Summary: The Importance Of Technology In Education

Many educators and learners have benefited from educational technology in many ways. Students in the 21st century need to prepare themselves with skills and competencies by selecting and processing meaningful and reliable information from different sources in the process of e-Learning, as well as collaborative learning with their peers to develop new knowledge or complete tasks (Rotherham & Willingham 2009; Hoffman, 2010; Saavedra & Darleen, 2012). In the past 10 years, several research findings in Asian countries have proven that ICT use in education could enhance students learning experience (Chen, 2008; Srisawasdi & Panjaburee, 2014; Ghavifekr & Rosdy, 2015, Taleb et al., 2015).

Education technology has given limitless sources of knowledge

Educators are suggested to evaluate tasks that can be performed without using technologies, and to “remind ourselves of what may be lost when we do use them” (Beniger, 1989). Therefore, it is important to find a balance between technology and education to create meaningful teaching and learning in the classroom.

Background of the Study

In recent years, the number of Internet users worldwide has increased significantly, with Asia’s growth at 1539.6% over the last 17 years, gaining 1.87 billion internet users. (Internet World Stats, 2017). To evaluate it by regions, Internet World Stats identified that the Asian continent accounts for half of the world’s internet users in 2017 at 50.1%, followed by Europe as shown in Figure 1.

Technology-based resources has changed the way educators teach, how student learn, and the way educators and students communicate. A report by UNESCO has also shown evidence of a steady increase in the adoption of computers and other technologies over time in schools in Asia (Wallet & Melgar,

Some typical technology enhanced learning (TEL) tools incorporated into education are, mobile learning platforms, interactive videos, complex gaming, electronic blackboards, immersive technologies, and electronic presentation tools (Dror, 2008). Stroup and Petrosino (2003) categorised school-related technology use into two types – vertical and horizontal design attributes; vertical technologies refer to devices used primarily for teachers’ needs in a selected setting while horizontal technologies refer to devices used for students’ individual needs across multiple settings. Digital technologies in the classroom can be categorised into: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), E-Portfolios, Flipped Classroom, Personal Learning Network (PLN), Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and Digital Game-Based Learning (DBGL) (WSSDA Research Blast, 2014; Cambridge International Examinations, 2015). The definitions of the mentioned categories are listed in Figure 2.

There are many reasons that educators chose blended learning: pedagogical richness, access to knowledge, social interaction, personal agency, cost-effectiveness, and ease of revision (Osguthorpe