Information technology has influenced education for more than 50 years.
Information technology in education traces back as far as 500 B.C. with the use of stone or clay tablets and pebbles used for counting. The use of computers and other information technology in classrooms has steadily grown over the last few decades as governments and educational institutions recognized the benefits of a technological approach to teaching.
Early History
Universities helped to create the first vacuum-based computers in 1946, and by the 1950s some schools were using televisions in classrooms to supplement learning. The first schools to incorporate computers used mainframes that were ill-suited for the teacher-student approach to education, and so the technology was primarily used to store data and student records for administration purposes. In the mid 1970s, Apple released the first personal computer. Though some were donated to schools, those schools that had already incorporated mainframes and other incompatible technologies resisted the idea of a PC. By the 1980s however, the personal computer began to pick up in popularity in the classroom because it was more conducive to the teacher-student method of teaching.
Types
Teachers employ various methods of enhancing the educational experience with technology. Since the 1990s, teachers have used computer games, educational software and the Internet to improve availability of information to students, as well as engage the various types of learners--visual, kinesthetic and auditory--with a variety of exercises and media targeted to improve students' acquisition and retention of core concepts and subject-specific knowledge and skills.
The Internet
The growth of the Internet in the 1990s made many powerful resources available to teachers within the classroom. PCs, PowerPoint presentations, projector screens and smart boards help teachers engage students like never before by integrating various media, such as graphics, video and games, into their teaching approaches. Available to teachers via the Internet are limitless encyclopedic references, vast libraries of videos, images, and games and interactive lessons.
Self-Directed Learning
One of the chief benefits of incorporating information technology in the classroom is the ability to train students direct their own learning. Some detractors believe this may represent a detriment to the education system because teachers will not need to be as involved with student development as they currently are, and it is not yet known what the implications of such a shift may be on society. However, the most popular approach in the use of technology in the classroom is to supplement the teachers' guidance, and enhance the delivery of instruction with resources available only through technology.
Considerations
Though there are many benefits to introducing computers and other information technology in classrooms, detractors warn of possible negative repercussions of the open availability of technology resources in schools. As a prime example, the Internet is the largest and fastest growing database of useful resources, but it holds an equal amount of information and media that may be inappropriate for a classroom, such as adult content and resources related to drugs and weapons. Additional concerns include privacy and identity theft, and the proliferation of computer viruses.
Tags: computers other, computers other information, information technology classrooms, other information, other information technology, personal computer
