Don’t confuse ICT education with ICT tools--educators

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

Information and communications technology (ICT) education is not only about providing ICT tools to teachers, an educator told INQUIRER.net.

Shyamal Majumdar, director general of the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education (CPSC), said ICT education has to be integrated in the learning process in schools.

"We should emphasize the pedagogical process in ICT education," Majumdar said. "Sometimes, ICT education is confused with ICT tools."

In a paper he presented during an international symposium on "Emerging Trends in ICT Education" organized by the CPSC in collaboration with other organizations, Majumdar showed that there are various stages of integrating ICT in education.

He said there are at least four stages: emerging, applying, infusing and transforming.

He said that the emerging stage means that teachers are just becoming aware of the potentials of ICT in education. The applying stage is when teachers are starting to learn how to use ICT for teaching and learning. The infusing stage is when a host of ICT tools are used and integrated into the curriculum. Finally, the transforming stage involves the development of new ways of teaching and learning using ICT to explore real-world problems through innovative learning.

"Learning is not a transfer of knowledge, rather it is an active construction," he said. "Technology and teachers’ professional development in its use are best introduced in the context of broader education reform which embraces a shift away from teacher-centered, lecture-oriented training toward learner-centered, interactive and constructive learning environment," he said.

CPSC is an inter-governmental organization for human resources and development, established in 1973 by 26 participating countries including the Philippines. The CPSC aims to help member-countries in enhancing technician education systems.