Pro's and Con's of ICT

Technology has rapidly changed the way people communicate in so many ways. If we just consider the concept of Communication's Technology and its effects on our society we can see  it has changed the way that we conduct education, business and has dramatically changed the way we think and conduct our social and personal lives. 

We can now either talk, text, or e-mail, over an internet link or telephonic connection to anyone nearly anywhere in the world, order a vast number of items from or do business with, companies on any one of the five continents. We can visit places (virtually) that we would never have conceived of going too much less ever seeing them and there are also places we can visit but we can never actually go to physically. 

That being said though it has also created a myriad of problems that seem to be increasing as the technology improves. We must be ever more vigilant with how and who we give our personal information too or even just question our sources of information for veracity and wonder just what is the truth.

Let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of communication technology in our daily lives.

ADVANTAGES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Speeds the sending of information:  Communication technology tools like electronic mail and text messaging systems, speed up the sending of information with in and out side of the organization.

Speeds decision making: Since communication technology speeds the transfer of information, people can easily consult each other and analyze information in a shortest period and make a decision.
Increases participation: In work or in school, students who are shy to ask for advice and help, will use tools like electronic mail or instant text messaging services to ask for help from their workmates with in the organization, they can also use the same medias to participate in decision making and creative design challenges.

Provides a voice to those who normally would not speak up in groups: Face-to-face communications tends to be difficult to some people, so the use of communication technology will help them communicate effectively at work. Some employees might have a fear of face-to-face expression, but these employees might have relevant suggestions or contributions which can help the organization grow, so they can easily use technological tools like electronic mail to voice out their concerns.

DISADVANTAGES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Poor substitute for face-to-face communication:  Since people are using machines to communicate, they get less time to talk to each other and know each other better. This has resulted into increased bad relationships. Even though the shy ones will benefit from this technology , but they will also be denied the chance to learn how to interact with others.

Expensive:  It can be very expensive to install a new communication technology system in a very big organization or school. Even a personal gadget will cost you a lot.

Not Safe: Giving information in online sites, facebook, twitter, etc., since information has been centralized under one database, it is exposed to people with wrong intention.

Bibliography: Phillip Yiga (2012) Advantages and Disadvantages of Communication Technology in an Organization

How Technology Helps me as an Educator

      Information and communication technologies are currently being used in education to assist students to learn more effectively by providing teachers with access to a wide range of new pedagogy. These technologies are also being used to enable teachers to do administrative tasks more efficiently.

     Research has shown that the appropriate use of ICTs can catalyze the paradigmatic shift in both content and pedagogy that is at the heart of education reform in the 21st century. If designed and implemented properly, ICT-supported education can promote the acquisition of the knowledge and skills that will empower students for lifelong learning.

    When used appropriately, ICTs—especially computers and Internet technologies— enable new ways of teaching and learning rather than simply allow teachers and students to do what they have done before in a better way. These new ways of teaching and learning are underpinned by constructivist theories of learning and constitute a shift from a teacher-centered pedagogy—in its worst form characterized by memorization and rote learning—to one that is learner-centered.

     Active learning. ICT-enhanced learning mobilizes tools for examination, calculation and analysis of information, thus providing a platform for student inquiry, analysis and construction of new information. Learners therefore learn as they do and, whenever appropriate, work on real-life problems in-depth, making learning less abstract and more relevant to the learner’s life situation. In this way, and in contrast to memorization-based or rote learning, ICT-enhanced learning promotes increased learner engagement. ICT-enhanced learning is also “just-in-time” learning in which learners can choose what to learn when they need to learn it.

      Collaborative learning. ICT-supported learning encourages interaction and cooperation among students, teachers, and experts regardless of where they are. Apart from modeling real-world interactions, ICT-supported learning provides learners the opportunity to work with people from different cultures, thereby helping to enhance learners’ teaming and communicative skills as well as their global awareness. It models learning done throughout the learner’s lifetime by expanding the learning space to include not just peers but also mentors and experts from different fields.

     Creative Learning. ICT-supported learning promotes the manipulation of existing information and the creation of real-world products rather than the regurgitation of received information.

       Integrative learning. ICT-enhanced learning promotes a thematic, integrative approach to teaching and learning. This approach eliminates the artificial separation between the different disciplines and between theory and practice that characterizes the traditional classroom approach.

    Evaluative learning. ICT-enhanced learning is student-directed and diagnostic. Unlike static, text- or print-based educational technologies, ICT-enhanced learning recognizes that there are many different learning pathways and many different articulations of knowledge. ICTs allow learners to explore and discover rather than merely listen and remember.

Bibliography:Mervyn Flecknoe.2002.Innovations in Education and Teaching International