HOW ICT CHANGE THE WORLD FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE?
ICT has developed at a very fast rate throughout the years. It has changed the way we live and work and our social lives. This essay will be exploring the concepts of technology and how ICT has changed the way we live and if it is for the better or for the worse.
Twenty years ago the idea of having a “computer for everyone” was considered very unlikely, if not an absurd idea. Hardly anyone had a computer and if they did, they were considered well off and technically sophisticated. Having a computer was considered a luxury and not a necessity like it is today. Life was very different; communication between people was much slower. There were no Instant messages as you would have to telephone the person on their home telephone or send a letter. If you wanted to research something you would have to go to a library as there were no search engines. There were many things that you couldn’t do or that were slower because of a lack of ICT. For example we are all used to shopping on line but twenty years ago this wasn’t available as computers were expensive and there were few shopping web sites. The internet was not sophisticated as it is today and it could not process financial transactions.
How we spend our free time
It didn’t stop there because technology changed our social lives with the Play Stations 1,2 and 3.The Nintendo Ds’s,The slim line Mobile phone with new technology, The PSP’s ( the portable version of the Play station!). Most recently Apple introduced their most advanced technology out there with the Iphone 4. The new Iphone 4 released by Apple has changed the face of mobile phones forever; these phones are extremely similar to laptops but are still able to sit in the palm of your hand. The new wave of TV’s that have come out are the slim-line, 3D TV’s that give you the experience of being in a cinema when you are only in your living room. There is also the development of social networking sites such as facebook and twitter which make it easier to stay in touch with people and make new friends.
Changes in education
In the classroom things changed also. blackboards and chalk were abolished because of interactive whiteboards. There is access to all the images, maps and information available on the net. New opportunities had arisen for those who chose to pursue further education. The option is to pursue further studies online is becoming a well-known, widely used and appreciated development. It allows students of every age to study from home while maintaining their jobs, social lives and family time.
The telephone brought people closer together in the sense that distance did not inhibit a phone call, but it also had an unanticipated effect, according to some early studies that people spent less time actually in each other’s presence. Starting in the 1890s people began to replace visiting with telephone calls, which were briefer and less personal. Many people argue that this is a bad thing however the invention of technology including the telephones and computers allowed people to pursue social and work opportunities.
Sustainability
Sustainability is also a big question when it comes to technology. The main question being, can we keep up with technology? And is it really as reliable as we think? There are some loop holes when considering the sustainability of technology such as the questions what will happen if there is too much of technology? What about cyber bullying? And fraud? Isn’t fraud dangerous and becoming more technology related thus meaning that one day, one virus, one problem could cause the whole frame of technology to collapse. And if it did collapse would we be able to manage without it?
Ownerships, Copyright and Plagiarism
Since technology has been introduced there have been downfalls of the misuse of the internet, one big part of this is plagiarism. Although students today still use the old, traditional ways of cheating, technology has enabled students to take cheating and plagiarism to a more sophisticated level. Many schools and colleges use an on-line plagiarism programs to try to prevent this. These identify essays that have been plagiarized where students have “cut and pasted” internet articles in to their own work.
MY LEARNING ABOUT EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES?
The positive impact of ICT use in education has not been proven In general, and despite thousands of impact studies, the impact of ICT use on student achievement remains difficult to measure and open to much reasonable debate.
For education, the purpose of ICT is generally to familiarise students and teachers with the use and workings of computers, related social and ethical issues. It is generally believed that ICT can empower both teachers and learners. It promotes change to education in 21st century. ICT not only transforms teaching but also the learning processes. The transformation gets to increase learning gains for students that provide learners an opportunity to develop creativity, communication skills, and other thinking skills. Besides, smart solutions for the future including laptop learning, e-learning, smart classrooms, didactic equipment and stimulations is the key to education today. An entire learning environment is needed in which students, teachers, administrators, and parents can easily communicate and collaborate with each other, share secure information around the clock, and, ultimately, access a world of knowledge beyond classroom walls.
Referring to the picture above, we can see that ICT is very useful to society, especially to students in colleges. According to ICT adviser Harriet Price, an ICT-rich educational experience brings benefits to the students. She says that technology is an important part of student’s everyday lives. She makes sure that the necessary software and hardware is available for students to use, while also helping them develop their own ICT skills. More than half of the students in the groups have a computer or laptop at home as well as access in College so that they can search for information regardless of time and place.
As we know, ICT making all schools “smart”. That means everyone get different information and knowledge from ICT. For example, when we have difficult in the study, this is the way to search the definition online immediately. Computers are also provided in every area of different country in the schools, colleges or labs. It helps students to get the chance to do assignments or group projects by saving a lot of time. It also increases students’ knowledge at the same time. Besides, students who have laptops themselves can bring their machines with them. ICT make everyone comfortable by using it.
On the other hand, we can have our self-test before the exam. Besides buying the books for exercise, we can get the question from the Internet. It makes students more comfortable to have a test. ICT is also like a learning centre that could help to share ideas and understanding to the students. It teaches us the grammar and improves our English by ourselves. For example, when we are working in pairs and yet by using ICT that students can experience with collaborative learning. ICT represent as the local champions. It supports local needs for the learners which mean social information can be found easily.
In fact, ICT empowers students to engage in the learning process and give them an interest in their personal education. By integrating ICT into the classroom, students have the ability to learn more effectively, collaborate with each other, and explore the world around them. Anytime, anywhere access to internet-based tools is necessary to encourage learning inside the classroom and beyond. For example, students who are always online or having facebook, they will always explore something and share with their friends. It unknowingly makes them more collaborate with each other, However, ICT provided e-learning to the learners. It is a flexible learning to those who are busy in their own things. For example, they have some people working since they are young. They work because of the family financial. Indeed, they are the people who want to work and study at the same time. E-learning is a way for them to study at home. It is useful and benefit for them. Other than that, hints and tips are the best practice for them to share their knowledge and opinion if they have their own ideas.
Today, ICT brings many benefits to the younger generation especially for students. For example, some of the students who work part-time also can find some time to do their College work. In addition, most of the time students like to use word processing from the computer itself. It is also quick and easy to edit their work and improve their presentation by using ICT. For example, we always use computer as the resources to get our work done in a time. Similarly like now, I using Microsoft Word to do my individual assignment. Besides, the Worldwide Web is the only way to have quick and easy access to information on any topic. ICT gives easy access to a world of knowledge and ICT which including quick guide is to learn ‘the basic’ of how to use the functions or applications. For example, printer is the one machine that will always show us the quick guide before we press start.
Based on the research of Software and Information Industry Association 2000, students who used educational technology in colleges are more successful because they are more active in learning and in increasing their self-esteem. ICT then enhances and extends the possibilities of learning across the curriculum. Thus, ICT provides more opportunities to show their hard work to audiences or teachers as well as it is within 24 hours. For instance, we always see some students’ work on the internet and it actually written by the writer himself. ICT help to show the ability of the students. ICT would be important to their future career or to employment. Students get to gain confidence because they could do things and show things they had not been able to do before, that students could explore more and share more ideas with others.
In fact, ICT also gives educators the opportunity to transform the way learning happens, and enable student development. ICT present a range of tools that teachers or lecturers use to present and display as part of their teaching and help educators interact with students as well as engage them in a more meaningful way. These technological tools can be purposefully designed for education, for example, software or hardware used in the context such as word processors and spreadsheets. Computer tools help students and teachers manipulate complex data-sets. This then provides the context for effective discussion that help to develop subject understanding. ICT is beneficial for teachers to share resources, expertise and advice. It is also easier to plan and prepare lessons and design materials for students. Sometimes, ICT helps teachers to access up-to-date students and school data, anytime anywhere. Teachers can enhance their professional image by using ICT.
From a teaching point of view, teachers used these devices to deliver to a whole class, and could use the digital content effectively that was available to them. Teachers also reported that ICT offered them enhanced resources to support learning through teaching. The levels of interaction, the immediacy and the ability to refresh work, were all indicated as ways in which ICT could enhance the range of teaching approaches taken. In some colleges, teachers were expecting more of the students used ICT- whether this was due to the higher pace in lessons, work being done more quickly.
