A Reflection on the use of ICT tools in teaching and learning

         

ICT (information and communication technology) tools such as  informative tool, communicative tool, constructive tool, co-constructive tool and situating tools. These tools play a critical role in enhancing teaching and learning. This reflection will explore based on five ICT (information and communication technology) tools in teaching and learning. 

ICT as informative tool.  Refers to an applications which provide vast repositories of information/content to learners` activity. Informative tools include graphics, animation, video, image, text and sound. By using informative tools, students can explore various information about a text or topic using different search engines. Informative tools in teaching and learning provides various opportunities for students to acquire information through  graphics, animation, video, image, text or sound. For instance, if I design a lesson on "four seasons" using an amination, students may understand better about the "four seasons". we cannot show four seasons at once because it does not happen at once, but with animation we can show all  "four seasons" at a time. This help students to acquire better information about a particular text or topic. 

ICT as a Communicative tool: Refers to an application which enable easy communication. Communicative tools such as  messenger, skype, Gmail, WhatsApp, Facebook, zoom, video conferencing and telegram, enable students and teachers to communicate and exchange information. For example; during lockdown my module tutors used zoom, video conferencing, telegram and WhatsApp to deliver lessons, provide feedback and I wrote reflection using VLE and WhatsApp. In this way, it helped me and my module tutor to communicate effectively despite our locations. 

ICT as a constructive tool: Refers to an application that help learner to manipulate information, visualize  one`s understanding and construct one`s knowledge. Some of the examples are; Concept map, Desktop publishing, word, spreadsheet and power Point, stimulations, Social networking sites( Blogs/Facebook/twitter). We have been using MS word to write assignments and journals and power Point to create presentations on various topics. We are still using these tools to create presentations for our  modules. These tools enable us to create varies presentations, activities, picture as per our need. We have also used Facebook to create post and captions.

ICT as Co-constructive tool: Co-constructive tools, such as collaborative editing platforms and shared online spaces (google docs, electronic whiteboard/module, blogs, wikis and discussion forum on portals) enables learners to collaboratively. These tools facilitate meaningful interaction and engagement, allowing learners to construct knowledge collectively. By incorporating these tools, educators can create dynamic and interactive learning environments that empower students to become active participants in their own learning. 

ICT as a Situating tool: Refers to an applications that helps to situate learner`s in an environment to experience the context  and happenings. Some of the examples include; Simulations (flight, farming, surgery, environment, driving, play station) and virtual reality. Situating tool is a means of effective teaching and learning. It fosters students creativity, visualization skills and hands-on learning. We can use situating tools ,when a certain real-life experience is impossible or difficult to attain. Situating tools can be used in any subjects. Situating tool is new to me but after knowing about it, I found out that it would be useful for teaching and learning, which can provide insights about a text or topic. Moreover, it is like hands-on learning and students may enjoy carrying out the activities. Situating tool enable us to practice real-life experiences/activities easily from anywhere.