March 10 2023 | Jose Gonzalez | Postgraduate Articles

ICT in education: importance and benefits of applying them

intro_-_Cua%CC%81l_es_el_panorama_de_las_TICs_en_la_educacio%CC%81n_virtual_en_Repu%CC%81blica_Dominicana-a1ee8137 Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo - ICT in education: importance and benefits of applying them

ICT in education virtual: importance and panorama in the Dominican Republic

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are tools and computer programs that are used to create new forms of communication in different sectors. ICT in education facilitate the issuance, access and treatment of information in an innovative way. Thus, its integration impacts the teaching-learning processes with much more effective environments (OEI, 2021).

According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB, 2020), ICT occupies a central place in distance education today. These guarantee educational continuity and serve as channels of communication and information exchange between teachers and students.

Its implementation promotes interaction in a more autonomous way, improves learning and favors the acquisition of new skills. Below, you can see the role they have ICT in education virtual, its benefits and how is its outlook in the Dominican Republic

Paper ICT in education Interactive

UNESCO (2020) establishes that ICTs are tools that can complement, enrich and transform education. They facilitate access to quality virtual education and reduce learning gaps. In addition, they allow the incorporation of content in real time, with access to open information available at any time and from remote locations.

Therefore, ICT in education Virtual play an important role in learning systems. With them, the student can have a much more leading role, to the point of becoming the architect of their educational process. They gain the freedom to manage their time and can attend classes and take assessments from any device (Universia, 2020).

However, implement ICT in education Virtual requires taking into account basic aspects for its operation. Mainly, the use and availability of resources, as well as teacher training (IDB, 2020).

Basic aspects to implement ICT in universities

Implementing ICT in universities requires planning learning experiences with which students can acquire knowledge. For this, it is important to consider the following aspects that allow access to information and optimal virtual communication. These are (OEI, 2021):

The infrastructure. This includes resources for teachers and students to access technological platforms that facilitate virtual communication. Among them: desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones or any device that supports teaching.
Teacher training. It is necessary to implement teacher training strategies. Among them: the management of technology, the forms of distance education and the distance accompaniment of students. For this, the learning of digital skills and the use of educational methods are important.
Digital content. It is about educational software, applications, platforms and portals. Are tools that are used to transmit the information of the curricular subjects. Among the most used are:

- The webpages.
- The eBooks.
- Videoconferences.
- Animations, sounds and images.
- Also, Moodle, Google, Blogger, WordPress, YouTube, TED and other platforms depending on your application.

Benefits of ICT in education

En general, ICT in education they improve the learning process and offer greater opportunities in the labor market. These bring benefits to students as well as to universities and teachers. The main ones are (Universia, 2020):

They allow interaction without geographical barriers. In this way, students can learn constantly, regardless of distances and schedules.
They facilitate continuous learning, distance training and balance between work and personal life.
They lead to self-paced learning, which takes into account the different types of intelligence and learning.
They guarantee diversity and access to information on any subject without limiting knowledge. Thanks to this, the possibilities of access to teaching materials are increased. As well as the quality of these and their consultation by researchers and students.
It provides new ways of teaching, which simplify teaching and increase student satisfaction.
They simplify, systematize and accelerate evaluation processes with an immediate feedback system.
They facilitate the creation of virtual environments with which to establish solid links with teachers and students.

Panorama of ICT in education in the Dominican Republic

According to the portal El Caribe (2020), for the future of Dominican education, the implementation of virtual technologies is proposed gradually. It is not only about digitizing in terms of education, but also about adopting technological tools. In addition to:

Establish adequate connectivity conditions.
Form friendly virtual environments.
Provide quality content and support.

With this, ICT in education They are presented as a solution to promote distance education and make the educational system more efficient. Specifically, in the Dominican Republic, measures have been taken that favor educational continuity. Mainly, through (IDB, 2020):

Virtual platforms.
Digital content.
Social networks.
Television or radio.

In this way, distance education supported by information technologies provides important advantages for students. These support traditional teaching systems and facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge between teachers and students to improve their teaching-learning processes (IDB, 2020).

Thanks to the implementation of ICT in education, students feel empowered, owners of their own learning and committed to it. These are oriented towards the development of alternative methodologies for their learning. The panorama in the Dominican Republic is perceived as a support that enhances distance education.