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From Green & White Gazette
April 2000
What is Information Technology (I.T.)
Education? It includes learning with the help of the computer
by all means. This involves the utilization of Internet resources
and the usage of computer-aided learning software. In this
article, we will observe different ways of I.T. Education,
its advantages and current situation in both our school and
other schools.
 The
Internet can act as a new and broad source of teaching materials
and information concerning subjects, as well as giving students
the chance to find information on the Internet. Teachers can
choose appropriate websites for students so that they can
improve their comprehension, arrangement and presentation
of the information they have. Students can also do research
on the Internet. This will provoke their willingness to learn
independently and enhance their ability in searching for data.
With information from the Internet,
teachers can make better presentation in class, making learning
a more interesting process. With computer-aided programs,
lessons become more interactive. For some subjects like Physics
and Mathematics, teachers can present many different cases
and exhibit abstract theory in a more concrete way by the
use of downloaded sharewares, graph plotters, and experiment
simulators.
Information found on the Internet is also
the most updated. Everyday, new data are constantly uploaded
to websites and newsgroups. Students can thus gain access
to a wider range of information. Learning will no longer be
confined to classroom lectures or textbook material. Learning
effectively becomes a self-motivated process.
One problem that students may come across
is that information found on the Internet can be false, inaccurate
or biased. Therefore proper guidance from teachers are needed,
and students should always use their own judgement.
Some teachers and students may not be familiar with the usage
of computer. We encourage those who are novice in this area
to seek help from those who are experienced. They should also
be brave to experiment with computers themselves. Only using
computers frequently will allow people to become more familiar
with them.
I.T. Education in some countries such as Singapore, has been
fully implemented. In many of the secondary schools there,
students can get learning resources from the server of their
schools, and computer systems are installed where students
have the opportunities to learn, for example, classroom, library,
corridor and playground. Some schools in Hong Kong use Multimedia
projectors during lesson, making the learning process faster,
while helping students learn easier. In our school, I.T. is
still confined to Computer lessons. Although our pace in implementing
I.T. Education is not as fast as some other schools, we can
observe others' experiences, avoid needless mistakes and make
implementation smoother.
First of all, we need to get proper multimedia tools that
enable us to conduct I.T. education. We have to strife for
the help of organizations that provide schools with funds,
facilities and computer technologists. However, that is not
enough. Teachers must also be trained to possess basic presentation
skills and computer knowledge so that they can well utilize
the facilities. No matter what we need to be do for I.T. education,
it is the trend of the world. We have to keep up with others'
paces in order to adapt to the society that changes every
now and then.
Information
Technology>>
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