IT Information technology (IT) has become a vital and integral part of every business plan. From multi-national corporations who maintain mainframe systems and databases to small businesses that own a single computer, IT plays a role. The reasons for the omnipresent use of computer technology in business can best be determined by looking at how it is being used across the business world. Communication For many companies, email is the principal means of communication between employees, suppliers and customers. Email was one of the early drivers of the Internet, providing a simple and inexpensive means to communicate. Over the years, a number of other communications tools have also evolved, allowing staff to communicate using live chat systems, online meeting tools and video-conferencing systems. Voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephones and smart-phones offer even more high-tech ways for employees to communicate. Inventory Management When it comes to managing inventory, organizations need to maintain enough stock to meet demand without investing in more than they require. Inventory management systems track the quantity of each item a company maintains, triggering an order of additional stock when the quantities fall below a pre-determined amount. These systems are best used when the inventory management system is connected to the point-of-sale (POS) system. The POS system ensures that each time an item is sold, one of that item is removed from the inventory count, creating a closed information loop between all departments. Data Management The days of large file rooms, rows of filing cabinets and the mailing of documents is fading fast. Today, most companies store digital versions of documents on servers and storage devices. These documents become instantly available to everyone in the company, regardless of their geographical location. Companies are able to store and maintain a tremendous amount of historical data economically, and employees benefit from immediate access to the documents they need. Customer Relationship Management Companies are using IT to improve the way they design and manage customer relationships. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems capture every interaction a company has with a customer, so that a more enriching experience is possible. If a customer calls a call center with an issue, the customer support representative will be able to see what the customer has purchased, view shipping information, call up the training manual for that item and effectively respond to the issue. The entire interaction is stored in the CRM system, ready to be recalled if the customer calls again. The customer has a better, more focused experience and the company benefits from improved productivity. Information technology (IT) benefits the business world by allowing organizations to work more efficiently and to maximize productivity. Faster communication, electronic storage and the protection of records are advantages that IT can have on your enterprise. Information technology has to do with computer applications, on which nearly every work environment is dependent. Since computerized systems are so widely used, it is advantageous to incorporate information technology into your organization. Storing and Protecting Information : Information technology creates electronic storage systems to protect your company's valuable records. According to the Graziadio Business Report, published by Pepperdine University, secure maintenance of customer and patient files is vital to business integrity. Storage systems,
such as virtual vaults, keep information safe by only allowing certain users within your company to access, withdraw, add or change the documents. According to an article in Science Daily, IT security engineering systems protect your electronic information from being hacked, or wiped out during a technological disaster. Electronic security engineering means your valuable records will remain untouchable. Automated Processes In business, people look for ways to do more work in a shorter amount of time. A November 2000 newsletter published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco explains that information technology improves your company's efficiency by developing automated processes to take burden off your staff. In turn, your employees are free to work on other things while the computer runs their reports, creates queries, tracks projects and monitors financials. Work Remotely IT systems give you remote access to your company’s electronic network, so that you can work from home or on the road. This accessibility allows you to increase your productivity because you can still get work done, even when you aren’t physically in the office. Information technology is an essential partner in management of your business, regardless of the kind of enterprise you operate. Whether you need computers for storage, transfer, retrieval or transmission of information, you can manage your business with greater accuracy and efficiency with the assistance of information technology and computer applications. The U.S. Small Business Administration suggests it’s time to get connected.You may already use a computer for data storage for your business. Inventory, sales, receivables and payablestore in Excel, Open Office or a similar program keeps these figures at your fingertips. Accounting software stores your payroll information, tax records and specialized data for your business. Once you’re acquainted with a program, you won’t know how you functioned without it. You can eliminate much of the physical storage at the office by using information technology to scan and store old personnel and payroll files, tax files or client files. You may need less square footage with information technology. Marketing Large and small businesses are on a level playing field on the Internet. You can have a Web presence, take orders, buy merchandise, sell excess or even operate some businesses entirely online. A marketing tool that uses information technology is the Quick Response or QR Code that looks like a bar code but is square. A scan advertises your website address and includes any text you choose. You can use your business management skills to direct employees or contractors to do your Internet marketing, or you can choose to learn a new set of skills in information technology.
The Impact of Information Technology on the Banking Industry: Theory and Empirics This paper to examine the e?ects of information technology (IT) in the US banking industry. It is believed that IT can improve bank’s performance in two ways: IT can reduce operational cost (cost e?ect), and facilitatetransactions among customers within the same network (network e?ect). Introduction The usage of information technology (IT), broadly referring to computers and peripheral equipment, has seen tremendous growth in service industries in the recent past. The most obvious example is perhaps the banking industry, where through the introduction of IT related products in internet banking, electronic payments, security investments, information exchanges (Berger, 2003), banks now can provide more diverse services to customers with
less manpower. Seeing this pattern of growth, it seems obvious that IT can bring about equivalent contribution to pro?ts. IT can reduce banks’ operational costs (the cost advantage). For example, internet helps banks to conduct standardized, low value-added transactions (e.g. bill payments, balance inquiries, account transfer) through the online channel, while focusing their resources into specialized, high-value added transactions (e.g. small business lending, personal trust services, investment banking) through branches. Second, IT can facilitate transactions among customers within the same network (the network e?ect) Let us consider the case of automated teller machines (ATMs) by banks. If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the bene?t from using an ATM will increase since customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location the want. Computers may a?ect productivity because they are a speci?c capital input to the production and supply side. Most importantly, a di?erentiated model can characterize the competition in the industry, which cannot be distinguished from the cost e?ect in the production function. The keypoint to understand the inconsistency is to contemplate IT’s in?uence to the whole industry, rather than to the individual banks. For individual bank, it is true that both cost and network e?ects are positive. When all banks in the industry have the same access to this cost-saving technology, will the cost advantage from adopting IT vanish due to competition (in particular, price competition in banking industries). Will the presence of multiple networks bring determinative bene?ts to each bank in the industry? . If there is only a cost reduction e?ect, each bank’s market share will increase with IT; however, if there is also a network e?ect, the market share does not necessarily increase with IT. ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS: Perception of the Faculty One of the basic functions of education is preparation of students for life. This function in 21st century may be participation in an information rich society, where knowledge is regarded as the main source for socio-cultural and politico-economical development of countries and/or nations. Information rich societies are developed and dominating and they are controlling the information throughout the world. Information encompasses and relies on the use of different channels of communication, presently called information and communication technologies (Hussain, 2005) and would be incorporating better pedagogical methods to cope with such emerging situations. These have changed the scenario of education particularly, pedagogy and instruction making teaching learning process more productive creating collaborative, learner centered and interactive global learning environments. Therefore, information technologies are assumed to play a constructive role in education to make the teaching and learning process more productive through collaboration in an information rich society. Information rich society promotes new practices and paradigms for education where the teacher has to play new role of mentoring, coaching and helping students in their studies rather to play the conventional role of spoon feeding in the classrooms. Students can learn independently having a wide choice of programme selection and access to information. Students can be involved in skill oriented activities in group learning environments for accumulated knowledge. They can interact and share learning experiences with their teachers and fellow learners in knowledge construction and dissemination process. They can receive and use information of all kinds in more constructive and productive profession rather depending upon the teacher. Branson (1991) stated that students learn not only by the teacher but they also learn along with the teacher and by interacting with one another. Indeed, now students can learn much more than that the teacher teaches in conventional learning environments. For productive teaching learning process teachers and students have to use information technologies according to their requirements and availability. Students Use Information Technologies to:
1. Participate in a media revolution, profoundly affecting the way they think about and use information technologies. 2. Improve the ways of learning in new learning fashions
3. Extend the ability and skills of applying their learning in real situation. 4. Working in groups for cooperative and collaborative learning 5. Developing self-learning habits at their own pace and time. 6. Learn with the teacher rather by the teacher. 7. Develop inquiry-learning habits. 8. Use right information at right time to achieve right objective. 9. Review and explore qualitative data. 10. Exchange learning experiences and information with others students and teachers living anywhere in the world.
Information technologies facilitate students in their learning process through their active participation on one hand and help teachers on the other hand. Therefore, Teachers Use The Information Technologies to:
1. Present the material in more interesting and attractive way. 2. Guide and help students in searching the qualitative material. 3. Make best use of time. 4. Coach the students. 5. Provide individualized instruction. 6. Direct the students toward cooperative as well as collaborative learning activities.
A shift from lecture and recitation to coaching Students learn by interactive technologies and teacher facilitates them on how to use and reflect responses. He/she may be diagnosing learning problems and helping learners to find their solutions. When students work with information technologies, teachers reduce the time they spend directing students; they spend more of their time facilitating student learning. A shift from whole-class instruction to small group instruction Students progress at different rates and pace in their learning process. Teachers can interact with individual students and in small groups. They can become better informed of the individual student’s progress and problems in their learning. So they can help and facilitate students individually in more effective way. A shift form working with better students to working with weaker students Individual differences exist among students at all levels of learning. Information technologies enable teacher to cope with this problem in large classes working with individual students and in small groups. The teacher is then able to aim instruction at one specific target group and to devote time to those who mostly need help. A shift from all students learning the same things to different students learning different things Conventionally, all students had to learn the same things what the teacher intended to teach them in a class. However, now the situation has changed and the use of information technologies has enabled the students to learn what they need, and what they want to learn. There also exists individuality in some common attainments. Resources for learning are available through information technologies, it becomes possible for students to recognize and use the appropriate information to achieve the goals under the tutelage of teacher. A shift towards more engaged students Conventionally, majority of students is passive listener in the classrooms for most of the time. Teachers carry on delivering lectures without any concern of students’ participation in the teaching learning process. Use of Information technologies in classroom situation particularly interactive technologies however; ensure attention and active involvement of students. Well-designed computer-
mediated instruction is more likely to engage individuals for effective learning than simple lectures and book reading a classroom.
7. Prepare learning material for students, rather teaching in conventional situations. 8. Diagnose the learning problem of students and help them to overcome. 9. Solve the study problems of students.
Information technologies affect the teaching learning process in different ways. These helps the teachers in preparing lecture notes for interesting presentation, on the one hand and facilitates the students on the other hand. Different technologies help the teachers and students according to their respective nature and capabilities of storage and presentation. For example computers are used in education for various purposes as they can store and retrieve a huge amount of information. All 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary are contained on one compact disc. The disc provides instant access to 616,500 words and terms, 137,000 pronunciations, 2.4 million illustrative quotations, 577,000 cross references, and 249,000 etymologies. Information technologies provide the opportunities of global interactions. Students can learn from interactions with the information, interface, teachers and co-learners using global networks. They can interact at their own and get rid of their routine work. They may review and explore the qualitative as well as quantitative data trough computer networks. They can work on group projects participating in peer learning and knowledge building activities. Under the influence of information technologies, teaching and learning occurs in a changed situation.A shift from assessment based on test performance to assessment based on products and progress Competencies and skills are necessaries to live a successful and productive life. These may result from undertaking creative projects rather than repeating or paraphrasing information from lectures and textbooks. The best projects include realistic tasks that generalize the student’s learning and its application in new situations. Information technologies actively involve the students in different competency based activities through skill oriented projects in real situations. A shift from competitive to a cooperative goal structure Collaborative and cooperative learning approach provides learners the opportunities of extensive interaction. Students have access to extensive databases and share their own work through networked communications to work on collaborative projects. Teachers guide the students on how to share and interact in networked collaborative learning environments. A shift from the primacy of verbal thinking to the integration of visual and verbal thinking. Using information technologies students would have extensive experience with video than with print, yet instruction is based primarily on print. However, visual literacy is poorly understood and poorly utilized in perceiving instruction. Teachers need to consider what capacities for visual knowledge and skills students should possess, and determine how they can ensure progress towards developing these capacities. Information technology can help the teacher on the one hand and facilitates the learners on the other hand. Both, teachers and students get rid of their routine work, and have to play their new roles in new situations respectively. Teachers spend much of their time in assisting the students rather lecturing; and students access the information of their need. NEW SITUATIONS-NEW DEMANDS In the age of information technology, effective and efficient learning is potentially possible at all levels for all round the clock. Content-centered presentation by teachers to large groups of students can not have any justification to be dominant method of instruction. In the era of information technology teachers will be spending more time in facilitating students rather delivering lectures in the classrooms. They would be working in groups; preparing and evaluating instructional materials and organizing data into meaningful information and accessible forms. They will be spending their time in coaching
students; helping them to learn through reviewing the huge information. They will be offering group presentations. Presentations will not be used to provide new information instead, presentation will be carefully constructed to model and answer existing questions and solve current problems in certain disciplines. They will also be demonstrating the potential of skill development in students by using information in problematic situations. Menges (1994. pp 188-190) considers the changed role of teachers of great importance. The following shifts reflect the new role of teachers in new situations. A Shift From Covering Material To Assisting Students In Sampling Material Teachers decide what is essential and what is optional for students when the information is too much to decide by students. The essential information can be assigned and students guided to work in an effective way. The content should span a variety of media to ensure that students become adept in using information sources and that they experience the effects of diverse media. A Shift From Unilaterally Declaring What Is Worth Knowing O Negotiating Criteria That Identify What Is Important Instead of providing net packages of content, the teacher plunges into primary sources with students. Together they develop ways to discriminate the more important from the less important. Courses’ exercises can help to develop criteria about the importance of information and its use for specific purposes. Students can discuss these criteria for understanding and developing the new one if needed. A discipline-specific criterion validates the information and enables students to develop expertise in formulating criteria in other disciplines. They must also medium specific as the characteristics of print and electronic information significantly differ from each other. A Shift From Ranking Students Relative to One Another to Negotiating Standards Specific to Individuals Information technologies promote diverse academic opportunities and paths for each student. Students show progress according to their capabilities and some students may progress slowly than others. The teacher can not use uniform standards of achievement and uniform rate of learning to evaluate students’ work. Therefore, it would be necessary to negotiate learning objectives and rates of progress that reflect individual interests, abilities, skills and needs. A Shift From Grading According To Individual Attainments To Grading According To Collaborative Contributions Evaluation of individual work is easy. But judging and rewarding individuals’ work in group performance is difficult because roles and responsibilities of each group member vary. Information technologies permit almost variability in the tasks that group members pursue. A Shift From Merely Verifying Student Source To Deriving Standards for Fair Use and Credit Plagiarism is a curse in academic affairs. For a teacher it is too difficult to verify all the sources to ensure the originality of students’ work. This role of plagiarism detector seems impractical when sources are so numerous and information can be so easily altered. But the computer software has made it possible to detect the plagiarism. A Shift From Requiring Students To Produce Knowledge To Rewarding Them for Demonstrating Originality A student should have the skills and capabilities of understanding and applying knowledge in real situations. Without the application of knowledge students can no longer retain it and soon they forget. In the era of information technologies students should be able to apply core concepts and generalize principles to significantly different situations. Exposure to information technologies leads to this affective principle. Information technologies would develop in students, the ability of judging the validity and precision of information. Learning by information technologies, students would analyze and explore the information to achieve certain objectives of their study
doc_632378653.pdf
such as virtual vaults, keep information safe by only allowing certain users within your company to access, withdraw, add or change the documents. According to an article in Science Daily, IT security engineering systems protect your electronic information from being hacked, or wiped out during a technological disaster. Electronic security engineering means your valuable records will remain untouchable. Automated Processes In business, people look for ways to do more work in a shorter amount of time. A November 2000 newsletter published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco explains that information technology improves your company's efficiency by developing automated processes to take burden off your staff. In turn, your employees are free to work on other things while the computer runs their reports, creates queries, tracks projects and monitors financials. Work Remotely IT systems give you remote access to your company’s electronic network, so that you can work from home or on the road. This accessibility allows you to increase your productivity because you can still get work done, even when you aren’t physically in the office. Information technology is an essential partner in management of your business, regardless of the kind of enterprise you operate. Whether you need computers for storage, transfer, retrieval or transmission of information, you can manage your business with greater accuracy and efficiency with the assistance of information technology and computer applications. The U.S. Small Business Administration suggests it’s time to get connected.You may already use a computer for data storage for your business. Inventory, sales, receivables and payablestore in Excel, Open Office or a similar program keeps these figures at your fingertips. Accounting software stores your payroll information, tax records and specialized data for your business. Once you’re acquainted with a program, you won’t know how you functioned without it. You can eliminate much of the physical storage at the office by using information technology to scan and store old personnel and payroll files, tax files or client files. You may need less square footage with information technology. Marketing Large and small businesses are on a level playing field on the Internet. You can have a Web presence, take orders, buy merchandise, sell excess or even operate some businesses entirely online. A marketing tool that uses information technology is the Quick Response or QR Code that looks like a bar code but is square. A scan advertises your website address and includes any text you choose. You can use your business management skills to direct employees or contractors to do your Internet marketing, or you can choose to learn a new set of skills in information technology.
The Impact of Information Technology on the Banking Industry: Theory and Empirics This paper to examine the e?ects of information technology (IT) in the US banking industry. It is believed that IT can improve bank’s performance in two ways: IT can reduce operational cost (cost e?ect), and facilitatetransactions among customers within the same network (network e?ect). Introduction The usage of information technology (IT), broadly referring to computers and peripheral equipment, has seen tremendous growth in service industries in the recent past. The most obvious example is perhaps the banking industry, where through the introduction of IT related products in internet banking, electronic payments, security investments, information exchanges (Berger, 2003), banks now can provide more diverse services to customers with
less manpower. Seeing this pattern of growth, it seems obvious that IT can bring about equivalent contribution to pro?ts. IT can reduce banks’ operational costs (the cost advantage). For example, internet helps banks to conduct standardized, low value-added transactions (e.g. bill payments, balance inquiries, account transfer) through the online channel, while focusing their resources into specialized, high-value added transactions (e.g. small business lending, personal trust services, investment banking) through branches. Second, IT can facilitate transactions among customers within the same network (the network e?ect) Let us consider the case of automated teller machines (ATMs) by banks. If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the bene?t from using an ATM will increase since customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location the want. Computers may a?ect productivity because they are a speci?c capital input to the production and supply side. Most importantly, a di?erentiated model can characterize the competition in the industry, which cannot be distinguished from the cost e?ect in the production function. The keypoint to understand the inconsistency is to contemplate IT’s in?uence to the whole industry, rather than to the individual banks. For individual bank, it is true that both cost and network e?ects are positive. When all banks in the industry have the same access to this cost-saving technology, will the cost advantage from adopting IT vanish due to competition (in particular, price competition in banking industries). Will the presence of multiple networks bring determinative bene?ts to each bank in the industry? . If there is only a cost reduction e?ect, each bank’s market share will increase with IT; however, if there is also a network e?ect, the market share does not necessarily increase with IT. ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS: Perception of the Faculty One of the basic functions of education is preparation of students for life. This function in 21st century may be participation in an information rich society, where knowledge is regarded as the main source for socio-cultural and politico-economical development of countries and/or nations. Information rich societies are developed and dominating and they are controlling the information throughout the world. Information encompasses and relies on the use of different channels of communication, presently called information and communication technologies (Hussain, 2005) and would be incorporating better pedagogical methods to cope with such emerging situations. These have changed the scenario of education particularly, pedagogy and instruction making teaching learning process more productive creating collaborative, learner centered and interactive global learning environments. Therefore, information technologies are assumed to play a constructive role in education to make the teaching and learning process more productive through collaboration in an information rich society. Information rich society promotes new practices and paradigms for education where the teacher has to play new role of mentoring, coaching and helping students in their studies rather to play the conventional role of spoon feeding in the classrooms. Students can learn independently having a wide choice of programme selection and access to information. Students can be involved in skill oriented activities in group learning environments for accumulated knowledge. They can interact and share learning experiences with their teachers and fellow learners in knowledge construction and dissemination process. They can receive and use information of all kinds in more constructive and productive profession rather depending upon the teacher. Branson (1991) stated that students learn not only by the teacher but they also learn along with the teacher and by interacting with one another. Indeed, now students can learn much more than that the teacher teaches in conventional learning environments. For productive teaching learning process teachers and students have to use information technologies according to their requirements and availability. Students Use Information Technologies to:
1. Participate in a media revolution, profoundly affecting the way they think about and use information technologies. 2. Improve the ways of learning in new learning fashions
3. Extend the ability and skills of applying their learning in real situation. 4. Working in groups for cooperative and collaborative learning 5. Developing self-learning habits at their own pace and time. 6. Learn with the teacher rather by the teacher. 7. Develop inquiry-learning habits. 8. Use right information at right time to achieve right objective. 9. Review and explore qualitative data. 10. Exchange learning experiences and information with others students and teachers living anywhere in the world.
Information technologies facilitate students in their learning process through their active participation on one hand and help teachers on the other hand. Therefore, Teachers Use The Information Technologies to:
1. Present the material in more interesting and attractive way. 2. Guide and help students in searching the qualitative material. 3. Make best use of time. 4. Coach the students. 5. Provide individualized instruction. 6. Direct the students toward cooperative as well as collaborative learning activities.
A shift from lecture and recitation to coaching Students learn by interactive technologies and teacher facilitates them on how to use and reflect responses. He/she may be diagnosing learning problems and helping learners to find their solutions. When students work with information technologies, teachers reduce the time they spend directing students; they spend more of their time facilitating student learning. A shift from whole-class instruction to small group instruction Students progress at different rates and pace in their learning process. Teachers can interact with individual students and in small groups. They can become better informed of the individual student’s progress and problems in their learning. So they can help and facilitate students individually in more effective way. A shift form working with better students to working with weaker students Individual differences exist among students at all levels of learning. Information technologies enable teacher to cope with this problem in large classes working with individual students and in small groups. The teacher is then able to aim instruction at one specific target group and to devote time to those who mostly need help. A shift from all students learning the same things to different students learning different things Conventionally, all students had to learn the same things what the teacher intended to teach them in a class. However, now the situation has changed and the use of information technologies has enabled the students to learn what they need, and what they want to learn. There also exists individuality in some common attainments. Resources for learning are available through information technologies, it becomes possible for students to recognize and use the appropriate information to achieve the goals under the tutelage of teacher. A shift towards more engaged students Conventionally, majority of students is passive listener in the classrooms for most of the time. Teachers carry on delivering lectures without any concern of students’ participation in the teaching learning process. Use of Information technologies in classroom situation particularly interactive technologies however; ensure attention and active involvement of students. Well-designed computer-
mediated instruction is more likely to engage individuals for effective learning than simple lectures and book reading a classroom.
7. Prepare learning material for students, rather teaching in conventional situations. 8. Diagnose the learning problem of students and help them to overcome. 9. Solve the study problems of students.
Information technologies affect the teaching learning process in different ways. These helps the teachers in preparing lecture notes for interesting presentation, on the one hand and facilitates the students on the other hand. Different technologies help the teachers and students according to their respective nature and capabilities of storage and presentation. For example computers are used in education for various purposes as they can store and retrieve a huge amount of information. All 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary are contained on one compact disc. The disc provides instant access to 616,500 words and terms, 137,000 pronunciations, 2.4 million illustrative quotations, 577,000 cross references, and 249,000 etymologies. Information technologies provide the opportunities of global interactions. Students can learn from interactions with the information, interface, teachers and co-learners using global networks. They can interact at their own and get rid of their routine work. They may review and explore the qualitative as well as quantitative data trough computer networks. They can work on group projects participating in peer learning and knowledge building activities. Under the influence of information technologies, teaching and learning occurs in a changed situation.A shift from assessment based on test performance to assessment based on products and progress Competencies and skills are necessaries to live a successful and productive life. These may result from undertaking creative projects rather than repeating or paraphrasing information from lectures and textbooks. The best projects include realistic tasks that generalize the student’s learning and its application in new situations. Information technologies actively involve the students in different competency based activities through skill oriented projects in real situations. A shift from competitive to a cooperative goal structure Collaborative and cooperative learning approach provides learners the opportunities of extensive interaction. Students have access to extensive databases and share their own work through networked communications to work on collaborative projects. Teachers guide the students on how to share and interact in networked collaborative learning environments. A shift from the primacy of verbal thinking to the integration of visual and verbal thinking. Using information technologies students would have extensive experience with video than with print, yet instruction is based primarily on print. However, visual literacy is poorly understood and poorly utilized in perceiving instruction. Teachers need to consider what capacities for visual knowledge and skills students should possess, and determine how they can ensure progress towards developing these capacities. Information technology can help the teacher on the one hand and facilitates the learners on the other hand. Both, teachers and students get rid of their routine work, and have to play their new roles in new situations respectively. Teachers spend much of their time in assisting the students rather lecturing; and students access the information of their need. NEW SITUATIONS-NEW DEMANDS In the age of information technology, effective and efficient learning is potentially possible at all levels for all round the clock. Content-centered presentation by teachers to large groups of students can not have any justification to be dominant method of instruction. In the era of information technology teachers will be spending more time in facilitating students rather delivering lectures in the classrooms. They would be working in groups; preparing and evaluating instructional materials and organizing data into meaningful information and accessible forms. They will be spending their time in coaching
students; helping them to learn through reviewing the huge information. They will be offering group presentations. Presentations will not be used to provide new information instead, presentation will be carefully constructed to model and answer existing questions and solve current problems in certain disciplines. They will also be demonstrating the potential of skill development in students by using information in problematic situations. Menges (1994. pp 188-190) considers the changed role of teachers of great importance. The following shifts reflect the new role of teachers in new situations. A Shift From Covering Material To Assisting Students In Sampling Material Teachers decide what is essential and what is optional for students when the information is too much to decide by students. The essential information can be assigned and students guided to work in an effective way. The content should span a variety of media to ensure that students become adept in using information sources and that they experience the effects of diverse media. A Shift From Unilaterally Declaring What Is Worth Knowing O Negotiating Criteria That Identify What Is Important Instead of providing net packages of content, the teacher plunges into primary sources with students. Together they develop ways to discriminate the more important from the less important. Courses’ exercises can help to develop criteria about the importance of information and its use for specific purposes. Students can discuss these criteria for understanding and developing the new one if needed. A discipline-specific criterion validates the information and enables students to develop expertise in formulating criteria in other disciplines. They must also medium specific as the characteristics of print and electronic information significantly differ from each other. A Shift From Ranking Students Relative to One Another to Negotiating Standards Specific to Individuals Information technologies promote diverse academic opportunities and paths for each student. Students show progress according to their capabilities and some students may progress slowly than others. The teacher can not use uniform standards of achievement and uniform rate of learning to evaluate students’ work. Therefore, it would be necessary to negotiate learning objectives and rates of progress that reflect individual interests, abilities, skills and needs. A Shift From Grading According To Individual Attainments To Grading According To Collaborative Contributions Evaluation of individual work is easy. But judging and rewarding individuals’ work in group performance is difficult because roles and responsibilities of each group member vary. Information technologies permit almost variability in the tasks that group members pursue. A Shift From Merely Verifying Student Source To Deriving Standards for Fair Use and Credit Plagiarism is a curse in academic affairs. For a teacher it is too difficult to verify all the sources to ensure the originality of students’ work. This role of plagiarism detector seems impractical when sources are so numerous and information can be so easily altered. But the computer software has made it possible to detect the plagiarism. A Shift From Requiring Students To Produce Knowledge To Rewarding Them for Demonstrating Originality A student should have the skills and capabilities of understanding and applying knowledge in real situations. Without the application of knowledge students can no longer retain it and soon they forget. In the era of information technologies students should be able to apply core concepts and generalize principles to significantly different situations. Exposure to information technologies leads to this affective principle. Information technologies would develop in students, the ability of judging the validity and precision of information. Learning by information technologies, students would analyze and explore the information to achieve certain objectives of their study
doc_632378653.pdf