INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Information and communications technology (ICT) refers to all the technology used to handle telecommunications, broadcast media, intelligent building management systems, audiovisual processing and transmission systems, and network-based control and monitoring functions (Janssen, 2010-2014).

According to (Rouse, 2007-2014) ICT (information and communications technology – or technologies) is a umbrella term that includes any communications devices or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning.  

History of the term

Information technology has been available for a long, long time. Essentially, as long as all individual have been around, information technology has been everywhere because there were always ways of communicating through technology available at any point of time. There are 4 main ages that divide up the history of information technology. Only the latest age (electronic) and some of the electromechanical age really affects us today, but it is important to learn about how we got to the point we are at with technology today (Brady & Elkner, 2011).

The phrase Information and Communication Technology has been used by academic researchers since the 1980s and the term ICT became popular after it was used in a report to the UK government by Dennis Stevenson in 1997and in the revised National Curriculum for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2000. But in 2012, the Royal Society recommended that the term ICT should no longer be used in British schools "as it has attracted too many negative connotations", and with effect from 2014 the National Curriculum was changed to use the word computing reflecting the addition of computer programming to the curriculum. A leading group of universities consider ICT to be a soft subject and advise students against studying A-level ICT, preferring instead A-level Computer Science (Unknown, About us: Information and communications technology, 2014).

The term “information technology” evolved in the 1970s. Its basic concept, however, can be traced to the World War II alliance of the military and industry in the development of electronics, computers, and information theory. After the 1940s, the military remained the major source of research and development funding for the expansion of automation to replace manpower with machine power. Since the 1950s, four generations of computers have evolved. Each generation reflected a change to hardware of decreased size but increased capabilities to control computer operations. The first generation used vacuum tubes, the second used transistors, the third used integrated circuits, and the fourth used integrated circuits on a single computer chip. Advances in artificial intelligence that will minimize the need for complex programming characterize the fifth generation of computers, still in the experimental stage. (Unknown, ICT and Singapore's Education System, 2008)

Advantage and disadvantage

Information technology (IT) benefits the business world by allowing organizations to work more efficiently and to maximize productivity. Faster communication, electronic storage and the protection of records are advantages that IT can have on your enterprise. Information technology has to do with computer applications, on which nearly every work environment is dependent. Since computerized systems are so widely used, it is advantageous to incorporate information technology into your organization (Sheahan, 2014).

The  Effectiveness  of ICTs in Education. ICTs are a potentially powerful tool for extending educational opportunities, both formal and non-for mal, to previously underserved constituencies—scattered and rural populations, groups traditionally excluded from education due to cultural or social reasons such as ethnic minorities, girls and women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, as well as all others who for reasons of cost or because of time constraints are unable to enroll on campus (Mohanty, 2011)  .

One of the major barriers for the cause of ICT not reaching its full potential in the foundation stage is teacher’s attitude. Within the early years education attitudes towards ICT can vary considerably. Some see it as a potential tool to aid learning whereas others seem to disagree with the use of technology in early year settings. The use of ICT in the foundation stage is “unhealthy and hinders learning”. Other early years educators who are opposed to offering ICT experiences within the educational settings take a less extreme view than this and suggest that ICT is fine, but there are other more vital experiences that young children will benefit from, In theory some people may have the opinion that the teachers who had not experienced ICT throughout their learning tend to have a negative attitude towards it, as they may lack the training in that area of the curriculum (Mohanty, 2011).

              Another important drawback to using ICT in schools is the fact that computers are expensive. According to the IT learning exchange (2001), in most schools ICT will be the single largest curriculum budget cost. This may be seen as a good thing but on the other hand there will be little money left over for other significant costs (Mohanty, 2011).

Bibliography

Brady, W., & Elkner, J. (2011). About Us: Intoduction to ICT. Retrieved December 9, 2014, from Introduction to Information and Communication Technology Website: http://openbookproject.net/courses/intro2ict/history/history.html

Janssen, C. (2010-2014). About Us: Information and communications Technology (ICT). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from Technopedia Web Site: http://www.techopedia.com/definition/24152/information-and-communications-technology-ict

Mohanty, R. R. (2011, February 19). ICT advantages and disadvantages. Retrieved December 13, 2014, from blogspot website: http://ict-adv-disadv.blogspot.com/

Rouse, M. (2007-2014). About us: ICT (information and communications technology - or technologies). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from Searchcio Techtarget Website: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/ICT-information-and-communications-technology-or-technologies

Sheahan, K. (2014). About us: What are the Advantages of Information Technology in Business. Retrieved December 13, 2014, from Small businee Chronicle Website: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-information-technology-business-774.html

Unknown. (2008, November 9). ICT and Singapore's Education System. Retrieved December 13, 2014, from Wiki Website: https://wiki.nus.edu.sg/display/cs1105groupreports/History+of+ICT

Unknown. (2014, December). About us: Information and communications technology. Retrieved December 13, 2014, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communications_technology