Managing IT In Teaching And Learning

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS: 
Making Students Independent in their Studies

 Using information technologies students can decide about their studies, learning time, place and resources in a better way. Students can work in more supportive environments, seek help from teachers and fellows, and share their learning experiences and ideas in romantic and productive fashion.

• Both teachers and learners can work with others at remote sites.
• The community of learners can expand to include virtually anyone who wishes to obtain information and who is not excluded by policy or cost.
• They can provide real access to experts in universities, research laboratories, the business community, government agencies and political offices. 

Information technologies can promote the opportunities of restructuring the teaching learning process. These can transform teaching and learning by offering alternatives to the teacher provided information, access to virtually unlimited resources and opportunities for real world communication, collaboration and competition.

Internet and WWW provide learners latest relevant information at their own pace and they can form a virtual community of learners at global level. Teaching organizations are adopting information and communication technologies specially the computers, World Wide Web, teleconferencing and educational television because of their cost effectiveness, access and flexibilities of choices.

Students Use Information Technologies to: 

1. Participate in a media revolution, profoundly affecting the way they think about and use information technologies.
2. Improve the ways of learning in new learning fashions
3. Extend the ability and skills of applying their learning in real situation.
4. Working in groups for cooperative and collaborative learning
5. Developing self-learning habits at their own pace and time.
6. Learn with the teacher rather by the teacher.
7. Develop inquiry-learning habits.
8. Use right information at right time to achieve right objective.
9. Review and explore qualitative data.
10. Exchange learning experiences and information with others students and teachers living anywhere in the world. 

Information technologies facilitate students in their learning process through their active participation on one hand and help teachers on the other hand.

Teachers Use The Information Technologies to: 

1. Present the material in more interesting and attractive way. 
2. Guide and help students in searching the qualitative material.
3. Make best use of time. 
4. Coach the students.
5. Provide individualized instruction.
6. Direct the students toward cooperative as well as collaborative learning activities.
7. Prepare learning material for students, rather teaching in conventional situations. 
8. Diagnose the learning problem of students and help them to overcome.
9. Solve the study problems of students. 

PREPARATION FOR THE AGE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 

Certain skills capabilities of using different information technologies are necessary for students as well as teachers. Therefore, gradual encounters with the technologies are necessary to prepare themselves for the age of information technology. They will anticipate in the age of information technology as:

• Requiring students to use electronic databases in their searches
• Encouraging students to use electronic mail to ask questions, and for submitting assignments
• Becoming familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies and exploring the capabilities of compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), tele/videoconferencing etc
• Surveying students about their familiarity with the information technologies and asking if they will share their knowledge and skills with the class
• Using a word processor to develop class notes and editing a version to use as students’ handouts and a version for overhead transparencies
• Using computer programs for keeping records in large class-enrollment lists, test items and so on and having students review and update their own record from time to time
• Using different packages for data analysis
• Encouraging students to include visual elements as part of their projects
• Spending students’ time as a multimedia workstation, planning a presentation; assembling projection graphics, video clips, animation, sound and other materials; trying to match particular materials with specific learning objectives; and integrating the materials into a unified presentation.