Advantages and Disadvantages of ICT

Information technology (IT) is another name for information and communication technology (ICT). However, ICT has a broader range of applications, and artificial intelligence and robotics are also provided through ICT.

ICT may also be included in the educational system because schools have many ways to communicate, generate, save, and manage information. ICT is now a significant component of some teaching and learning strategies, and teachers should be technically proficient in integrating ICT.

They should also replace the blackboard with engaging interactive digital whiteboards. Teachers that have received digital training emphasize the learning strategy more, which increases efficiency. Students' ability to present their ideas in a more effective learning format while developing their creative talents is improved.

ICT in Education

ICT is used in classrooms to develop digital literacy in many nations. Common ICT uses include:

Interactive Smart Board: Smartboards enable the viewing, usage, dragging, clicking, and copying of projected computer pictures. Teachers may highlight, mark, and write notes on the board while saving handwritten notes using a digital pen or marker. For better comprehension, topic-based slides are presented. In classes where ICT is present, students interact effectively because they are more engaged.
Flipped Classrooms: With computer-guided education, flipped classrooms allow students to view and practice lectures at home. Because it has enlarged the curriculum, the idea of flipped classrooms demands some research on their part as they are learning.
E-readers: E-readers are electronic devices with a selection of books to read online. E-readers have received favourable reviews from readers. Numerous novels are also accessible for free as e-books to read.
Tablets: Tablets are portable, small personal computers without needing a mouse or keyboard that are convenient to use and carry. Learners can understand and work with absolute ease thanks to various software tools.

Types of ICT

Four categories of ICT tools exist:

Networking for Education: All learners have access to social networking spaces through online networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, where they may learn about new technologies in a digital format. For example, Classroom2.0.
Web-based learning: Online tools and services let students communicate and work together and look for and access other people's instructional information-for example, Podcasting, blogs, and Wiki.
Mobile Learning: Using mobile phones or technologies that follow a unique set of instructions to carry out educational tasks. For example, PDAs and smartphones.
Equipment for the classroom: Independent or free equipment that has historically been utilized in spaces where teachers can provide assignments to learners and engage them in active learning. For example Touch-screen PC or a smartboard.

Impacts of ICT

ICT has drastically transformed how people interact and do business. It has also facilitated and lightened the burden, and as time goes on, it will continue to change every aspect of human life.

ICT is crucial to economic growth since it is said to have sparked the Fourth Industrial Revolution and has significantly benefited company expansion.

Individuals call this new era the "Digital Age" because it allows for face-to-face communication, digital learning has improved student learning, and individuals are more socially engaged across various platforms. Rich and developed nations use ICT the best because they can access or use it more.

According to data from 2016, 75% of people worldwide had access to mobile phones, yet broadband internet connections are still rather pricey due to a lack of ICT infrastructure in many nations. Out of 7.4 billion people, the World Bank estimates that more than 4 billion don't have access to the Internet, while just 1 billion have high-speed Internet.

Advantages

Communication: Time and money can be saved since information can be transferred much more quickly. It is now speedier and more effective thanks to ICT.
Globalization: Video conferencing reduces travel and lodging costs. ICT has enabled the world economy to become a single interconnected system that allows one to contact a business or family member and bring nations and people closer together.
Cost-effectiveness: Sending an e-mail seems free, even when it isn't, and it is unquestionably less expensive than making a phone call. ICT has also aided in the automation of commercial procedures, reorganizing firms to make them incredibly efficient.
Greater accessibility: ICT has enabled businesses to be automated, providing customers access to a site or voicemail seven days a week.
Bridging the culture clash: More access to technology has made it possible for individuals of different cultures to speak with one another and exchange ideas, increasing awareness and decreasing prejudice.
Creation of new employment: The emergence of new, fascinating occupations has been the most significant benefit of ICT.
Education: Computers, their programming, and the Internet have made it possible to educate people in ways that were impossible for earlier generations.
Complicated structure: Teachers can explain the complex system and lesson and ensure students understand it thanks to ICT.
Make Things Easier: Teachers may design interactive classrooms using ICT, which makes the lesson more fun.
GUI Enhance Learning: Images may be employed in education to enhance students' long-term memory using ICT.

Disadvantages

Lack of work security - Because technology is constantly evolving, experts in various industries think that ICT has created job security a major problem. If people want to feel comfortable in their work, they must continually learn new things or be aware of developments in their field.
Cultures were becoming dominant - Although ICT could have made the globe more interconnected, it has also led to one society absorbing a weaker one. For instance, it is currently said that American teens have an influence on how the majority of young teenagers throughout the world today act, dress, and behave.
Privacy - Information technology may have boosted, simplified, and improved communication, but it has also given rise to privacy concerns. People are increasingly concerned that their formerly private information may become public knowledge due to mobile phone signal interceptions and e-mail hacking. Apart from these issues, Computer worms, Trojan horses, malware, spam, and phishing are a few of the various threats that may ruin our daily lives.
Reliance on Technology - Professor Ian Robertson, a neuropsychology specialist at Trinity College Dublin who conducted the study, said: "People have a lot to remember nowadays, and they're dependent on technology for the memories, but the less you use of your memory, the weaker it becomes. Because they utilize a spell-checker or a calculator to complete simple addition or subtraction, many don't bother learning."
Information Reliability: Just because something is online doesn't guarantee it is dependable. Anybody with computer and internet access can create a blog or post something on a website. The open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia is an excellent illustration of this because, although being a good source of knowledge, academic institutions do not accept it as a reliable source of references.
Expensive: Too expensive to be able to afford.
Need Separate Training: Lack of experience makes it challenging for instructors to utilize ICT technologies.