Modern ICT trend

The rapid advances in information and communication technology (ICT) in recent decades have had an enormous effect on many facets of everyday life, including our relationships, formal and informal education, work, recreational pursuits and shopping. Access to information has exploded, with the scope and detail of material available increasing almost beyond comprehension.

We are in a new era in which ICT research has shifted its focus from technology development to novel applications. For example, digital technologies have been widely applied to speech, audio, video and graphics in various commercial applications today. Furthermore, the availability of the broadband wireless Internet infrastructure and the cloud computing facilities has changed the way of web-based services. Driven by the broadband network and cloud computing infrastructure, ICT-enabled web services have become a phenomenon. Examples of them include: YouTube, Google Map, Wikipedia, Facebook, etc. Several common features of the new web services will be discussed. These services provide a scalable platform that allows a large number of users to participate in content creation and interact with each other. Each site is essentially a large database as well as a community. The success of these services lies in a workable business model such as on-line advertisement.More and more advertisements from the traditional media such as newspaper,audio and video broadcast programs are moving to the web-based advertisement due to its efficiency.On the other hand, Education systems are increasingly investigating the use of technology to better understand a student’s knowledge base from prior learning and to tailor teaching to both address learning gaps as well as learning styles. This focus transforms a classroom from one that teaches to the middle to one that adjusts content and pedagogy based on individual student needs – both strong and weak.And also new advances in hardware and software are making mobile “smart phones” indispensible tools. Just as cell phones have leapfrogged fixed line technology in the telecommunications industry, it is likely that mobile devices with internet access and computing capabilities will soon overtake personal computers as the information appliance of choice in the classroom.

The role of the teacher in the classroom is being transformed from that of the font of knowledge to an instructional manager helping to guide students through individualized learning pathways, identifying relevant learning resources, creating collaborative learning opportunities, and providing insight and support both during formal class time and outside of the designated 40 minute instruction period.  This shift is easier said than done and ultimately the success or failure of technology projects in the classroom hinge on the human factor and the willingness of a teacher to step into unchartered territory.