Information Technology in Changing Society and Education - Essay Example

The issues of IT have increased due to the complicated nature of changing society and education around us.

The IT issues draught down by authors and researchers are numerous, but some of them which can be highlighted; such as job security risks, IT network security risks, difficulty in learning new trends of the society, misuse of IT, the vulnerability of IT from outer sources of education, hardware/software selection, access, equity, educational society issues in IT, censorship, privacy policies, home use or school use of IT, staff development and training, funding, copyright issues, plagiarism issues, and ethics (Sanders 56). All these matters would be judged in provisions of the impact of IT as it has altered how we function in our society.

The focus questions for reviewing IT issues in the changing society are:

• What are the implications of these changes for educators?
• What issues are occurring in our society as a result of the increasing use of Information Technology?

Answer#2

            This topic would highlight the aspects of Information Technology that have supported the teaching and learning process in the education sector. The applications of IT have changed a lot in the education field in the last 15 years and all educational institutions including students are availing this facility for learning and teaching purposes with the help of IT (Pea, Wulf, Elliott, Darlin 5). However, the availability of computers at school and home for students has also raised many issues for educational leaders. It has successfully saved time for learners and teachers with the help of the World Wide Web (www), where both teachers and students could do research and find the relevant data conveniently. It is used as a supportive learning tool that helps in extending the use of the existing set of tools of learning. It has been integrated into many classrooms for better learning and teaching purposes. It has also helped the modern educational sector in improving skills, managing and handling information data, working, developing, forecasting, communicating, planning, monitoring, evaluating, measuring information sources, controlling and so many other fields where the teachers and students could manage their routines and talents simultaneously (Tatnall, Osorio, Visscher 3). Applications usually used for learning purposes are Wordprocessor, Spreadsheets, Robotics, and Databases. Nonetheless, there are still some challenges for teachers in using IT for reliable learning purposes which may be required to be restructuring for teamwork.

Answer#3

In this topic, the impact of IT planning in the educational sector would be discussed. The main objective of carrying out technology planning is to develop a ceaseless and continuous action plan which could help in creating and maintaining technology-rich educational plans put forward by the members of the community. The IT planning for academic institutions needs to be carried out well-planned and strategically (Goetsch 3). The IT planning process gradually audits, evaluates plans, and prioritizes the support and use of Information Technology. It also reflects the issues of IT and foresees the future growth of the education sector by solving them eventually. IT plan also fulfills the requirements of the system where the IT infrastructure is installed and used. Planning in IT helps in the proper alignment of the procedures and future strategies for school systems and is driven by the curriculum requirements (Boar 47). The IT audit may cover areas like; personnel, curriculum requirements, official documents, software, hardware, Internet Policy, copyright, Training and Development, access to IT, security, use of computers, IT skills, and future academic requirements.

Answer#4

The aspect of staff training and development in Information Technology is very important for the education sector because it ensures the effective use of IT and the ability to use it properly (NHS 33). The implementation of any policy in the organizational or educational environment relies on an effective plan for its staff development and training in the IT sector. Preparing teachers and instructors to collaborate with IT is very crucial for any technology plan. Staff training and development helps the teaching system in making sure that the teachers are competent and trusted enough to be in touch with the secure and sensitive surroundings of the IT infrastructure for teaching their students. Training can be provided to the teachers for better understanding through face-to-face, user guides, and online training. It would help the staff in developing their skills and knowledge in the IT sector while helping the teaching system to improve its performance and growth with its well-trained teachers’ help and manpower. Nonetheless, the system would also be able to enhance its leading management practices, processes, and well-trained staff by following the best practices of development and staff training (OTA 211).