ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ICT

Advantages

As with other technologies that have been implemented in education throughout the years, ICTs offer a number of advantages to both students and educators when successfully integrated into a learning environment. Some of these advantages include:

• Increased Access to Resources: Unlike the traditional classroom that is locked at the end of the school day, ICTs allow students to access educational resources from anywhere at any time. This increased access to resources is especially valuable for students with special needs and those students who live in rural areas or developing countries.

• Interactive Learning Experiences: Many educators deliver information to their students in the form of lectures. ICTs allow students to access information through videos, podcasts, and a variety of other interactive media, which creates a more engaging learning experience for students.

• Student-Centered Learning: In a traditional classroom, students cannot control how lessons are planned. Through the use of ICTs, students can take control of their learning experiences. Students can decide when class is in session, as well as how the lesson material will be presented.

Disadvantages

Although ICTs can enhance student learning in many ways, there are some disadvantages associated with implementing these sophisticated technologies in schools and universities around the world. Some of these disadvantages include:

• High Costs: Implementing ICTs in the education setting can be quite costly regarding updating existing infrastructures, training teachers and developing quality course materials. To make matters worse, funding for such projects is often scarce.

• Teacher Training: Many teachers are unfamiliar with using ICTs in the classroom and are resistant to incorporating such technologies into their established pedagogies. To succeed, the use of ICTs in education needs to be supported by well-trained teachers.

• Uncertain Success Rates: Currently, no large-scale studies have been conducted that show whether or not the use of ICTs in an educational setting will result in a measurable increase in individual student achievement, making school administrators hesitant to invest in these technologies

Despite existing research and evidence-based studies, the future of ICTs in education remains unclear. Additional research is needed to better understand if a link exists between the use of ICTs in education and improved student learning.