Pros and cons of using ICT in education
We live in a dynamic, rapidly developing world - the world of high technology, or Hi-Tech. It is already difficult to imagine everyday life without cell phones and computers, which are regularly improved, various gadgets.
Undoubtedly, the World Wide Web gives people many opportunities - communication, distance learning, education. But the Internet can be compared to a "big garbage pit", where tons of information of varying quality is dumped. In this situation, a person must have certain skills of selection, a kind of "filtering" of the data received.
ICT - what is it?
ICT - it sounds solid and very modern. But what does this word combination mean to a person of the XXI century?
Information technologies or simply IT mean various technologies related to management and processing of huge information flows by means of computer technology. The main features of information technology include computer processing of information, storage of large volumes of information on computer media, as well as the transfer of information at any distance in the shortest possible time. Today, the universal technical means of processing any information is the computer, which enhances the intellectual capabilities of society. The modern computer uses a variety of communication tools serving for communication and information transfer, which is a necessary component of the process of informatization of society. The processes of informatization of all forms of educational activity are closely connected with the process of informatization of society. Under such conditions, the type of modern teacher is formed, who should not only possess knowledge in the field of information and communication technologies, but also be able to apply them in their own professional activities, to strive for constant self-education. New technologies make it possible to create a fundamentally new model of education: distance learning.
ICTs in Contemporary Education: Application and Results
The main means of ICTs for the information environment of any educational system is a personal computer and appropriate software, which determines the capabilities of PCs. Presentation preparation software, text processors, spreadsheets, database management systems, graphic packages, etc. are widely used in modern education systems. Education today has acquired a completely new quality due to the appearance of computer networks and other ICT tools. World information resources (electronic libraries, databases, file storages, etc.) may be accessed instantaneously through the Internet global computer network.
Other means of information and communication technology are also available online - e-mail, for example, chat, which allows you to communicate online. At the same time, the quality of sound and image, the volume of files that can be transmitted and received increases significantly every year. With the help of special equipment and software, audio and video conferences can be held over the Internet. Networked ICT tools enable wide access to educational and methodological and scientific information, enable organization and simulation of research activities, and conduct virtual training sessions in real time. Important technologies for open and distance learning are video recording and television.
Another serious technology is educational electronic publications distributed on the Internet or stored on data carriers. They allow us to store and transmit the main volume of learning material. Individual work with them makes it possible to assimilate and understand the material in depth. Educational electronic media allow material to be presented in a dynamic, graphic form. This doesn't mean abandoning the traditional source of knowledge - books. For most people the process of "communicating" with a book cannot be replaced by any, even ultramodern electronic publications.
The process of teaching got new forms, a different nature thanks to the presence in the classroom of personal computers and laptops with the appropriate software, multimedia projectors and special screens, interactive whiteboards, access to the Internet. Modern teachers have the opportunity to use electronic publications. These publications are much cheaper, take up little space, and are mobile. New computer technology, multimedia equipment, contributes to a better understanding of the theoretical material.
Modern graphic editors allow you to create a first-class 3-D models of real objects. The teacher and student today have the opportunity to make virtual tours of the world's galleries, use the materials of electronic archives, catalogs and libraries.