Information Technology: Use in the Education Sector - Research Paper Example

Module Information Technology: Use in the Education Sector My Client: The Education Sector Role of the Sector The education sector is the agent of society that has the responsibility of giving knowledge to the younger generations to prepare them to deal with the challenges of the future. The sector must have sustainable means of offering knowledge to do so, which are in line with current technological developments, but economical at the same time. Scanning Levels: 1. Sector foresight: With the current technological developments, and the availability of cheap information technology tools, every sector in society wants to take advantage of the efficiency and effectiveness that come with the use of these tools. The education sector is no exception and several schools have embarked on digitalization programs, issuing students with e-book readers and giving them access to the internet. Since e-books are said to be economical and nondestructive to the environment, they seem to be a viable replacement for traditional books. The education sector, therefore, aims at replacing all printed books with their digital versions, even though this progress will be achieved over a long time and the sector has to overcome many hurdles. 2. Internal Environment: In the education sector, there are protagonists for the use of information technology, and there are antagonists. The protagonists give the advantages of using e-books, including the fact that it is easier to search information from digital sources than from traditional books. On the other hand, antagonists claim that books are meant to be read sequentially and not intermittently as people read digital books. They assert that giving students digital books will affect learning as we know it, and since not enough research has been done, this could have disastrous results. Protagonists to this system are students and younger instructors who see computer technology as a better and interactive way of learning than the traditional teaching and learning methods. 3. Industry Environment: To date, the most used textbook and reference books are in hard copy form. Most publishers and authors have not yet bought into the idea of digital publications; in fact, most of the digitally published books fall into the non-educational genres. For publishers to be convinced to publish digitally, the education sector has to show them what they stand to gain; and like most novel things, there is not much evidence to come to their rescue. Some libraries have allowed Google and other search engines to scan and index books that are in the public domain, which is books that are not under any copyright protection, especially those produced before 1901. These books were published a long time ago, and if the industry has any hopes of successful digitization, then it must find a way of digitizing recent books that are more relevant for use in schools. Another industrial factor that may determine the success or failure of the digitization process is the technology that stakeholders agree to adopt. Due to the rapid technological advancements, it is difficult for the sector to find options that are stable enough to last for a long time such that the industry can enjoy the economic gains of digitization. In addition, there are many choices to choose from, and even harder to know what to do with them. However, with the production of gadgets like the Kindle, which give the e-book functions only, the sector could have better choices than if it had to pick among the general-purpose tools. However, since these gadgets are new, then the sector may have to wait and see how the gadgets fair with continued use. 5. Macro Environment: The global economic status is the main macro environmental factor that affects the education sector, especially since inflation increases the cost of both traditional books and digital books. Therefore, schools are supposed to pick the option that is least affected by the global economic situation, especially since the world is recovering from one of the worst recessions in recent history. Another factor to consider is the longevity of the approach, whereby a teaching and learning medium lasts for long without requiring replacement, which may necessitate acquiring the medium at a higher price due to the effect of inflation. The other macro environmental factor is government policy, or governments signing conventions that require them to adopt one policy or the other. For instance, the government may pass a law that makes digitization of books illegal, or imposes harsh sanctions on the practice such that stakeholders abandon related projects. Governments also play a vital role in the choice that the education sector makes; as the amount of money awarded to the education sector from the national or state budget determines the approach that the sector takes. For instance, the availability or lack of enough resources makes stakeholders chose whether to digitize or not, since their decisions are limited by the available resources. Framework Document The framework document indicates the various goals of the education sector and gives a general statement of status of the goal and its implementation. Name: My Name Client: Education Sector # Goal Description Status 1 To give education to all The sector aims at ensuring that everyone gets basic and advanced theoretical and relevant education Questionable since many skills conferred by the education sector are outdated 2 To assure stakeholders of value for their investment The sector is responsible for ensuring that investor money is utilized well by offering more quality that is paid for Trying but falls below expectations, maybe because the sector is still evolving 3 To use the best available technology in knowledge dissemination Currently, the sector is adopting the use of information technology in learning and teaching Yet to be proven since information technology has not been used long enough for people to know if its advantages outweigh its disadvantages Summary analysis Introduction: The education sector, like many other sectors in the postmodern society, is attempting to incorporate computer technology in its activities, including but not limited to teaching and learning. The feasibility depends on a myriad of factors, some of which are mentioned in the ‘scan hits’ at the end of this report. For better clarity in interpretation of the report, it is appropriate to define the confirming, disconfirming, and creating hits as they are used in the report. A confirming hit indicates that the current path of action is appropriate and should be continued, and a disconfirming hit shows that the current approach should be adjusted so that the sector can perceive any difference in the future. In addition, a creating hit requires the sector to rethink its approach and incorporate a strategy that was not in the initial plan. Strategic Implication: Recent trends (Scan Hit 1) show that governments will be less willing and able to give as many resources to the education sector as they used to do. This supports the idea of using information technology in schools since it is cheaper and more sustainable in the long run, as compared to using traditional books. In essence, schools should feel more encouraged to adopt this system since it amounts to helping the state to achieve The Millennium Development Goals. Once books are available at a cheaper price, then the government can work on making them available to more people. In addition, the cost of owning the technology to use those books (Scan Hit 2) is going down at such a fast rate that soon people will be using digital books at little or no cost. Scan Hits 3 and 4 show how unstable adopting the new technology can be, especially with claims of copyright infringement and the little researched ill effects of using information technology on students’ cognitive ability. These require the sector to advance with caution since there is no way of predicting what could go wrong in a field like information technology that is highly volatile. Therefore, schools should not replace the traditional books with digital reading material, so that the two work in complementariness to enable knowledge giving and reception. Scan hit 5 shows that unless the education system figures out a way of getting students to be interested in learning, adopting information technology is going to make schooling worse for students than it is. Therefore, incorporating some fun activities that have literary benefits is a brilliant idea, especially when students get opportunities to suggest what they would like to do in school. Since many students cite lack of interactions with teachers as the cause of boredom in school, the education sector could borrow ideas from social networks and implement a system like that for students and teachers, but with more control to maintain discipline among the students. Conclusion The education sector is on the path to adopting digital modes of teaching and learning, as printed books give way to their electronic counterparts. The program is feasible in the short run, but the sector needs to iron out some few issues to ensure it works for the long run too. Some of these issues are within the reach of the sector while, in others, stakeholders in the sector can do nothing, but wait to see what happens. However, waiting does not help, as the younger generations need to be educated. The sector should be able to do this without risking its own extinction, and that is why it has to proceed with caution. The main recommendation is for the sector to use the digital and the traditional systems concurrently, and single out the best system in the long run. Student Name: My Name Client Name: Education Sector Number: 1 of 5 Title Arnold Schwarzenegger to scrap school textbooks in favor of e-books Author Tran, Mark Source http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/09/arnold-schwarzenegger-school-textbooks-ebooks Date June 9, 2009 Pages Substance & Significance Electronics books are cheaper to produce and easier to distribute as compared to conventional books. Following the example of the governor of California, many leaders may be tempted to take this environment friendly route; and abolish the use of printed books in favor of their electronic counterparts. Electronic books have many advantages over printed books, and according to trends, authors and publishers might stop printing books altogether. Though buying and installing the equipment for electronics books might be expensive in the short run, many a leader agrees that the investment is worth the while since electronic books not only save dollars, but they are safe for the environment, as well. Therefore, electronic books enable schools to aid the nation in the quest for sustainability in all sectors. Potential Implications Schools need to start incorporating the use of computers in teaching and learning to keep up with the trends; and those that have already started implementing should strive to stay up-to-date with technological advancements to take full advantage of the system. In addition, schools should educate parents and the public of the advantages of the system, as well as limitations. Consequently, the government, schools, and the public should work together to make the system a success. Overall Effect (in italics) Confirming Disconfirm Creating ( baseline scenario) (baseline scenario) (a new scenario / or resolving two driving forces) Novelty 3.5 Importance 3.5 Relevance 4 Timeliness 5 Total 16 Student Name: My Name Client Name: Education Sector Number: 2 of 5 Title Technology trends for 2011 Author J. Gold & associates Source www.jgoldassociates.com/Trends/Technology_Trends_2011.pdf Date January 9, 2011 Pages 1-35 Substance & Significance The cost of owning information technology goes down more quickly than any product in any other market, which is mainly driven by competition and the high level of innovation only associated with the information technology sector. More intriguing is the fact that older technology, though less functional and less powerful, costs more than recent technology that is usually twice as functional as the old one. This is the main advantage of the information technology sector, as well as the greatest disadvantage; users will never know the most appropriate time to acquire information technology equipment, as they are always being modified and improved. Yesterday’s technology becomes obsolete immediately an improvement or new products come to the market. Users might obtain a new system, only for a better one to show up the next day. Potential Implications As schools adopt information technology to use for teaching and learning purposes, they need to think clearly of their current requirements on the future, as this might be the deciding factor between a worthy investment and a waste of money. Though the technology they acquire might be outdated the next day, schools must strive to ensure that their investment will still be relevant and usable in the near future. Overall Effect (in italics) Confirming Disconfirm Creating ( baseline scenario) (baseline scenario) (a new scenario / or resolving two driving forces) Novelty 4.5 Importance 4 Relevance 4 Timeliness 4 Total 16.5 Student Name: My Name Client Name: Education Sector Number: 3 of 5 Title Google Book Search Critics Ignore The Non-Exclusive Nature Of Scanning Contracts Author Lee, Timothy Source http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20071129/123906.shtml Date November 30, 2007 Pages Substance & Significance There have been numerous projects with the aim of digitization of all printed books for use in digital e-book readers, with Google on the lead by scanning books in the world’s main libraries and making them available on the internet. Though the issue was settled between Google and critics, this shows that the digitization is not a stable area, especially with the damage that internet piracy has done to the music industry. Some authors may opt out of the system, afraid that their efforts in writing books will go to waste. Therefore, it means that, despite the adoption of electronic learning and teaching systems in schools, some books may not be available in digital format, a phenomenon that could be a significant drawback to schools making digitization efforts. Schools cannot ignore this vital factor, as the future of digital textbooks is not yet assured; which affects the amount of resources committed to the digitization process. Potential Implications E-books may have economic and environmental advantages, but a core group of people does not agree with the idea, and these are the publishers and authors of the books. Though they may get exposure by having their books available on the internet, it does not mean that this views will translate to sales, and they would rather market their books the old fashion way. Some publishers have been convinced to publish online, and some authors even have digital publication as their only form of publication. However, until the authors and publishers of essential books used in curricular can publish digitally, using digital books exclusively will remain a dream. Overall Effect (in italics) Confirming Disconfirm Creating ( baseline scenario) (baseline scenario) (a new scenario / or resolving two driving forces) Novelty 4.5 Importance 4 Relevance 4 Timeliness 4 Total 16.5 Student Name: My Name Client Name: Education Sector Number: 4 of 5 Title Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips Authors Sparrow, Betsy Liu, Jenny Wegner, Daniel Source http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6043/776 Date June 27, 2011 Pages 776-778 Substance & Significance Use of computers in schools, especially if the computers have access to the internet, gives students and teachers an unlimited access to information. In addition, one does not have to use a lot of effort in searching for information, as one would do in a conventional library; all the information is available in seconds once one enters a search query in a search engine. Therefore, as Sparrow, Liu and Wegner put it, the internet acts as a common external memory device for its users, eliminating the need for anyone to want to store information in his or her brain. The use of information technology may look like a brilliant idea, but if not carefully controlled, it could result in graduates who have high grades for courses for which they do not have a concept. Potential Implications Digitization is advantageous to schools and ensures that students keep up with the times and learn through the best methods possible, at low costs. However, there has been a lot of study suggesting that use of information technology in learning is reducing the cognitive ability of students. Therefore, before digitizing its activities, every school should put measures into place to ensure retention of acquired knowledge. Overall Effect (in italics) Confirming Disconfirm Creating ( baseline scenario) (baseline scenario) (a new scenario / or resolving two driving forces) Novelty 5 Importance 4.5 Relevance 4 Timeliness 2.5 Total 16 Student Name: My Name Client Name: Education Sector Number: 5 of 5 Title Most Students Bored at School Authors Bryner, Jeanna Source http://www.livescience.com/1308-students-bored-school.html Date February 28, 2007 Pages 776-778 Substance & Significance Only 2 percent of students are never bored at schools, while the rest has had experience with boredom for one reason or the other. With digitization, the content that teachers give to students does not change, only the means changes. 75 percent of the students in the study said they were bored because the content being delivered by teachers was boring. This means that even before adopting digital teaching, schools should come up with ways of getting students interested in their studies. However, it is not the 75 percent that schools should be worried about, but the 30 percent who said they were bored because they did not interact with teachers. Computers bring with them a sense of autonomy, where a student will prefer to be in front of a screen to having a teacher in class, making the situation even worse. Innovation is paramount to ensure that these students do not stray from the educational functions of information technology. Potential Implications A need for a change in the teaching approach is necessary, as the conventional method does not seem to work on the present day students. Therefore, before adopting information technology for use in schools, school managements should figure out means of making students interested in studies, so that technology will only serve to enhance something the school already has. Overall Effect (in italics) Confirming Disconfirm Creating ( baseline scenario) (baseline scenario) (a new scenario / or resolving two driving forces) Novelty 5 Importance 4.5 Relevance 5 Timeliness 2.5 Total 17 Read More