Benefits Of Information Technology In Education Systems example essay topic

I. Introduction Information Technology is an important main part of our "Global Village". It's one of the main players that develop all applications related to the new technologies like the internet. Unfortunately, when we talk about the educational problems and complaints, we don't see much technology involvements in this field. The benefits of information technology in education systems are still at minimal. In this report, the education word will refer to K-12 stage only, simply because there where the problem is taking place. We know that IT is changing the business processes today, because the business movers and players involved the technology in their business, and they are gaining all benefits from that involvement, but in education, the ignorance still going on, not because they don't have computers and software, but because of the wrong implementations of these devices.

The internet is the main key to open wide doors for IT to be involved in educations. The internet is a popular tool that used by everybody, beside it gives the minimum level of technology experience like word processing, which is important for every student. Again, as a reminder, I am talking about the K-12 stages only. Few years age, President Bill Clinton announced a plan of four components that will help children in schools to be more technologically educated. The four points are: 1) Providing modern computers to each classroom, 2) Providing high speed network connections to these computers, 3) Developing new education contents and curriculums that match the new trends, and 4) Training teachers, because they will be the agents of technologies. Some people argue that the use of computers by K-12 students in schools will affect their natural intelligence.

They think that they should solve all problems by themselves with no help from any software, and their point of view is if they are not allowed to use calculators in this age, they should not be allowed to use more advanced software. Also, they say that if all students will use word processes to type their home works, a whole generations will have a very bad handwriting!! But on the other hand, it is very difficult to predict and forecast the future of technology in education. We learned from history a lot of funny forecasts (like the handwriting arguments above) on technology.

Here I will mention some of these amusing forecasts, not because we want to laugh, but in order to make a quick history view of how things got changed: - This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. (Western Union internal memo, 1876.) - Books will soon be obsolete in the schools... Scholars will soon be able to instruct through the eye. It is possible to touch every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. (Thomas A. Edison, 1913.) - I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.

(Thomas A. Edison, 1922.) - The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular? (David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920's.) (he means the Radio! !) - I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.

(IBM chairman, 1943) II. The Forecasting Business I would like to mention three things in general education systems that has a big relation with information technology. 1) Acquisition and retention: there have been a lot of arguments on how much is people are getting of knowledge over time? Some said it's doubled every five years! And some think it's less then that.

What I am sure is with IT booming it became shorter. 2) Understanding: the second point in this matter is to understand and to do the right analysis. IT has provided us with easy access to all scientific related fields like the artificial intelligence. 3) Active use of knowledge and skills: information technology makes it very easy for adult to increase their abilities in solving problems.

It takes for now less time to get results, and therefore students will focus their power in developing and creating, leaving the long process of solving to the technology of information (IT). The current education system is still good system, because it meets the industrial needs, but, are we really living in an industrial stage? The fact is that we are moving toward information stage, but not completely yet. I think we should consider that moving when we deal with any development in any field including our education system. It is the best time to put down a big serious changing education system plan. This plan should be sourced from President Clinton suggestions.

It is hard to change everything later, especially when we talk about a whole nation system. K-12 students are the future builders, and when talk about future we mean many years in further. So in conclusion of this matter, my highest recommendation to all those in charge to take an immediate action toward changing in the current system.. Education System Change Overtime We all agree that most jobs today require at least a minimum level of computer and using programs skills.

There are many things can be taught in the K-12 period. Many schools today are offering such programs as elective courses. In my opinion, it's the time to make it core basic courses. Beside that, we need to make it updated always due to the high speed changing in the IT field. The computer is the basic tool that holds all other necessary tools.

These tools can be divided into three groups: 1- Generic tools: these are the main common tools, such as word processing programs, data entry programs, and graphic design programs. Learning how to use these programs is very important for K-12 students, because they will apply it in almost every field. 2- Subject-specific tools: these are the programs that are used in specific field. For example Microsoft Project has been developed for specific science area.

Another example is the AutoCAD, which is used by mechanical and architecture engineers. 3- Learner-centered tools: these are the programs that require at least some programming skills. Logo environments are an example of these tools. In the light of these three computer tools, the big question appears.

What should students learn? There are three things every student is using today to solve problems, mentally aid (self aid), simple aids (book, papers), and complicated aids (computers, and calculators). It is very important to know the perfect amount of combining these three things in any education plan, because the gap is increasing between the current used tools and the tools are available. IV. Computer Technology in Education When we view the human history, we can find four main economic ages: 1) Hunter-gatherer Age. 2) Agricultural Age.

3) Industrial Age. 4) Information Age. The information age began formally 40 years age, when the white collar jobs had more demand than the blue collar jobs. The main different between the information age and the industrial age is the bits.

Everything is getting smaller, computers, processors, monitors, memories, devices, and many other technological types of equipment. This is considered as an advantage to the human. And we talk about education, it's easy for K-12 students to hold notebook, in fact it's lighter than carrying tons of books. In the industrial age, all necessary sciences are stored in books only. But in the information age it is stored in very small memories.

In the mid 90's it moved to be stored in the air through the internet. The laptop became very important device in colleges today. In our school CTU, many students are holding their laptops with them in the school. At the beginning, they used it to store data and information, then they had to connect it to the internet through wires, today the school is offering a wireless connectivity to all student in the building. It's not that only, when the management of the school was looking for another campus, they didn't care much about the food availability, instead they looked for a place that has been provided with the internet connections, they have looked for information availability. It is very important to treat K-12 students the same way; we should provide them all the technology resources.

They should learn the big technology phrases today; I believe it will become a joke in the nearly future. Every K-12 student should understand the purpose, uses, and benefits of the IT.V. The Information Age Besides moving to bits, most devices are moving towards digital age. Everything is getting digitally. Years ago, few people have LCD monitors in their home, today more people prefer LCD's. The same thing with other technologies, digital camera, digital cell phones, digital TV's, etc. most TV providers announced a five year plan to broadcast every single channel digitally. The really problem is that when companies make studies and researches to forecast the new market trends, they don't focus on education.

They usually look where the money is. So, we really cannot rely much on them. The bigger problem is that we don't have a choice but to wait for the government to move on towards this object. The biggest problem is that we have to wait much for that moving due to the lack of money, and the usual slow actions. In a capitalistic country like the United States, most progresses are driven by companies.

The government has no choice but to tight any education plan with private companies. The army of the United States is importing all their materials and weapons from private companies, like Boeing. The government should treat the education system the same way they deal with the defense issues. Another thing to change in the education system is the way of dealing with students.

They student should be more responsible regardless of their age. The current system teaches student the latest sciences, in fact; the new system should show some futures. We are living in a speed age, everything is changing rapidly. So when a students in a K-12 stage learn something about technology now, it could be completely changed when he graduate from his / her high school.

Due to that issue, I highly recommend to give the student the chance to explore and to create by themselves. VI. The Information Technology Industry One of the steps that have to be taken is to give more power to schools and teachers. Many teachers are not satisfied with the current system, and they would like to make changes, but the problem occurs when they face the current restriction roles.

The teachers are the agents of any system, giving them the chance to decide what is the best to is an advantage. The numbers of students who hold mini-computers are increasing, the teachers know that very well, and they wish to deal with student based on information technology communication. Many schools in Singapore give laptops to the students. The classes there are amazing. Every table is connected to the teacher table. Throw LAN network, the teachers download the information, and the assignments.

After going home every student could enter the virtual classroom, and ask any question at a certain time. Yes they still carrying few books, but along with a laptop. It is important to understand the difficulty of implementing any new system at once. Therefore, the new technology plan should consider a test program. This test will chose one or two schools per state to implement the new program. These schools should be under careful studies to get accurate results.

The test program will contain providing all necessary equipments to schools and students home. There is one more issue that has to be solve before go any further. That is the security. One of the main goals of the education in the United States is to provide both physical and emotional security to all students. The World Wide Web could be used in good things and bad things regardless of our liberty trends. There must be red lines that cannot be crossed.

The same thing with respecting values, I cannot ask a Jewish student to do something on Saturday, like sending home works or chatting with him. VII. Conclusion As a conclusion of this report, it is important for the government to save some millions to do researches and implementation tests on involving the Information Technology field in the current education system. They should be patient, because it is huge project and historical move. As a brief to the new program, there are six main steps should take place in any new education plan. These six steps are: 1- Evaluate the Situation: to do an environmental scan to the current situation.

2- Articulate a Vision: to draw a future situation vision. 3- Decide on a Mission Statement: to chose the best technology for the education system. 4- Propose and Select Goals: to draw the main goals and objects in order to organize it and schedule it (MPM). 5- Develop a Strategic Implementation Plan: who will do what by when (Microsoft project), beside the testing program. 6- Periodic Assessment and Update: the new plan should be implemented in pace in order to fix all mistakes properly.

Bibliography

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