivation and engagement
(c) Teachers can easily explain complex contents and ensure students‟ comprehension
and learning.
(d) Facilitates the acquisition of skills for teaching and learning.
(e) Teachers are able to create interactive and interesting classes for Joyful Learning.
(f) Teachers can make the teaching and learning more enjoyable (Joyful Learning) to
improve students‟ attention and concentration.
(g) Teachers can provide the students the blended platform for the learning.
(h) Teachers enhance their professional competencies.
(i) Students can manage learning by their own (Self Learning) to achieve the goal of
“Education For All”.
(j) Students can manage Personalized Learning.
(k) Students can manage Collaborative Learning to develop learning abilities and
competencies like: Critical Thinking, ICT Competencies, Team Spirit and
Communication Skills.
(l) Students can manage their study through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode.

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(m) Students can contribute to the Knowledge Network.

(n) Students can learn on e-learning platform.

(m) Teachers and students can have access to the best educational facilities.
INTERNET:
The Internet is a telecommunication global computer network providing a variety of
information and communication facilities using standardized protocols and telephones,
cables, satellites and wireless connections etc. The internet has enabled new forms of social
interaction and activities. Educational material at all levels from pre- school to post- doctoral
is available on it. The internet provides access to huge library of information from the
millions of websites around the world that forms World Wide Web.Internet is the main tool
of ICT. It uses computers and World Wide Web (www). Internet is a driving force for
development and innovation. Internet may be described as:
INTERNET = INNOVATION + INVENTION + INTENTION
Internet is responsible for ICT Literacy. Teachers and students should develop ICT
Literacy i.e. how to use ICT. ICT infuses all the aspects of education in such a way as to
improve students‟ learning and its management. Education drives the economic and social
development in any country which serves as repository of knowledge. As far as the 21st
Century Teachers and learners are concerned, their transformed roles are clear from the
cliché: "The teacher is no longer the sage on the stage, but the guide on the side". The
teacher is becoming less central to the learning process than the student. ICT has changed the
way businesses and industries are influenced the way people work, interact and function in
the society.
TRASFORMING EDUCATION THROUGH ICT:
Education is the main foundation of a thriving and innovative knowledge society.
India needs to develop strong and appropriate human capital to stay in the forefront of
competitive world. This will be achieved by the quality of education delivered, by upgrading
Educational programmes, quality of professionally skilled and knowledgeable teachers, the
curriculum, the curriculum transaction, infrastructure facilities and pedagogy. Hargreaves
and Fullan believe, “The teacher is the ultimate human resource to educational changes
according to the needs of the societal changes and advancements. Blended learning strategy
using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) should be applied by the teachers.
ICT emphasizes changes from Teacher- Centred to Learner- Centred Learning (TCL to LCL).

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The pedagogy requires shift from the conventional pedagogy based on the Banking Model of
Education where students are considered as empty vessels into which knowledge must be
poured in to „Pedagogy with ICT‟ with a focus on holistic approach.
Necessity of professional development of teachers for quality education is being felt
all over the world. Kothari commission Report (1964-66) criticized the existing Teacher
Education Programme being away from reality. Hence, a systematic analysis of the recent
reforms in professional development of teachers and the need of paradigm shift in Teacher
Education in our country is essential. ICT helps in Policy making and Decision making. It
supports Curriculum development and Assessment. ICT plays important role in research and
extension. It enhances professionalism and helps in professional development. ICT has also
made communication easy through the internet e.g. E-mail, chatting, teleconferencing, video-
conferencing, whatsapp, twitter, facebook etc. ICT led to easy and quick access to worldwide
knowledge through internet. ICT exposes learners, teachers and administrators to modern
world through searching, reading and connecting, browsing and surfing with resources
throughout the world. ICT has improved the quality of educational work since most of the
teachers and administrators use software to do most of their work using ICT. ICT has made it
easy for the teachers to update teaching-learning pedagogy by learning more about the latest
techniques and strategies. ICT has made it possible for administrators and teachers to register
the students online and for students to access their records. ICT made it easy for the
administrators to advertise electronically the institution so that individuals can know about
the institution, the courses and vacant positions on their websites. The use of ICT in
education has resulted in a move from teacher-centred delivery to student-centred learning to
acquire core intellectual abilities, such as communication, interpretation and reflection by
learners. ICT functions as information resources and cognitive tools, supporting and enabling
students to be responsible for their own learning. Traditionally, students have to complete
their studies within a specified and constrained time-frame and the physical settings of their
institutions. Now ICT enabled learners has to take part in learning activities without time
constraints increasing the opportunities for more students to participate in learning according
to their pace and feasibility. That is to say that the learners learn without any barrier or
burden. Now the education is at their door steps. Teachers now have different responsibilities
and also require new skills with high levels of ICT, and need to be facilitative rather than
didactic in teaching. ICT-based learning provides economies and efficiencies resulting in

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reductions in the costs. ICT helps to make curricula Industry-oriented, Skill-based,

Multidisciplinary to get holistic exposure which may promote continuing education &
entrepreneurship.
CONCLUSION:
Education is the driving force for the development in all sectors. Therefore, it is
necessary to integrate ICT in education to ensure quality, accessibility, affordability and
value based education. Improving the quality of education is a critical issue. ICT is a
transformational tool for quality, accessibility, affordability and value based education which
when used appropriately, can promote the shift to a learner-centered environment at all the
levels of ICT use in education identified by Haddad and Draxler, viz: Presentation,
Demonstration, Interaction, Collaboration and Practice. ICT can be pivotal in tackling the
impacts of liberalization, privatization, globalization (LPG), mass enrolment, diversification,
and commercialization in higher education. The use of ICT makes education more affordable
and accessible, increases gross enrolment ratio, enhances students' mobility, influences
teaching and learning, develops higher order thinking skills and collaborative skills, provides
flexibility, creates competition to improve quality and value based education. Educational
institutions should use ICT to develop course materials, deliver and share course content,
lectures and presentations, facilitate communication, encourage pedagogical innovations,
increase cooperation and collaboration, conduct research, enhance professional development,
and provide administrative, management and extension services. ICT can provide access to
education regardless of time and demographic barriers. ICT can influence the way how
students are taught. It would enable development of collaborative skills and knowledge
exploration skills. Students should learn the access of knowledge through Massive Open
Online Courses (MOOCS) and intensive use of technology.
We need quality education which depends on the quality of teaching and learning.
Improvement in teaching quality is one of the most important issues in all disciplines of the
studies. For this learned, skilled, dedicated, oriented, self- motivated, ICT literate and
committed teachers are needed who would be able to transform the classroom into a wonder-
room (wonderful place for learning). Quality is never an accident, it is to be practiced.
Teachers, policy makers, Universities and the Governments would take active steps for
enhancing quality in teaching. Paradigm shift is required from traditional teaching to
collaborative and blended learning using ET and ICT. ICT has brought about tremendous

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change in education, but we are yet to achieve the desired IT adoption in all sectors of
education in the country. Governments, planners, educationists, thinkers, administrators,
parents and teachers have to rethink that which type of education they want their future
generation to learn? Collaborative efforts of parents, teachers, society, media and ICT can
bring the Indian youth on right track to live a disciplined life in this Knowledge Society to
face Knowledge Explosion. We have to build a 21st century model for education that is of
high quality, equitable, accessible and affordable that makes India a role model for a
education system that is not just the best in the world but the best for the world. This is the
right time to act and reform. Efforts are to be made by all stakeholders involved i.e.
Academia, Students, Parents, Society, Industry, PPP, FDI and Government. Collaborative
efforts of governments, parents, teachers, society and ICT can bring the Indian youth on right
track to live a disciplined life with happiness and harmony.
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