Education today, therefore, has a far greater
responsibility than it had ever before. It has to meet the demands of a dynamic
world which change its character every day. Contemporary education has to be
more comprehensive and complete than it was ever before. The role of the
various agencies of education like home, society, community etc. has
consequently increased, so has the role of the mass media like television,
radio, cinema, newspaper increased.
Today, throughout the world, social and
technological changes are taking place rapidly due to expanding world of
information. So there is explosion of knowledge and opening day by day and the
horizon of human knowledge and understanding is expanding very fast.
With the explosion of knowledge there is
also population explosion; student population is immensely increasing year by
year due to the growth of population and democratization of education with
varying levels of motivation and aspiration. The problem of population
explosion is more serious in the developing countries than the developed one.
Ethiopia is facing serious difficulties in population explosion not in
technology.
For solving the problems successfully,
educational technology consisting of various media of mass communication is
essentially required. Both qualitative improvement and quantitative expansion
of education can be facilitated and accelerated with the help of this mass
media under educational technology. So the mass media has come to our rescue to
tackle this problem.
The success of education will be able to
play its role by making the students creative, active and efficient. There are
a good number of technologies for mass communication such as radio, Television
(plasma TV), newspapers, films, computers, tablet computers, internet, mobiles,
and etc.
This medium is the message, which is of
greater importance. Because, the same piece of information when conveyed on a
printed page or over the telephone by radio or television will appear different
and have entirely a different effect on us. Hence the effectiveness of a piece
of information depends upon the medium through which it is imparted. Thus, the
mass-media are not only the messages, but also the massage.
The main purpose of Technology in
education is to benefit more students with fewer teachers or to obtain quality
education.
Importance of
Technology in maintaining quality of education:
1. Technological education has provided
information to the mass within a less time.
2. It takes a wide coverage of information
regarding anything that is happening in any comer of the world.
3. It brings the entire world to the
individual or to the classroom. Children spend hours together sitting in front
of the television and can visualize, hear and acquire knowledge about the
world.
4. These media easily reach groups, allow
repeated use, give more reality, influence attitudes, show cause and effect
relationships and ultimately motivate the audience.
5. It sends information to remote places and
helps in distant learning.
6. It helps in modification of attitudes,
inculcation of desirable values and acquaintance with cultural heritage.
7. Technological education are useful for
reinforcing group dynamics and interpersonal communication.
8. Mass media as means of communication make
ideas clear to children and help them to acquire correct knowledge. They help
in simplifying and in giving vividness to explanation.
9. Mass Media make the instruction concrete and stimulate
interest and excite curiosity in things.
The role of some important mass media is
discussed below:
A) Radio:
Radio is a scientific device that functions as
an effective auditory instrument for communication that plays an important role
in education not only to informs, but also to inspire human being for learning
more and more. It is also a very important source of entertainment. Every day,
we listen various talks, discussions and debates from radio. These are
extremely important and useful for the students. Especially for the purpose of
teaching, many programmes are broadcast over the radio. So radio acts as a
great recreational and education force. It broadcasts scientific and cultural
facts. The radio has proved a valuable supplement to class teaching and
learning Educational broad-casting is comparatively a new experiment and is catching
on well. Through school broadcasts, expert leaching in such diverse fields of
science, social studies, art, music, languages, politics, current affairs and
other areas, can provide information and enrichment for pupils and for the
teacher.
The educational programmes are broadcasting by
the expect teachers with effective methods which demonstrate new ideas and
approaches to classroom procedures. Programmes are especially designed
in-collaboration with the experts for different age groups in the schools.
The advantages of
using radio as mass media in education:
1. Educational radio broadcasts provide
“listening participation” In current history:
In radio the emphasis is on sound, rather than
on picture. So many programmes especially for the purpose of teaching are
broadcast over the radio and special events and (occurrences in the world are
brought from the source immediately into the classroom.
As a part of classroom teaching, an
educational programme may be preceded by an introduction by the class teacher
and followed by long discussion among students on the subject-matter under the
broadcast discussion. A talented teacher may teach through radio for the
benefit of the students. So important happenings, elections, inventions,
political developments in other countries and other current topics may be heard
and discussed in the classroom.
2. Educational radio broadcasts are
effective means of presenting music, drama and appreciation:
Radio is also a very important source of
entertainment. Various talks, debates & discussions held over the radio are
extremely informative and useful. For the school children, different items of
the school subjects can be presented in the form of dramatized programmes.
Educational radio has excellence through
dramatization, dialogue, musical features and other creative programmes which
are not possible in day-to-day classroom teaching. Besides these, school
concerts, folk and classical music, drama and discussion programmes of school,
local and from other states are sometimes broadcast for listening in by other
schools in India.
3. Educational radio broadcasts are
team-teaching demonstrations:
The radio also provides opportunity for
student participation in various programmes such as quiz competitions, travel
talks, plays, stories, development of lessons, projects and work programmes in
the form of team teaching demonstrations. This is being arranged by the
combined efforts of the best resources in consultation with the specialists and
some other subject experts. Subject content, curriculum validity, suitability
for age groups and teaching methods are all kept in mind while accomplishing
the programme.
4. Educational radio broadcasts enlist
the participation of local teachers and pupils:
Well-planned radio broadcasts are presented in
such a way as to engage the active participation of the local teachers and
pupils. So there should be preliminary study and discussion on the topic before
broadcast time. The class may be encouraged through broadcast suggestions to
carry on follow-up discussion, projects or creative activities.
The teachers and the pupils both should
prepare material thoroughly before presenting the programme. They should
utilise all resources possible to make the programme of a very high quality and
worth-listening into from the point of view of content, speech, style,
audibility and present ability.
5. Educational radio broadcast helps in
the long run, to make learning an open system:
Educational radio can offer corrective
programmes for self-learning by the individuals. It can reach the participants
while at work, at play, at drawing room, at recreational centres breaking all
boundaries and constraints of formal education. Being an expensive medium, it
has reached villages and is now available in very comer of the society.
There
are also special programmes for teachers and teacher-education in most of the
stations. These are intended to familiarize methods of teaching. This service
has been more necessitated in recent years on account of large changes in
school curriculum and methodology particularly in subjects like science,
mathematics, social studies and English.
B) Television/plasma
Television is an audio-visual and
sophisticated scientific device. It telecasts programs from far and wide areas
of the country and abroad. It has an important role to play for entertainment
and education of people all over the world. Today, television has become an
extremely popular source of entertainment among youngsters. We listen and see
the instruction of the speaker from the television. So the whole personality of
the child is engaged in the task. Hence, it has become the most important and
powerful agency of mass communication. In television, news items are not only
read out but the events are shown.
Educational television is the most recent
audio-visual media for class instruction. There are programmes on the
television especially for the school children. These programmes are aimed at
educating the school children and they instill good moral values. Television
can give a very good idea of the history of the country through dances,
short-films on historical places, museums etc. Thus television plays a vital
role as a means of mass media in educating the masses.
Role of television is neither fixed nor easily
tangible and measurable. The role is directly related to the question of how
the planners are serious and determined to use television. The role could
either be enormous or, on the contrary very meager depending upon the specific
tasks and available resources. Generally television can help to
achieve the following objectives:
Ø Social quality in
education
Ø Enhance quality in
education
Ø Reduce dependency
on verbal teaching and teachers
Ø Provide
flexibility of time and space in learning.
Ø Stimulates
learning
Ø Provide mass education
opportunities.
Advantages of
Educational Television:
The advantages of educational television are
many. The young people watching the television can get a very good idea of how
it really happened. For
example the nuclear explosions of the launching of rockets are programmes of
extreme educational value.
The students can see
for themselves how science has advanced:
(1) Educational television is capable of
making available many needed and so far inaccessible learning experiences.
(2) Educational television brings about
continuing co-operative planning by teachers, supervisors, learning materials
exports and skilful production teams.
(3) Good and effective educational television
broadcasts result from the outgrowth of curriculum planning, of content
analysis and of the selection of this most appropriate instructional media
(4) It can use a variety of audio-visual aids,
motion pictures, film-strips, slides, recordings, drawings, maps and other
projected and non-projected aids can be demonstrated through Television.
Video-tapes and recordings on television bring us the launching of space
rockets, of political and social events.
(5) Educational television brings us a new
kind of teaching team into existence.
(6) It can acquaint the children with past
culture,history and social life.
(7) It can motivate both children and
adults,because not only it is educative but also entertaining.
(8) The televised-lectures are more thrilling
as they bring to the listeners not only verbal information and the instruction
of the speaker but also the whole of his personality engaged in the task.
(9) National problems like those of population
and poverty and illiteracy are often highlighted and discussed over the
television.
(10) It plays an important role to play in
educating the children on the history and culture of our country. It gives a
very good idea of the history of the country by telecasting various programmes
through dances, short films on historical places, museums etc.
(c) The Press/soft and hard copy
The Press covers the entire printed matter.
These printed matters are books, magazines, journals or newspapers. Reading
matter has vast potentialities. It exerts good influence on the individuals. It
acts on the intelligence and emotions of the individuals in shaping out
attitudes and philosophies of life.
An educated individual one who has an open
mind, a general awareness and knowledge of the world around him. His field of
knowledge is vast and varied.
The press is an important service that can
render to education by imparting knowledge of current affairs to children. The
child must be aware of what is happening in the world.
The pupil’s limited knowledge of history may
be elaborated and enhanced by this press. So the press is to serve as one of
the important medium of education and instruction.
(d) The motion
Pictures:
The motion pictures exercise a great influence
on human mind very skilfully. They help to create lasting values in the pupils.
There is also wider use of films in education. Educational films are coming
into the field to meet the challenge of commercial pictures, to supplement them
and to explore new avenues of educating children and adults. These films can
give more reality, influence attitudes, show cause and effect relation and
motivate the students., Thus these motion pictures have great instructional
force which can be used intelligently in the classroom.
There are many areas of learning which can be properly dealt
with the help of films. For example, in teaching of geography or science, we
can use these motion-pictures. Rivers of Ethiopia, climate of Ethiopia etc. can
also be taught effectively with the help of the motion pictures.
Advantages of Motion
Pictures:
1. The educational films make the concept more
clear, durable and realistic.
2. Motion pictures arouse interest in children
and satisfy their emotions.
3. They can present abstract and abstruse
problems of life and nature in concrete reality illuminate the hidden meanings
of events and mysteries of nature, reconstruct history in a short mirror of
life.
4. Motion pictures bring the past, the distant
to the class room. It can bring the whole world to the classroom.
5. Events which occur over-days can be made to
appear in seconds. So Motion pictures can also be replayed many number of times
when and where required.
6. Motion pictures can best be used for
demonstration of skills and experiments.
7. Motion pictures can serve the purpose
better, if they are made for specific age and ability groups, if they can be
fitted into the school syllabus, if the commentary is simple and straight
forward.
8. Motion pictures can be of great service in
teaching the backward children, because they do act on the imagination of
children.
Principles of using Mass Media/technology
The teacher should make all necessary
arrangements for using the mass media/technology very effectively. He/She
should select the mass media according to the age level of the students.
1. Organisation: Mass media should be
organised as integral part of the educational programmes. They should not be
separated from other curricular activities.
2. Selection: Mass media should be properly selected and
coordinated by the teacher. An experienced and trained teacher can select the
mass media according to the needs of the students.
3. Planning: Mass media should be
available according to the need of the instructional programme. The teachers
should possess skill in the use of mass media. They should have special
training in their preparation. So they should be properly planned.
4. Experience: Mass media should be
related to pupil’s experience.
5. Preparation: There should be
adequate preparation on the part of pupils. The teacher should prepare himself
before using it. He should know what the mass media teach and where they fit
into his plan of teaching. Adequate preparation should be followed by proper
presentation and an adequate follow-up.
6. Evaluation:
Mass media should be evaluated at regular
intervals in regards to their use, effect on learning and their functions.
E. Role of computers in enhancing Education
Computers have changed the way we work, be it
any profession. Therefore, it is only natural that the role of computers in
education has been given a lot of importance in recent years. Computers play a
vital role in every field. They aid industrial processes, they find application
in medicine; they are the reason why software industries developed and
flourished and they play an important role in education. This is also why the
education system has made computer education a part of school curriculum.
Considering the use of computer technology is almost every sphere of life, it
is important for everyone to have at least the basic knowledge of using
computers. Let's look at what role computer technology plays in the education
sector.
Computers in Education
Computer technology has had a deep impact on
the education sector. Thanks to computers, imparting education has become
easier and much more interesting than before. Owing to memory capacities of
computers, large chunks of data can be stored in them. They enable quick
processing of data with very less or no chances of errors in processing.
Networked computers aid quick communication and enable web access. Storing
documents on computers in the form of soft copies instead of hard ones, helps
save paper.
The advantages of computers in education
primarily include:
Ø Storage of information
Ø Quick data processing
Ø Audio-visual aids in
teaching
Ø Better presentation of
information
Ø Access to the Internet
Ø Quick communication
between students, teachers and parents
Computer teaching plays a key role in the
modern education system. Students find it easier to refer to the Internet than
searching for information in fat books. The process of learning has gone beyond
learning from prescribed textbooks. Internet is a much larger and
easier-to-access storehouse of information. When it comes to storing retrieved
information, it is easier done on computers than maintaining hand-written
notes.
The Importance of computers in education
1. Computers are a brilliant aid in teaching.
Online education has revolutionized the
education industry. Computer technology has made the dream of distance
learning, a reality. Education is no longer limited to classrooms. It has
reached far and wide, thanks to computers. Physically distant locations have
come closer due to Internet accessibility. So, even if students and teachers
are not in the same premises, they can very well communicate with one another.
There are many online educational courses, whereby students are not required to
attend classes or be physically present for lectures. They can learn from the
comfort of their homes and adjust timings as per their convenience.
2. Computers have given impetus to distance
education.
Computers facilitate effective presentation of
information. Presentation software like PowerPoint and animation software like
Flash among others can be of great help to teachers while delivering lectures.
Computers facilitate audio-visual representation of information, thus making
the process of learning interactive and interesting. Computer-aided teaching
adds a fun element to education. Teachers hardly use chalk and board today.
They bring presentations on a flash drive, plug it into a computer in the
classroom, and the teaching begins. There's color, there's sound, there's
movement - the same old information comes forth in a different way and learning
becomes fun. The otherwise not-so-interesting lessons become interesting due to
audio-visual effects. Due to the visual aid, difficult subjects can be
explained in better ways.
3. Computer software helps better presentation
of information.
Internet can play an important role in
education. As it is an enormous information base, it can be harnessed for
retrieval of information on a variety of subjects. The Internet can be used to
refer to information on different subjects. Both teachers and students benefit
from the Internet. Teachers can refer to it for additional information and
references on the topics to be taught. Students can refer to web sources for
additional information on subjects of their interest. The Internet helps
teachers set test papers, frame questions for home assignments and decide
project topics. And not just academics, teachers can use web sources for ideas
on sports competitions, extracurricular activities, picnics, parties and more.
4. Computers enable access to the Internet
which has information on literally everything.
Computers enable storage of data in the
electronic format, thereby saving paper. Memory capacities of computer storage
devices are in gigabytes. This enables them to store huge chunks of data.
Moreover, these devices are compact. They occupy very less space, yet store
large amounts of data. Both teachers and students benefit from the use of
computer technology. Presentations, notes and test papers can be stored and
transferred easily over computer storage devices. Similarly, students can
submit homework and assignments as soft copies. The process becomes paperless,
thus saving paper. Plus, the electronic format makes data storage more durable.
Electronically erasable memory devices can be used repeatedly. They offer
robust storage of data and reliable data retrieval.
5. Computer, hard drives and storage devices
are an excellent way to store data.
This was about the role of computers in
education. But we know, it's not just the education sector which computers have
impacted. They are of great use in every field. Today, a life without computers
is unimaginable. This underlines the importance of computer education.
Knowledge of computers can propel one's career in the right direction.
Computers are a part of almost every industry today. They are no longer limited
any specific field. They are used in networking, for information access and
data storage and also in the processing and presentation of information.
Computers should be introduced early in education. I don't think I am making an
overstatement in saying that computer education is as fundamental as learning
English. Yes, it is
F.THE ROLE OF ICT IN EDUCATION SECTOR
The role
of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), especially
internet in the education sector plays an important role, especially
in the process of empowering the technology into the educational
activities. Education sector can be the most effective sector to anticipate and
eliminate the negative impact of ICT. Technology (internet) in another side can
be the most effective way to increase the student’s knowledge.
Being aware of the significant role of ICT
(internet) in our life, especially in the educational activities, education
authorities should be wise enough in implementing the strategies to empower ICT
in supporting the teaching and learning process in the classroom. ICT is not
just the bloom of the educational activities, but also it will be the secondary
option to improve the effective and meaningful educational process.
The main purpose of the Strategy for
Information and Communication Technology Implementation in Education is to
provide the prospects and trends of integrating information and communication
technology (ICT) into the general educational activities.
There are some unavoidable facts in the modern
education; first, the ICT has been developing very rapidly nowadays.
Therefore, in order to balance it, the whole educational system should be
reformed and ICT should be integrated into educational activities.
Second, the influence of ICT, especially
internet (open source tool) cannot be ignored in our student’s lives. So, the
learning activities should be reoriented and reformulated, from the manual
source centered to the open source ones. In this case the widely use of
internet access has been an unavoidable policy that should be anticipated by
schools authorities.
A lot
of Weblog providers are free to the users, such as Word Press. In their
blogs, the students can create and write something, like an article, poem,
news, short stories, features, or they can also express their opinion by an
online forum provided in the internet. They are able to share experiences
throughout their blogs to others from all over the world. I think it will be an
interesting activity for them, and it will lessen their time to visit the
negative or porn sites existed.
The followings are the aim and objectives of
ICT implementation in education:
Ø To implement the
principle of life-long learning / education.
Ø To increase a
variety of educational services and medium / method.
Ø To promote equal
opportunities to obtain education and information.
Ø To develop a system of
collecting and disseminating educational information.
Ø To promote technology
literacy of all citizens, especially for students.
Ø To develop distance
education with national contents.
Ø To promote the
culture of learning at school (development of learning skills, expansion of
optional education, open source of education, etc.)
Ø To support schools in
sharing experience and information with others.
