The Importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching and Learning Process

Author:S.K. Agarwala, Anuradha Sharmab*

Abstract:
ICT have become familiar in all aspects of life. Across the past 20 years, the use of ICT has fundamentally changed the practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavor within business, entertainment, governance, banking and education etc. Within education, ICT has begun to have an existence but the impact has not been as extensive as in the other fields. Education is a very socially oriented activity. The quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with students. However today, the education scenario has been altogether changed. The effective integration of this technology into classroom practices poses a challenge to teachers and administrators. This study analyzes what is happening at schools regarding the integration and use of ICT and to examine teachers’ perceptions about what teaching and learning processes can be improved through the use of ICT. In this study a multiple-case-study research methodology was applied. From a previous exploratory research, four different types of schools were determined to analyze the data. Data show there is a widespread view that ICT in teaching favours several teaching and learning processes. In particular, it shows that the contribution of ICT to the improvement of teaching and learning processes is higher in the schools that have integrated ICT as an innovation factor. The innovations that ICT has brought in teaching learning process include: e-learning, m-learning, u-learning, e-communication, quick access to information, online student registration, online advertisement, reduced burden of keeping hard copy, networking with resourceful persons, etc. To attain this highest level implies that a school not only has to modernize the technological tools, but also has to change the teaching models: the teacher’s role, issues regarding classroom organizational, the teaching and learning processes, and the interaction mechanisms.

Keywords:Keywords: ICT, higher education, teaching-learning process, higher institutions of learning, quality education, educational innovation, school improvement.

DOI:

International Journal of Trade & Commerce (Vol: 7 Issue:2)