ICT
definitions and life experiences
As I am going to talk about the
Technologies of Communication and Information I believe to be quite opportune
to mention some definitions about them, developed by some authoritative
entities:
One of them was developed by the
1-
United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) and stated that “ICTs are essentially information-handling
tools- a various set of goods, applications and services that can be used to
construct, store, share, process, distribute and exchange information (Reddi, 2006)
2-
It is an educational process
which allow us to get information, to communicate with others by using
electronic devices or digital equipment.
As a secondary student I remember that I
have always loved when a teacher brought his/her computer with something
interesting to watch, or when in my last years at secondary school a teacher
allowed us to use our cell phones to look for information about some
philosophers. However, and to be honest electronic devices not only represented
an amazingly interesting new way of learning at that time, but also a way of
having fun, because me and my friends used our mobile phones to chat and
interact among us about different topics.
Today, as I teacher I believe I can see the
bigger picture because I have seen and also experienced how advantageous ICTs
could be for students and for their learning processes. I have planned lessons
including all kinds of ICTs such as: using online platforms, interactive
videos, games and applications such as kahoot and google forms which are
incredible tools that can catch students´ attention and foster their
participation in the classroom as they find real communicative purposes which
are interesting for them and therefore they feel the need to interact with
their peers. Nevertheless, I have also had some very bad experiences when using
ICTs which are part of the risks that you have to be prepared if you decide to
use them. For instance, it has happened to me that the internet connection of
an educational centre was not good enough to keep all students on the net at
the same time, so many students might get distracted or discouraged to continue
working. Another bad experience was when, on a rainy day, electricity went off
and my lesson plan, which actually depended 100 per cent on the internet
connection, was foiled. I had to improvise that day and after that time I
learnt that I must always have an ace up my sleeve.
So some clear advantages of ICTs I would be
that:
· * Images can be easily used in
teaching and improving the retentive memory of students.
· * Teachers can explain activities
supporting their explanation by using visual aids and facilitating students
understanding of complex instructions.
· * Enable teachers to create
interactive classes and make the lessons funnier and enjoyable, which could improve
student´s attendance and concentration. (ELMO,2012)
· * Children´s creativity skills
could be improved.
· * Students can develop
self-esteem and confidence as they are using tools that are known for them.
· * Students can develop their
presentation skills as well as their problem solving competencies.
Anyway we should bear in mind that ICTs are
very expensive tools and sometimes they are not affordable for teachers or
institutions, some examples are: Smart boards, projectors, individual
computers, etc. Additionally, we should also remember that there is a time
constraint to be consider in a lesson which would implement the usage of ICTs.
And finally but not least, we should always have a plan B.
What do you think about all this? Do you
agree?
I would like to know your opinions.
Thanks for reading.
Mauricio Pérez – Pando IFD
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