The Pros And Cons Of Information And Communication Technology In Education

“In the last decade, there has been a growing interest in using computers and the internet to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning at all levels and in both educational and non-educational settings” (Yunus et al. 119). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a major role in creating a new and improved model of teaching and learning (Yunus et al. 119). The use of ICT offers more student-centered learning settings and has fundamentally changed practices and procedures in the education field (Alemu). The career of education is attempting at incorporate more technology in recent years, which results in teachers and students obliged to adjust learning environments. Technology is in almost every aspect of education today.

Many experts have observed students affected negatively from ICT in their education, which shows through their work. According to “Pros and Cons of Using ICT in Reading and Writing” published by International Education Studies, the authors discuss a teacher regarding the pessimistic side of technology, “Students use too much ICT tools, they tend to use a lot of short forms like ‘cos’ to mean ‘because’, ‘ur’ to mean ‘your’ and many others. They also like to use this SMS language in their essay writing” (Yunus et al. 126). When responding to a question or other blogs online, students use this type of SMS language to replace words because they use it frequently in texting and it seems easier for the student. Furthermore, the internet is a major distraction to students; therefore, it has the ability to take up their time for academic purposes while online. Students might be distracted by other aspects of the web when they are on the internet (Yunus et al. 128). Additionally CBC News reports, “It is more common to surf the internet at school [and] reading skills declined between 2000 and 2012” (“Technology in the Classroom…”). As a result of this interruption from educational work, reading and writing levels can decrease; although, other aspects of technology can increase student

The new ICT programs with technology have altered curriculum and have taken a different look at education. According to many authors, including Solar, “Teachers design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students, improve learning, enrich professional practice and provide positive models for students” (Solar et al. 212). Studies have shown that ICT devices make the lesson easier for the teachers to teach (Yunus et al. 124). Moreover, teachers need to stay up-to-date with the expectations and guidelines of technology, which is maintained through conferences, classes and meetings. CBC News broadcasts, “If they expand the role of technology in the classroom, teachers need to learn how to appropriately employ it...the key to all this is teacher support and professional development” (“Technology in the classroom…”). Professional development is a critical part of ICT in the teacher’s career; it should be ongoing and well planned to be effective and sustainable (Alemu). Likewise, technology is a part of the daily class lessons, which teachers need to meet, with the expectations of ICT. It has become more of a challenge to incorporate technology into the classroom, but it is a positive instrument for the students to learn how to operate technology in order to prepare them for their future careers (Niemeyer). Teachers encompass technology with five basic