Understanding the Basic Concepts of ICT

Here are some terms and concepts that you need know and understand.

1.  Technology refers to a mix of process and product used in application of knowledge. It includes tools from pencil and paper to the latest electronic gadgets and tools for practical tasks.

2.  Information and Communication Technology Literacy or ICT Literacy is the use of digital technology, communication, tools and/or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information in order to function in a knowledge society (Guro 21, 2011).

3. Educational technology refers to the use of technology in teaching and learning. Educational technology includes both the non-digital (flip charts, pictures, models, realias, etc.) and digital (electronic tools: hardware, software and connections, etc.)

4.  Digital Literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share, and create contents using information technologies and the Internet (Cornell University). According to American Library Association(2018), digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication, requiring both cognitive and technical skills (https://edweek.org.downloaded06-03-18)

Digital learning is any type of learning that is accompanied by technology or by instructional practice that makes effective use of a wide spectrum of practices which include blended or virtual learning. It can come to as online or offline which utilizes digital technology.

6.   Online digital tools and apps use an Internet connection to access the information needed. A common example is Skype. It a telecommunication application software product that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices via internet and to regular telephones.

7.   Offline digital tools and  apps can still be used even if there no internet access among these are canary learning, pocket, Evertone, ibooks, KA LITE (Gupta, Preniaka, 2017) downloaded in edtech review (July 3, 2017).

Instructional Technology is the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of the processes and resources for learning (association for educational communications and technology, Seels, B.B. & Richey, P. C. 1994)

9.   Software refers to program control instructions and accompanying documentation; stored on disks or tapes when not being used in the computer. By extension, the term refers to any audio visual materials (Smaldino, 2005).

10.   Multimedia is a sequential or simultaneous use of a variety of media formats in a given presentation or self-study program (Smaldino, 2005).

11.   Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are connected to the internet. It is generally defined as the global network connecting millions of computers (https://www.webopedia.com)

12.   Worldwide web (www) is also called the web which is a graphical environment on computers networks that allows you to access, view and maintain documentations that can include text, data, sound and video (Smaldino, 2005). It is way of accessing information over the medium of the internet. It an information sharing model that us built on top of the internet.

13. Web access is the ability of the learner to access the internet at any point during the lesson in order to take advantage of the array of available education resources

14.   Webquest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all information that learners work with comes from the web. These can be created using various programs, including simple word processing documents that include links to website.

15.   Productivity tools refer to any type of software associated with computers and related technologies that can be used as tools for personal, professional or classroom productivity. Samples: Microsoft office, apple works-word processing, grade and record keeping, web page production, presentation (Kfiet-Unesco2016).

16.   Technology tools an instrument used for doing work. It can be anything that helps you accomplish your goal with the use of technology. These technology tools can be classified:

(a)    Data/calculation tools. Examples: spreadsheets, excel, sketchpad, probability constructor.       (b)    Design tools. These are used to make models and design, creating and building. Included here are Family Tree Maker, Golly Gee, and Crazy Machines among others.

(c)     Discussion tools. There are 4 different approaches that utilize discussion and interaction in the internet. These are threaded discussion forum, Blogging, Live chat and Video Teleconferencing, Netiquette and Safety on the Net.

(d)    Emails tools. Emails tools are great communication tools for sending messages, photographs, videos, and other files. It allows you to reach out to others around the world. Examples are google mail, ymail, yahoo mail, and many more.

(e)     Hand held devices. Hand held devices have become popular among learners. These include personal digital assistants, global positioning, GPS, and geographic information system (GIS) in the classroom, portable electronic keyboards, digital cameras, mobile phones, palm handheld computers.

17.   Webquest is a teacher structured research experience for the students that is primarily based on use of the world wide web and typically takes one or more instructional periods (Bender & Waller, 2011)

18. Blog is an online journal for posted information from both teachers and students are arranged. There are three kinds of blog; blogs used for communication, blog used for instruction, and blogs used for both. (Ferriter & Gary, 2010).

19.   Wiki, an editable website usually with limited access, allows students to collaboratively create and post written work or digital files, such as digital photos or videos. Wikipedia is one of the most widely recognized of all the wikis. (Watters, 2011)

20.   Flipped classroom utilizes a reverse instructional delivery, where the teacher is required to use the web resources as homework or out of class activity as initial instruction of the lesson which will be discussed during class time.

21.   Podcast is a video or audio multimedia clip about a single topic typically in the format of the radio talk show. The two basic function of podcast are to retrieve information and to disseminate information. (Eash, 2006)

22.   Google apps is a cloud based teaching tool which is stored in the google server and is available for students both at home and in school. It includes the gmail, free-email for all; google calendar- a tool used for organizational purposes; google sights that provide options for developing blogs and wikis; and google docs is used for sophisticated word processing and editing of the document.

23.   Vlog is a video blog where each entry is posted as a video instead of the text.

24.   Facebook is popular social networking sight used by students and adults worldwide to present information on themselves and to the world.

25.   VOIP (voice over internet protocol) is the category of hardware and software that enables people to use the internet as transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in pockets using IP rather than traditional circuit transmission.