Information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as radio, television, computers, and the internet can contribute to education in several key ways: 1) They can expand access to education by allowing for distance learning opportunities to reach more learners, including marginalized groups. 2) ICTs can promote efficiency by supplementing traditional teaching methods to make education more cost-effective and allow students to learn outside the classroom. 3) When properly integrated, ICTs can improve the quality of learning by motivating students and engaging them through multisensory experiences and access to authentic information.

1. Why Teach with ICTs? By Patricia B. Arinto Assistant Professor U.P. Open University

2. What are ICTs? Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are “technological tools and resources that are used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information .” C. Blurton They “ include hardware, software and netware, as well as institutional, financial, cultural and application-related parameters that determine how ICT [s] will be shaped and developed by society at large . ” The Research Council of Norway

3. Types of ICTs: Radio Television Telephony (landlines and cellular/mobile phones) Computers Internet

4. The Knowledge Society Exponential increase in information Shrinking half-life of information The need to transform information into knowledge Knowledge-dependence Knowledge as the key to social and economic progress

5. 5 Areas where ICTs can contribute to education: Expanding access Promoting efficiency Improving the quality of learning Enhancing the quality of teaching Improving management systems Haddad and Draxler, 2002

6. Expanding access to education with ICTs Broadcast technologies have been used to reach geographically dispersed populations (e.g., Telesecundaria , radio and TV universities, Strong Republic Schools program) Distance education and open learning: providing education to marginalized sectors (e.g., women, persons with disabilities) and non-traditional learners (adults)

7. Expanding access to education

8. Promoting efficiency with ICTs Supplementing conventional delivery mechanisms to make educational provision more cost-effective Increasing learning time without extending classroom time through self-study modules, educational TV and radio programs, interactive software

9. Improving educational management with ICTs Facilitating collection and analysis of data Improving flow of information and communication Facilitating decentralization and devolution

10. Improving learning with ICTs Motivating students/Engaging students in the learning process Through multisensory stimulation By providing authentic information

12. Improving learning with ICTs Facilitating acquisition of basic skills through drill-and-practice Educational TV shows such as Sesame Street , Batibot , Math-Tinik Computer-assisted instruction Fostering inquiry and exploration Virtual tours Simulations

14. Improving learning with ICTs Developing skills that are necessary for the 21 st century workplace: technological literacy information literacy communication skills problem solving skills the ability to handle dynamic situations the ability to work collaboratively with others

17. ICTs and improving the quality of teaching Teacher training at a distance (e.g., UP NISMED’s Iskul on the Air , UPOU’s teacher training programs) Teacher support (e.g., teaching resources online, teacher networks) Teacher empowerment – to be creative, to innovate

19. On ICTs and teachers “ Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own…computers cannot replace teachers—teachers are the key to whether technology is used appropriately and effectively.” Carlson and Gadio, 2002, p. 119

20. Teachers are the key in ICT-supported learning

21. Myths about ICTs in education Macro myth: Merely providing ICTs to schools transforms the learning process Micro myth: Providing technologies means acquiring computers and securing a connection to the Internet Haddad and Draxler, 2002, p. 4

22. Parameters for ICT integration (Or important considerations in ICT integration): Educational policy Approach (to education) Infrastructure Contentware Committed and trained personnel Integration

23. “ How you use technology in education is more important than if you use it at all.” Thornburg, “Technology in K-12 Education: Envisioning the Future”, 1999

24. ‘ To “tech” or not to “tech” education is not the question. The real question is how to harvest the power of technology to meet the challenges of the 21 st century and make education relevant, responsive, and effective for [every]one, anywhere, anytime.’ Haddad and Draxler, 2002, p. 16