The Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education

 The main purpose of the Strategy for Information and Communication Technology Implementation in Education is to provide the prospects and trends of integrating information and communication technology (ICT) into the general educational activities. The role of ICT in education is to empower the technology into present educational activities. ICT allows open source learning rather than manual source, hence encouraging students to learn new ideas. ICT also brings about active learning, collaborative, creative, integrative and evaluative aspects to the education sector. The following points implicates the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education

1. Enabled Personalized Learning: Learning is not a one size fits all. Technology can offer a personalized learning environment that is tailored to students’ individual differences: progression level, pace, interests, learning style, and background. Technology provides the support and challenge required to keep students engaged and motivated and empowers them to reach their potential
2. Sound Educational Investment: ICT Increases Productivity and Promotes Conducive Teaching and Learning Environments. Given scarce budget dollars of most schools, districts, and ministries of education, ICT is one of the key investments that should be made that benefits teachers and students. 
3. Increased Global Collaboration: ICT tools allow students to connect and communicate with classrooms all over the world, resulting in increased global awareness and a sense of cultural identity means ICT can be a way to Promote Global Citizenship.
4. Measurable Teacher Outcomes: ICT has brought about many dramatic changes in how teachers teach and how students learn. Educators use ICT to design and assess learning activities, to communicate with students, parents, and community members, as well as to participate in professional development experiences. 
5. Bridging the Gender Gap:  ICT can be used as a Tool to Improve the Gender Balance. ICT has minimized gender differences in academic achievement. Lower achieving boys have improved performance and higher test scores with ICT. Other studies recognize that ICT helps improve the performance and attitudes of female students in traditionally male-dominated fields. 
6. Enriched STEM Learning : The products and services of the future will depend on engineers, scientists, and technology experts to create them. ICT assists students in collaborating with peers and experts, designing products, collecting and analyzing performance data, and, in many cases, actually helping them build products.
7. Increased Global Competition:  Investing in technology helps schools perform better. The increasingly important role ICT plays in economic development and the rapid rate at which it changes makes it difficult for schools and countries which do not invest in technology to complete globally.
8. Supporting Economic Development: Research suggests that implementation of ICT in the classroom, along with the transformation to learner-centered instruction, supports economic and social benefits throughout a country.
9. Greater Community Involvement : Technology can help support parent and community member involvement in student learning by using methods such as school websites, email, blogs, text-messaging, etc. to help keep interested parties aware and engaged in their local education system.
10. Improved Academic Reporting : Effective ICT integration provides educational institutions with a variety of tools that community members and educators can use to analyze data such as demographics, achievement, and budgets. This feedback and analysis loop helps keeps schools accountable to their community. 
11. Fostering Workforce Development:  In both developed and developing countries, non-skilled jobs are disappearing. The rapid changes brought about by technology demand that workers learn not only how to use specific tools, but also how to implement strategies for lifelong learning in the workplace. 
12. Enhanced Teamwork & Cooperation: ICT tools foster an anytime, anywhere environment of increased student cooperation and teamwork. Similarly, technology implementation leads to increased collaboration and teamwork among teachers who are planning ICT integration in their curriculum.

Source:  http://www.intel.ie/content/www/ie/en/education/education-ict-benefits-infographic.html