Information and Communication Technologies in Learning

1035 Words3 Pages

For members of the twenty-first century society, computers, mobile devices and the internet play a central role in everyday life. This is no different for school children, who have unprecedented access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the classroom to aid their learning. The integration of ICTs in the classroom does not stop with children- there is no argument that as a citizen of the digital age and a university student the use of computers and the internet have revolutionised my life and education. Being networked virtually every minute of the day means that I not only have more information and entertainment content at my fingertips than I could ever hope to absorb, but my learning is more effective than ever. My Usage of the Internet: A Statistical Reflection I would consider myself a frequent user of ICTs and the internet. My social life, education and entertainment rely upon technology, whether it is in the form of a PC or as a phone. In a survey of students based on their ICT usage, skills and confidence I found my hour-quantified usage and division of time to largely differ from my cohort. In the survey, I identified myself as spending thirty hours a week online. Compared to the survey population (results displayed in Figure 1), who spend an average of twenty hours online (Au et al, 2014), my usage is decidedly high but not abnormal- ten percent of the cohort spends the same amount of time online, placing me in the upper quartile for internet use in the collective group. The above-average aspects of my internet usage in comparison to the course cohort are my time using internet messengers, playing online games, watching movies and television series and using audio/video communication software. The ... ... middle of paper ... ...y. Canberra: ACARA. pp. 1. Atif, Y. (2012). Conversational Learning Integration in Technology Enhanced Classrooms. Computers in Human Behaviour. 29, pp. 416. Au, W. and Barnes, A. (2014). ICT Student Survey. Available: https://unisaed.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0lAxpMbGFDSnoQR. Last accessed 5th April 2014. Macrory, G., Chretien, L. and Ortega-Martin, J.L. (2012). Technologically Enhanced Language Learning in Primary Schools in England, France and Spain: Developing a Linguistic Competence in a Technologically Enhanced Classroom Environment. Education 3-13. 40 (4), 434. Selwin, N., Potter, J. and Cranmer, S. (2009). Primary Pupil's Use of Information and Communication Technologies at School and Home. British Journal of Educational Technology. 40 (5), pp. 922-927. Winn, J. and Heeter, C. (2009). Gaming, Gender and Time: Who Makes Time to Play. Sex Roles. 61, pp. 2.

Open Document