Mr. Yusuf Jimoh Aweda, a Network Engineer and NET Programmer, was a guest speaker at the evening session of the Virtual Holiday Islamic Course organised by Standard Bearers Islamic Organisation (SBIO), where he did justice to the topic: “The effect of ICT on Education.”
Mr. Aweda explained that ICT in education is a mode of education that uses information and communications technology to support, enhance and optimise information delivery.
He said that technology has evolved from using technologies like radio or television for educational purposes to the use of mobile applications. Laxity in the use of radio and television includes; students not being able to see or reply the lecturer and unstable power supply, he explained.
Seeing the lecturer is very effective in education and using technology like radio where the lecturer and students are in different locations and students only listen through a radio frequency won’t bring about an effective communication, he further explained.
He listed mobile applications like Google Classroom, Zoom and Flipped Classroom App as emerging technologies that help to bring about effective communication and feedback in teaching.
Mr. Yusuf advised teachers to use educational applications and handheld devices like computers, audio players, projectors e.t.c. which will help them effectively have robust communication with their students. He also made mention of the fact that students that use technology continuously have a better knowledge of presentation and this will help them compete globally.
Although ICT is a very effective means of enhancing education, it also has some negative impact if not well monitored, such as the students being distracted in the class and engaging in other things. The use of ICT can also lead to overexposure of the students. Traditional way of teaching has not completely lost its advantages because students can be monitored in class, he said.
He advised that proxy can be created when using ICT for educational purpose so students don’t get exposed to other things on the internet.
“The next generation of ICT tools e.g. 5G network which aid internet usage and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to prepare us for effective use of ICT in education would be available soon,” he added.
He implored delegates at the virtual Islamic camping programme to be ready to pay for the price of using ICT especially in the gadget perspective, as a low gadget won’t allow them effectively benefit from the changing world of technology that is redefining education.
By Safiyyah Abdurrazaq