“ICTs have progressively had a greater impact on society in general and, in particular, on education. This new technological world, although it has great advantages, also generates some inconveniences. In this article the author reviews both the benefits and the difficulties of using Tics in the educational field”
Introduction
Throughout this article I will make an analysis on information and communication technologies (ICT) understood as: a set of techniques, developments and advanced devices derived from the new tools (software and hardware), supports of the information and communication channels that integrate digital storage, processing and transmission of information.
The incorporation of ICTs in society and especially in the field of education has become increasingly important and has evolved over recent years, so much that the use of these technologies in the classroom will be a possibility to be established as a necessity and as a basic work tool for teachers and students.
The emergence of new technologies has meant a profound change in a society that has in vain been called the information society. In our current environment and thanks to tools such as the Internet, information is available in huge amounts available to everyone. It would be unthinkable to expect that a change of this magnitude would have no impact on education.
Another impact of the use of these tools is in the curricular contents, since they allow the presentation of information in a very different way than traditional books and videos (replacing old resources). For starters, it is more dynamic content with a key distinctive feature: interactivity. This encourages an active attitude of the student against the character of exposure or passive, which makes possible a greater involvement of the student in their training. The new contents allow the creation of simulations, virtual realities, make possible the adaptation of the material to the national or local characteristics and they are modified and updated with greater ease.
Information Communication Technology and School
It is clear that ICTs have a leading role in our society. Education must adjust and respond to the changing needs of society. Training in formal contexts cannot be separated from the use of ICTs, which are increasingly accessible to students.
Precisely, to favor this process that begins to develop from the informal educational environments (family, leisure,) the school as a public service has to guarantee the preparation of future generations and for this it must integrate the new culture: digital literacy, material didactic, source of information, instrument to carry out work, etc. For this reason, the presence in the computer class from the first courses is important, as a further instrument, with different purposes: playful, informative, communicative and instructive among others.
At present, many teachers request and want to have computer resources and Internet for their teaching, responding to the challenges posed by these new information channels. However, the incorporation of ICT in education not only involves the provision of computers and Internet access infrastructures, but its main objective is: to integrate ICT in the teaching-learning processes, in the management of the centers and in the relations of participation of the educational community, to improve the quality of education.
Teachers have the possibility of generating educational content in line with the interests or particularities of each student, being able to adapt to small groups or even to
an individual student. In addition, the teacher has to acquire a new role and new knowledge, from properly knowing the network and its possibilities to how to use it in the classroom and teaching its students its benefits and disadvantages.
Teachers state that the use of ICT has very positive benefits for the school community, its high involvement with ICT has improved their personal satisfaction, performance at work and the relationship with students, due to the wide range of possibilities offer.
In order to continue making progress in the use of ICT in the field of education, it is necessary to know the activity that takes place all over the world, as well as the various pedagogical and strategic approaches that are followed. The popularization of ICT in the educational field entails and will behave in the coming years, a great revolution that will contribute to the innovation of the education system and will involve challenges of renewal and improvement of teaching-learning processes.
If we want our society not only to be information, but also knowledge, it will be necessary to work from a pedagogical approach to make an appropriate use of ICT, through which the creation of virtual learning communities and the processing of information , the generation of new communication and learning strategies are essential. To carry out these actions, a trained teacher in this area is needed, which involves ICTs in the teaching of their students and guides them in an adequate use of them.
It is also important to highlight the need to carry out a new information and training campaign suitable for students, parents and teachers in the field of ICT. We believe that such training should be based on two perspectives, one technological and one humanistic.
That is to say, that it attends to the media, but also to the ends of education (Naval et al., 2003).
In the field of education, the use of ICT should not be limited to transmitting only knowledge, even if it is necessary; In addition, it should seek to train in certain skills the need to train in a healthy critical attitude towards ICT. With this, we mean to know how to distinguish what help us and what limit us, to be able to act accordingly. This process must be present and given in an integrated way in the family, in the school and in society.
From school should consider the use of the computer as a resource to favor:
- The stimulation of creativity.
- The experimentation and manipulation.
- Respect the learning pace of the students.
- Work in groups favoring socialization.
- The curiosity and research spirit.
The ICT in education allow the development of skills in processing and information management, management of hardware and software among others, from various areas of knowledge, this is because we are now with a generation of children / as to which they like everything in virtually for various reasons and they demand it themselves.
Through ICTs, it is possible to use computerized means by storing, processing and disseminating all the information that the student needs for their training process.
Today technology applied to communication is a clear difference between what is a developed society of other more primary societies, or that are in the process of development.
They allow us, therefore, to deal with information and communicate with other communities, even if they are at great distances. This is very enriching for our educational project and to help integrate the growing number of students who come from other countries, given the phenomenon of immigration that is so relevant that exists in Spain.
The use of ICTs in the classroom provides both the educator and the student with a useful technological tool, positioning the latter as the protagonist and actor of their own learning. In this way, we attend to a didactic renewal in the classrooms where an active and innovative methodology is put into practice that motivates the students in the different areas or subjects.
Featured image is added from shutterstock by metamorworks
