Stages of ICT Development

Applying Stage:
Those schools in which a new understanding of the contribution of ICT to learning has developed exemplify the applying approach. In this secondary phase, administrators and teachers use ICT for tasks already carried out in school management and in the curriculum. Teachers largely dominate the learning environment. Schools at the applying approach phase adapt the curriculum in order to increase the use of ICT in various subject areas with specific tools and software such as drawing, designing, modeling, and application-specific tools.

Infusing Stage:
At the third stage, the infusing approach involves integrating or embedding ICT across the curriculum and is seen in those schools that now employ a range of computer-based technologies in laboratories, classrooms, and administrative offices. The curriculum begins to merge subject areas to reflect real-world applications. In the infusing approach to ICT development, ICT infuses all aspects of teachers' professional lives in such ways as to improve student learning and the management of learning processes.

Transforming Stage:
Schools that use ICT to rethink and renew school organization in creative ways are at the transforming approach. ICT becomes an integral, though invisible, part of daily personal productivity and professional practice. The focus of the curriculum is now learner-centered and integrates subject areas in real-world applications.

Stages of ICT Usage:
Studies of teaching and learning in schools around the world identify four broad stages in the way that teachers and students learn about and gain confidence in the use of ICT. These four stages give rise to the mapping depicted in Figure 2, which shows the stages in terms of awareness, learning how, understanding how and when, and specializing in the use of ICT tools according to the stages of the proposed model.

Becoming aware of ICT:
In the initial phase, teachers and learners become aware of ICT tools and their general functions and uses. In this stage, there is usually an emphasis on ICT literacy and basic skills. This stage of discovering ICT tools is linked with the emerging stage in ICT development.

Learning how to use ICT:
Following on from the first stage comes the stage of learning how to use ICT tools and beginning to make use of them in different disciplines. This stage involves the use of general or particular applications of ICT and is linked with the applying stage in the ICT development model.

Understanding how and when to use ICT:
The next stage is understanding how and when to use ICT tools to achieve a particular purpose, such as completing a given project. This stage implies the ability to recognize situations where ICT will be helpful, choosing the most appropriate tools for a particular task, and using these tools in combination to solve real problems. This stage is linked with the infusing stage in the ICT development model.

Specializing in the use of ICT:
The fourth and the last stage involves specializing in the use of ICT tools, which occurs when one enters more deeply into the learning environment that creates and transforms the learning situation with the help of ICT. This is a new way of approaching the teaching and learning situation with specialized ICT tools and is linked with the transforming stage in the ICT development model.

Pedagogical Usages of ICT:

Supporting work performance:
In the initial phase, teachers use productivity tools such as word processors, visual presentation software, spreadsheets, databases, email, etc., to support their daily work performance. In this initial stage, there is usually an emphasis on basic operations of electronic office software. This stage of using productivity tools for teaching and learning is linked with the emerging stage in ICT development.

Enhancing teaching:
Following on from using productivity software comes the stage of learning how to use and develop computer-assisted learning software and beginning to make use of such software in different disciplines. This stage involves the technique of integrating computer-based learning in the traditional instructional process and is linked with the applying stage in the ICT development model. Various instructional packages were selected, developed, and used to enhance traditional classroom teaching.

Facilitating learning:
The next stage involves using various types of instructional software to facilitate student learning. The key point is that teachers need to learn how to choose the most appropriate tools for a particular task and use these tools in combination to solve real-life problems. This stage implies the ability to recognize situations where various multimedia, simulation, and modeling software can be utilized for teaching and learning. This stage is linked with the infusing stage in the ICT development model.

Creating innovative learning environments:
The fourth and last stage involves specializing in the use of network-based resources to create meaningful environments with rich, affordable, and innovative learning models. This occurs when one enters more deeply into the shared learning environment that creates and transforms the learning situation. This is a completely new way of approaching teaching and learning using technology. It helps to develop, deliver, and manage open and flexible learning programs. This stage is linked with the transforming stage in the ICT continuum model.

Note - II Part

Development of ICT

As ICT is becoming more and more part and parcel of teaching, it would be interesting to see how ICT has developed through the last decades.

A brief history of ICT Computers

The term “computer” comes from the Latin “computus” and “computare”. Both Latin words mean to determine by mathematical means or by numerical methods. The English verb “compute” has the same meaning.

Basically, a computer is a programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large amounts of information very quickly. Personal computers are also employed for manipulating text or graphics, accessing the Internet, or playing games or media.

The main components of a computer are:

1.               a Central Processing Unit (CPU),

2.               a monitor,

3.               a Keyboard,

4.               and a mouse.

 Originally the first computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers.

Later, computers have become smaller and much more powerful.

The Internet

The Internet was invented as a result of researches conducted in the early 1960s by visionary people like J.C.R. Licklider of MIT. The latter saw the added value of allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific and military fields. That’s why, he proposed a global network of computers in 1962, and moved over to the Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in late 1962 to head the work to develop it.

The Web

While many people use the terms Internet and the Web interchangeably, they are in fact not synonymous. The Internet is a huge network that connects millions of computers together worldwide. Computers in this network can communicate with any other computer as long as they are connected to the Internet. The Web or the World Wide Web (WWW), however, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information space or a model that is built on top of the Internet where documents and other web resources are identified by URLs (Uniform Resource Locator), informally termed a web address. This space is interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.

The World Wide Web was invented by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. He wrote the first web browser in 1990 while employed at CERN in Switzerland.

Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0

What’s the difference between Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0?

They represent the evolution of the Web in the last two decades. Here is a summary of their features.

Web 1.0
Web 1.0 was the first stage of the World Wide Web’s evolution. Basically, content creators provided content for the vast majority of users who were only consumers or readers of that content.

The most important features of Web 1.0 were as follows:

§ It was a read only web

§ It was based on HTML which is a basic computer language.

§ It was characterized by static pages (there is no interactivity between users and websites).

§ It was also characterized by slow connection speed.

§ The software was very expensive, generally on CDs or DVDs to be installed.

Web 2.0
Web 2.0 was the next evolution of the Web. It is more sophisticated and is characterized by its social aspect. Unlike Web 1.0, Web 2.0 is a many-to-many relationship.

Here are the features of Web 2.0:

§ It is a read-and-write web.

§ It is based on more sophisticated computer languages (PHP, Mysql, Java Script…)

§     The pages are dynamic pages, which means that there is the possibility of interactivity between users and the web.

§ It is characterized by speed.

§ The software is more accessible. It is on line or downloadable.

Web 3.0

Web 3.0 is an evolution of the Web as an extension of Web 2.0. It is also called the Semantic Web. It is characterized by connective intelligence, connecting data, concepts, applications and ultimately people.

Here are its features:

§ Read, write and execute web.

§ Users are served more intelligently.

§ Personalized information.

§ Machine comprehension.

§ Cloud Technology.

§ Everything is connected.

§ Immersion.

ICT for education

Many educators saw in ICT the potential of raising the quality of teaching and learning. Here is what it can offer to education:

§ Universal access to high quality education.

§ Teachers’ professional development.

§ Efficient education management in terms of governance and administration.

§ Promotion of equity in education.

For teachers, ICT offers a mine of content, material, and ideas.

Examples of ICT tools

ICT can offer different Web tools:

§ websites

§ wikis

§ blogs

§ forums

§ applications

§ …

And the list is not exhaustive. What’s next?

The future of ICT is promising. The web will develop even more possibilities.

Web 4.0

Web 4. or the symbiotic web will lead to an interaction between humans and machines in symbiosis. Machines would be clever on reading the contents of the web and react fast by providing superior quality content.

Web 5.0 or the emotional web is a version that is still developed underground. The web will interact with users and will be able to recognize their emotions. So far the web is neutral as far as emotions are concerned. This will probably change in the future.