Information Technology In Education

The 21st century has been called the Information Age. With the rapid proliferation of the Internet and computer technology in the last few years, an information explosion has pervaded our lives. Information Technology (IT) has dramatically transformed the workplace, communications and commercial activities.

It is only in education that the status quo remains. The attention is now on the use or rather lack of use of IT in education.

Education practitioners have debated the merits and drawbacks of IT in education and it is interesting that on this singular issue, there are totally diverging views from researchers and visionaries. While Papert (1993, 1996), Negroponte (1995), Gates (1996) and Perelman (1993) advocated the use of IT in education,

There are still lingering questions regarding the use of IT in education such as: What role can IT play in education and how can IT affect learning positively?

Information Technology means different things to different people. Some practitioners extend the scope of IT to include communication networks and the Internet while others may restrict their definition to computer based technology.

One definition for Information Technology as found on the World Wide Web (WWW) is as follows: Information Technology (IT) is a term for encompassing all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms (business data, voice conversations, still images, motion pictures, multimedia presentations, and other forms, including those not yet conceived).

The use of the word technology encompasses all types of information technology, including video, videoconferencing, audio and voice technologies, satellite and broadcast technologies and any new and emerging technologies that support

5). The first argument is the preparation of students for working life in a society that is increasingly IT oriented.

However, due to the rapid change in IT, the equipment and software that today 's school student’s use would be quite different from those they will use when they enter the work force! The second argument asserts that the use of IT in education will introduce students and teachers to a new paradigm of learning where information literacy, problem solving and knowledge transfer are valued far more than the knowledge itself. I believe the second argument to be more acceptable to educational practitioners. In addition to the above arguments, IT can be a “powerful tool for helping teachers with all the different parts of their job: enhancing instruction, simplifying administrative tasks, and fostering professional growth activities” (OTA 1995, p. 54). It would be convenient to discuss the roles of IT in education under 4 categories as follows: for access, for pedagogy, for learning and for administration. When used as a tool for access to learning, IT facilitates “anytime, anywhere” education. There can