Importance Of Technology For Technology In Education

TECHNOLOGY FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING - A CASE STUDY OF IGNOU

Mr. G. ANBALAGAN

Assistant Regional Director,

IGNOU Regional Centre,

Madurai, Tamil Nadu - 625 018.

E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Increasing digital access has enormously reduced the communication gap among people around the globe. The 21st century learners are more common to the use of digital devices exclusively for their education and developing knowledge through internet based resources. Technology enabled learning is increasingly popular among youth and the initiatives of the Government like Digital India Movement has extensively helpful in crosscut the barriers and to reach the unreached sections of the society. Innovations in the use of Information and Communication

Technological innovations always finding its place in the field of education and in accordance with the society’s expectation the learning minds need to be shaped with knowledge powers and up scaling the education to reach all the segments of the society is one of the prime motto of any governments in the globe. The technology makes it easy to deliver the teaching process to the modern savvy learners with smart phones. The youth learners are nowadays will acquainted with the use of technologies and in particular the use of smart mobile phones for the instant digital sharing practices and such type of activities are more helpful to disseminate the education and to deliver support services at anytime/anywhere access basis. Many institutions in India have been promoting the use of ICT in teaching and learning activities and in particular the websites of the educational institutions serves a fruitful purpose in delivering the information to its learners and stakeholders. The social media like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp etc. are more useful to make even live interaction through video calling between the teachers and learners besides sharing the digital

The ODL is also not an exception as the system needs more proactive steps in the use of technologies to reach the diverse sections, careful planning and administration of technologies are vital in this regard. As per the IGNOU model of ODL development, apart from Self Learning Materials (SLMs) to the learners, Audio and Video lessons are more helpful in learning activities since the distance learners are away from the host institutions and they rarely visit the study centre or regional centre for support services. Further Teleconferencing is one of the key activities in ODL to interact with the learners and to have two way interactions with the subject experts through live sessions of Television. The teleconferencing facility is more helpful in clarifying the doubts and to address the real needs of the learners in their study. The following are the emerging developments of the IGNOU in the field of Open and Distance