The role of new communication technology in advancing...

The role of new communication technology in advancing education

: المقال تهميش كيفية- Brahim Baaziz, « The role of new communication technology in

advancing education”, (http://brahimsearch.unblog.fr).

« The role of new communication technology in advancing education »

Baaziz BrahimAssistant professor

Doctoral studentDepartment of communication

Algiers UniversityEmail : [email protected]

Abstract :

The aim of this article is to highlight the role of information and communication technologies in education, at universities and institutes, and to show the different applications offered by new communication technologies to the teacher and students. This paper will focus on the role of internet as a new tool , which improved effectively the qualifications of teachers and students, this media which provided a multitude of information and electronic resources in all scientific fields, by several applications such as: data banks, electronic periodicals, educational blogs, electronic sites of universities and research center, open archives, search engines, etc. The next generation internet or


internet 2.0, designed particularly for improving instructional quality and scientific research .

The use of communication technologies for educational aims, by the most advanced universities, show us their importance and role for enhancing education and scientific research.

Keywords : education, scientific research, communication technology, internet

- Introduction :

The advent of communication technologies affected various fields in today’s society, but the most important impact was on the education domain. Especially after the invention of internet, which transformed the education methods, systems, and contents. It incited us to change and restructure completely this field. So The introduction of new communication technologies- internet-into the institutes, universities, and schools is necessary in order to develop and improve the learning process. The ongoing evolution of the Web poses challenges for teachers, universities and education institutions. they must adopt the new applications of internet in education. This new tool permits, on the first hand, to


the teacher to distribute his courses and lessons to the students (by email, discussion forums, social media, podcast, bloggs…etc.). he can maintain conversations and discussions about educational issues. On the other hand, it permits to the student to write, express himself, criticize, and receive instructions of teachers that help him to learn alone. In this paper we will illustrate the importance of integrating information and communication technology(ICT) in education process, and present the different application of internet which can be used in education process.

- Definition of information and communication technologies :

The field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) combines science and technology. It includes the full range of computer hardware and software, telecommunication and cell phones, the Internet and Web, wired and wireless networks, digital still and video cameras, robotics, and so on. It includes the field of Computer and Information Science and a


huge and rapidly growing knowledge base that is being developed by practitioners and researchers»1.the information and communication technologies include applications, software, and tools which are used to communicate, interact with others, and to collect, treat, classify, share, store, and publish the information.ICT is a very rapidly changing and developing field, especially after the advent of internet 2.0, which allowed not only to the professionals to invent and develop new applications for communication, interaction, and creation of content, but also to the amateur individuals. This definition of information and communication technologies can be changed continuously in the future, with the advent of new tools and technologies.

- The use of ICT in education process : If the rapid development and deployment of the personal computer, the Internet, and satellite, DSL, and cable modem distribution networks characterized the 1970s through the 1990s, then the 2000s can be characterized to date by increased miniaturization and convergence of consumer appliances, increased long- and short-range wireless distribution networks, the rise of the mobile phone, and significant moves toward broadband network. The impact of these advances in


technological devices and delivery on the enterprise of education is bound to be significant. However, little focused public research is exploring what kinds of technologies and applications are available or predicted and how these might affect the provision and nature of distance and general education2.ICT has proven to be a valuable aid to solving problems and accomplishing tasks in business, industry, government, education, and many other human endeavors3. Information and communications technology is dramatically and rapidly transforming secondary and post-secondary education in developed nations to a degree scarcely imaginable only one generation ago. High schools, colleges, vocational schools, universities, and advanced research institutions are being profoundly affected, at all levels and in myriad respects4.ICT adds value to the processes of learning, and in the organization and management of learning institutions. The Internet is a driving force for much development and innovation in both developed and developing countries5; for this reason, “Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education”6.


- Transforming the teaching process through ICT

The mass advent of the NICT in the years that lie ahead raises the question of how the teaching profession can prepare for these radical changes. The new teachers, will have to master this new NICT environment and be mentally prepared for a radical change of role while adding to and updating their knowledge of their subject7.In the transforming approach to ICT development, teachers and other school staff regard ICT as so natural and part of the everyday life of schools that they begin to look at the process of teaching and learning in new ways. The emphasis changes from teacher-centred to learning-centred. Teachers, together with their students, expect a continuously changing teaching methodology designed to meet individual learning objectives8.the student is also able to implement these new tools to enhance his skills alone, and develop his knowledge by self-learning.“ICT provides a wide range of aids to solving problems and accomplishing tasks. ICT is now a significant component of the basic content of each of the disciplines that students study at the precollege level. In addition, ICT provides generic “productivity tools”


that cut across all of the disciplines that students study. ICT is a dynamic field, growing rapidly in breadth and depth. Basic hardware capabilities of ICT, such as computer speed, computer storage capacity, telecommunications bandwidth, and the installed base are all growing rapidly. The next 15-20 years will likely bring us increases in computer speed, memory capacity, and telecommunications bandwidth by a factor of 1,000 or more. These hardware improvements, along with continued progress in software, will have a profound impact on the societies of our world”9, particularly on our education institutions, and their methods, tools and systems of teaching.Today we are witnessing great changes in our societies, due to the internet and its applications. Teaching and Learning in this Digital Age must be reformed and restructured, by adopting these applications to enhance them.In a study conducted by « Rob ABEL » about the use of new communication technologies (internet in particular) by educational institutions, The findings of this study indicate that the use of Internet-supported learning made Them a successful institutions, and permitted them to improve their educational system and educational product, and to perform their mission more


effectively10. So “The use of internet in education can achieve many advantages like :rapid education, flexibility in time and place, high speed in creating new programmes compared to the system of videos and CD Rom, changing the style of the teacher from lecturing to guiding and monitoring, creating classes without walls, getting the study materials from any time and any location, and getting the views of scientists and scholars in varous fields11, in any time, and in any place.

- Encouraging online education and e-learning:

Online Education: There are many terms which are used as synonyms of online education.like virtual education, Internet-based education, web-based education, and education via computer-mediated communication.

‘Distance education’ and ‘distance learning’ as defined by Keegan (1996) are well-established concepts. The ‘distance learner’ is a person who, for some reason, will not or cannot take part in educational programmes that require presence at certain times or places”12.“The concept of distance learning-that is, education and training offcampus or away from the source of instruction and information-goes back at least to the nineteenth century, when both academic and for-profit


institutions began to offer correspondence courses by mail. Each technology for electronic delivery of information has subsequently been used for distance learning: the telephone; radio; broadcast, cable, and satellite television; audiotapes, videotapes, and videodisks; audio- and videoconferencing; timesharing on mainframe computers; PC software and CD-ROMs; and now the Internet”13.

E-learning enhances the quality of educational process by enabling the practice of new roles in the process of learning. In addition, during this process, lifelong learning technologies are used.There are different forms of e-learning: (1) ICT (information and communication technologies); (2) mixed learning as a combination of classroom teaching and teaching over the system; and (3) learning at distance14.the distance learning help not only the individuals who can present and assist the courses at universities, but also those who can’t go to universities, like workers, handicapped, and poor people. the new technologies offer more opportunities for more people to study, to learn, to acquire knowledge in all situations and places. For this reason, too many countries are studying the way of introducing new communication technologies into the educational process, and increasing the distance


learning canters and universities (open universities, virtual Universities...). “The concept of the virtual university involves broader and more ambitious goals than other distance-learning programs. As the term is used here, the core mission of a virtual university is to offer complete academic degree programs-and usually non-degree courses as well-on the Internet to students who are widely dispersed geographically. Student presence on-campus is not required to earn course credits or degrees15, because they can receive lessons and courses by internet applications, such as email, discussion forums, social media, as well as they can find them in the personal page, electronic sites, and the blog of teachers or universities.“In 1999 the Malaysian government, through the Ministry of Education (MOE), introduced e-learning initiatives in both primary and secondary Smart Schools, ostensibly to prepare students early enough for the knowledge based economy and the marketplace of the 21st century. The Smart School initiative is part of the government's long-term plan to develop an IT-literate society by the year 202016.the aim of adopting e-learning is not only the development of education systems, but also the building of strong basis for


economy, by forming students and workers through the continuing learning.

- New applications and Social media in education:

Even though the computer is the main tool used in education for many years, we have too many other new tools and applications which can be used.People today think that computer represents the only educational technology available these days, which, of course, is not true since there are many different kinds of technology in the classroom such as the overhead projector, slide and slide shows, documentary video, internet applications (blogs, email, discussion forums, wiki sites…). Briefly, all kinds of tools which teacher are able to use in the classroom to enhance learning are considered technology17. The internet includes synchronous and asynchronous applications, which can be used in education process. The synchronous and asynchronous communication tools aimed at facilitating collaboration among students and teachers, have received a lot of scrutiny in the past ten years . In various faculties of education, many courses make use of ICTs, though sometimes with “little or no


consideration of the impact on student learning. In general, university professors and instructors use listservs, electronic mail, forums and chat rooms to communicate with their students18.

1.Blogs :The advent of blogs has paved the way for a more authentic information revolution, they have changed forever the way information is disseminated in our society19.they offer a formidable example of emerging new personal and collaborative Knowledge20, because Anybody with access to a computer, a modem, and a little software can share their thoughts with the world through a Weblog21, which can be considered as one of the major ways of knowledge sharing22.it allow to individuals to exchange their knowledge23 and disseminate the information among them.For this reason 'Many educators have attempted to implement a blog in educational contexts to enhance the communication environment among students and teachers, and to facilitate the interaction among them. the blog is One of the emerging technologies, which is often employed by educators to overcome the weakness of current CMC technology24. After class, instructors can


encourage micro-blogging to support relationships among the people from the class and to further their learning. Teachers post tips of the day, questions, writing assignments, and other prompts to keep learning going25.

2. Podcasting and vodcasting sites :The most common use of podcasting in higher education is for distributing lectures, notes and course content to students26. Podcasting and vodcasting are increasingly used in education, in order to allow learners to download their lectures and instructions of teachers. They are employed especially for teaching languages lessons.

3. Wiki sites :The wiki is a web-based collaboration technology designed to allow anyone to update any information posted on a wiki-based website .At its heart the wiki is a tool which enables collaborative authoring. This means that the power to edit and update information is ceded to users27.the Wiki are often used as tools for student collaboration or surveys because of their ease of use.a defining charachteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and updated28.it is a medium for communicating knowledge


between individuals and communities29. it encourages students to create content, write articles, and criticize others’ writtings. that is why the education institutions adopted this new tool for enhancing the learning process.

4. Discussion forums : The discussion forum is a synchronous tool of virtual communication and interaction, it can be used in educational field to distribute courses of teachers, to maintain conversations between students, etc.

5. Social media : Social media applications generally share a number of common characteristics: “(a) interactivity, b) collaboration, (c) aggregation, (d) incremental content, and (e) content replication30, these characteristics attracted the scientific community, and urged them to integrate social media in education process. “Social network sites (SNSs) such as Friendster, CyWorld, and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others31. They are employed by educators, not only to maintain relations between teachers, students, researchers, but also to distribute and exchange


scientific contents like lectures, papers, lessons and studies.

- Digital contents and electronic resources for education:

As mentioned previously, “The Internet offers a wealth of rich, compelling and up-to-date multimedia content for practically any course, from kindergarten to grade 12, through tertiary, and including skills development and professional training. Much of this material is available for localization with no conditions—except in some cases, a simple intellectual property agreement”32.The Internet represents the world’s largest knowledge data base. This information is easily accessible through powerful search engines. The Internet can substitute for expensive hardcopy libraries, and provide access to resources of scientific publications and scholarly information, when students have daily access to computers and the Internet with sufficient bandwidth for downloading and exchanging documents over the network33.the internet applications can be employed for both interacting and transferring large amount data34.The electronic resources and digital contents can be found by search engines. they are also delivered by Data banks, digital libraries, Academic


electronic sites, Open sources and open archive sites, and so on.

- The future of education in digital age: The Rapid advances in ICTs demand changes to our education systems, and necessitate a deep reforms in order to adapt education field with new conditions in the digital age.”In the near term, most higher-education institutions will use the Internet incrementally to improve administrative processes, on-campus instruction, and distance learning. It will rather quickly become the preferred means to reach offcampus students. But it will be viewed more as a powerful technical tool than as a catalyst for institutional change35.the most important factor is not only the introduction of ICT in education, but also the training of teachers in the use of new technologies. ‘Robinson and Zaitun ‘ emphasize the factor of giving a courses to teachers on ICT integration in teaching and learning36.so the Success in educational innovation depends on several factors like: clear aims and goals; a planning process that addresses change management; appropriate training for all involved; encouragement and reinforcement of positive attitudes; and, access to appropriate materials and resources37. The updating of


lessons content, because many teachers simply deliver old lessons in a new format38.so the ICT affected and will affect the education methods and systems.the main challenge will be the manner of integrating and using the different applications and technologies in education.

- Conclusion :

In conclusion, the information and communication technologies are providing new ways of education, training and learning and may significantly change, the character and reach of global education. the emerging educational technologies are providing a window of opportunity to supplement and complement educational resources and to support the process of developing39,they are a major sources of new knowledge and innovation which then feed economic growth. Thus investments in information, communication, technology, and education can create new knowledge which is able to spawn a virtuous cycle of economic and social development40.especially in developing countries, which want to establish a strong basis of economy and education, in order to build the information and knowledge society.


- References :

1 David Moursund (2005), Introduction to Information and Communication Technology in Education, Oregon, p42 Sousan Arafeh (2004). The Implications of Information and Communications Technologies for Distance Education: Looking Toward the Future. Arlington : American Institutes for Research, p44.3 David Moursund :op.cit, p44 William Loxley, Patrick Julien (2004).information and communication technologies in education and training in Asia and the pacific, Asian Development Bank , p55 UNESCO(2002).INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION A CURRICULUM FOR SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMME OF TEACHER DEVELOPMENT, France : Division of Higher Education, p96 UNESCO(2002).INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION A CURRICULUM FOR SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMME OF TEACHER DEVELOPMENT, op.cit, p3.7 Unesco (1998).Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action.proceeding of the WORLD CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION. op.cit, p3.8 UNESCO(2002).INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION A CURRICULUM FOR SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMME OF TEACHER DEVELOPMENT, op.cit, p209 David Moursund : op.cit, p10810Rob ABEL (2005).Achieving Success in Internet-Supported Learning in Higher Education:Case Studies Illuminate Success Factors,Challenges, and Future Directions,USA :The Alliance for Higher Education Competitiveness.11 Jebreen MohammedJamal alkaraki.(2008).integrating internet into traditional education :a practical study of university students’ usage and attitudes . the international arab journal of information technology,vol5.no 3 :241-252.12 Torstein Rekkedal , Svein Qvist-Eriksen (2003). Internet Based E-learning, Pedagogy and Support Systems, NKI Distance Education.13 Walter S. Baer (2008). Will the Internet Transform Higher Education?, The Emerging Internet, Annual Review of the Institute for Information Studies, p514 Tamara Tomasegovic, Paula Yadranka Zitinski Elias, Marina Baracic, Nikola Mrvac.(2011). E-learning and Evaluation in Modern Educational System. US-China Education Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, 198-20315 Walter S. Baer :op.cit, p916 Makingu Mondi, Peter Woods and Ahmad Rafi : « A ‘Uses and Gratification Expectancy Model’ to predict students’ ‘Perceived e- Learning Experience » Educational Technology & Society, 11 (2), 241-26117 Hakan Turkmen(2006). Exploring Turkish science education faculties’ understanding of educational technology and use. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), , Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 6981.18 Thierry Karsenti(2007). Teacher Education and Technology: Strengths and Weaknesses of Two Communication Tools. Proceedings of the 2007 Computer Science and IT Education Conference, pp361-366.19 Mark Briggs (2007). Journalism 2.0 How to Survive and Thrive A digital literacy guide for the information age, USA : The Institute for Interactive Journalism (University of Maryland), p5420 Kim H. Veltman (2006). understanding new media , augmented knowledge&culture, Alberta, Canada : University of Calgary Press, p48

21 Jane E. Kirtley : « Bloggers and Their First Amendment Protection », NIEMAN REPORTS, Vol. 57 No. 3, 2003, THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, pp95-9622 Chin-Lung Hsu, Judy Chuan-Chuan Lin : « Acceptance of blog usage: The roles of technology acceptance, social influence and knowledge sharing motivation », Information & Management 45 (2008) 65-–7423 Jason J. Jung : « Shared Context for Knowledge Distribution: A Case Study of Collaborative Taggings »,in N.T. Nguyen et al. (Eds.): IEA/AIE 2008, LNAI 5027, pp. 641–648,24 Hyung Nam Kim : « The phenomenon of blogs and theoretical model of blog use in educational contexts », Computers & Education 51 (2008) 1342-–135225 Pat Galagan : « twitter as a learning tool » T+D march 2009, american society for training and developpment, pp28-31.26 Patricia d.Wolf (2007) « personal broadcasting :applications in higher education »journal of computing in higher education, vol.19(1),pp48-6427 Marina Trkman, Peter Trkman, (2009).« A wiki as intranet: a critical analysis using the Delone and McLean model » Online Information Review, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 1087-110228 Patricia d.Wolf :op.cit,pp48-6429 Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt (2007) « Wikis as a Technology Fostering Knowledge Maturing: What we can learn from Wikipedia », proceeding of 7 th international conference on knowledge management, Graz,.30 MARSHA ANN TATE (2010). WEB WISDOM, SECOND EDITION,new york : Taylor and Francis Group, p21.31 Nicole B. Ellison,Charles Steinfield, Cliff Lampe ((2007)). « The Benefits of Facebook ‘‘Friends:’’ Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites », Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 12 , 1143–116832 William Loxley, Patrick Julien (2004).information and communication technologies in education and training in Asia and the pacific, Asian Development Bank , p24033 Anna Bon(2007). Can the Internet in tertiary education in Africa contribute to social and economic development?. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDIC, , Vol. 3, Issue 3, pp. 122-131,34 Pei-Luen Patrick Rau , Qin Gao Li-Mei Wu (2008). Using mobile communication technology in high school education: Motivation, pressure, and learning performance. Computers & Education 50 ,1-2235 Walter S. Baer :op.cit, p17.36 Robinson Joseph Samuel Zaitun Abu Bakar(2006). The utilization and integration of ICT tools in promoting English language teaching and learning: Reflections from English option teachers in Kuala Langat District, Malaysia. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 414.37 Manuel Area(2002). Integrating Internet in Adult Education Schools: The RedVEDA Project. Educational Technology & Society 5(1) 200238 Cecily Knight, Bruce Allen Knight and Daniel Teghe(2006). Releasing the pedagogical power of information and communication technology for learners: A case study . International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology(IJEDICT), , Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 2734

39 Clement Dzidonu(1999). INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)- MEDIATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING WITHINTHE CONTEXT OF AN INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY (IKE). Presented at the African Development Forum – ADF’99 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, p1.40 Robert B. Kozma(2006). The Roles of Information, Communication, Technology, and Education in Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Toward an African Knowledge Network. Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International.

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