Meaning of ICT and Different Types of ICT/ Media Technologies

ICT Print Stands for "Information and Communication Technologies." ICT is often used as an extended synonym for information technology (IT) but It focuses primarily unified communications(UC) with communications Technologies.

UC is set of products that provides a consistent unified user-interface and user-experience across multiple devices and media-types. UC is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, telephony (including IP telephony), video conferencing, data sharing (including web connected electronic whiteboards interactive whiteboards), call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax).

ICT covers any product that enable unified communications with the help of communication technologies such as Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums. that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. For example, personal computers, digital television, email, robots.

The term Infocommunications is sometimes used interchangeably with ICT. In fact Infocommunications is the expansion of telecommunications with information processing and content handling functions on a common digital technology base.

In business, ICT is often categorised into two broad types of product: -

(1) The traditional computer-based technologies (using computers at home or at work); and

(2) The more recent, and fast-growing range of digital communication technologies (which allow people and organizations to communicate and share information digitally)

In the past few decades, information and communication technologies have provided society with a vast array of new communication capabilities such as instant messaging, voice over IP (VoIP), and video-conferencing. Social networking etc. Modern information and communication technologies have created a "global village," in which people can communicate with others across the world as if they were living next door. For this reason, ICT is often studied in the context of how modern communication technologies affect society.

Different Types of ICT/ Media Technologies

ICT/ Media Technologies can be classified in terms of the technologies that are the delivery systems or in terms of their content.

 Delivery systems: Based upon their characteristics, media technologies can be grouped into two categories, namely, synchronous and asynchronous (See Table 13.1). Synchronous media require all participants to be together at the same time even though in different locations. Asynchronous ICTs allow for participants in the learning process to be at “different times” and “different places”

Synchronous Media	Asynchronous Media
Audio-graphics Audio conferencing, as in a telephone conference Broadcast radio and television Teleconferencing Computer conferencing such as chat and Internet telephony	Audio and video tapes and CDs  E mail   Computer file transfers Virtual conferences Multimedia products, off line Web based learning formats

 Types of Media /ICT Content: Just as we can divide ICT technologies into two types, educational content is also categorized into two different types of educational content - general awareness and instructional content.

Educational	Instructional
Broad audiences awareness orientation Nature of learning is broad Multidimensional, even incidental process, and summative methods	Clearly defined target E n r i c h m e n t Clear Objectives  Target related format and treatment  Evaluation critical, through formative

Information and communication technologies in education refers to teaching and learning the subject matter that enables understanding the functions and effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). As of 2004, a review and contexualization of the literature on teaching ICT as a subject implied that there was limited, systematically-derived, quality information

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/usingglowandict/roleofictinlearning.asp

http://www.mpict.org/ict_education_defined_importance.html

http://www.unescobkk.org/education/ict/online-resources/portal-for-teachers/i-the-role-of-ict-in-education/