2 Introduction to Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

In this contemporary era, a lot of interventions are being made for effective learning of the students and a variety of concepts are used to describe these interventions for the digitization of education in forms of investment, adoption, and use of newer Information and Communication Technology in educational practices and research. These concepts may include programmed instructions, Computer Assisted Instructions (CAI), Computer Assisted Learning (CAL), Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Computer Assisted Teaching (CAT), Information and Communication Technology, Information Technology (IT), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Instructional Technology, Teaching Learning Technology, and Educational Technology etc. Many of these concepts are used interchangeably in general because of the close understanding they have. 

—I,CT is an umbrella term that includes any communication device, application, encompassing radio-television cellular, phone computer and network hardware and software, satellite system and so on, as well as various services and application associated with them.

—Information and communication technology (ICT) is defined by Berce, Lanfranco and Vehovar (2008) as “a mixture of hardware (equipment), software (operating system, applications, etc.) and communication facilities (Local area Networks, wide-area and backbone Networks, communication protocols, etc.)” (p, 190).  

—Bates (2015) defines Information and Communication Technology to include all those tools and equipment used to support teaching and learning in the form of computers, software programs, or e-materials. Therefore, for the current study, the concept of Information and Communication Technology is being used to refer to newer technologies used in the digitalization of educational institutions as well as teachers’ everyday practices to implement these technologies. Further, Information and Communication Technology may include various information (assignment, projects, reports), communication (e-mails, websites, online storage) and administration (LMS, CMS, databases) technologies and software (courseware, tutorial, databases, websites), as well as to devices such as cell phone, tablets, computers, and laptops as well as e-boards and projectors with or without interactivity or internet.

Download Files

ict-defined.pdf (0.47 MB )