INTRODUCTION
Technologies or simply ICTs have not
only affected the personal life of the people but have also touched and
affected the professional lives of the people. This is the era of technology.
Whether it is our morning or night, technology has been playing a crucial part
in our life. Personally talking, I have been positively but somewhat negatively
affected by technology. My screen time might have been increased due to mobile
and laptops. But if I see on the brighter side, professionally ICT has been a
great help for me. If I have to simply put forward, then technology has helped
me to reconnect myself with my friends and family. During lockdown, the use of
programs like Google Meet, Google Classroom, Google Forms and Zoom have emerged
as a boon for me and my colleagues. It depends on us how the use and our
experience of technology bring either positive or negative influence in our
personal and professional life. After being involved in STEAM Education, the
ICT in Education has helped me to broaden my knowledge in use of technology.
Different web resources and web tools have been quite helpful for me and thus I
am also helping my students to get to know about these tools and their uses. I
also have started helping my students in using some web tools so that they can
learn something interesting apart from their bookish knowledge.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
ICT is the information technology that helps to
collect, store and communicate the information all over the world. Yusuf (2007)
described ICT as electronic technology used for accessing, processing,
gathering, manipulating, presenting and communicating information. ICT has
helped me in acquiring new knowledge that would be very helpful in personal as
well as my professional development. Since, there has been a great use of
technology, ICT has been serving as a helping hand in field of education too.
According to Kent and Facer (2004) said that Information and Communication
Technology in an educational point of view supports teaching, learning and a range
of activities in education in various way. So, modern education is best
achieved through the use of Information and Communication Technology and
related facilities and this can only be possible if both the teacher and
students are Information and Communication Technology educated. ICT is
considered an important tool for building knowledge societies (UNESCO, 2003)
and especially, as a tool in school education that could help in reconstructing
the educational processes and system leading to effective education for all
people.
BLENDED
LEARNING IN STEAM
Blended learning amalgamates traditional
classroom teaching with online resources, catering to diverse learning styles.
Siemens's concept of connectivism aligns with this approach, emphasizing
learning as a networked process facilitated by technology (Siemens, 2017).
Blended learning in STEAM harnesses ICT to create a rich ecosystem where
face-to-face interaction complements online resources, fostering deeper
conceptual understanding and personalized learning pathways. Blended learning
mixes traditional classroom learning with online resources. Siemens, (2017)
suggests that learning doesn't just happen in a classroom; it's connected to
everything around us, including technology. Blended learning in STEAM uses both
face-to-face teaching and online tools to make learning more interactive and
personalized.
E-STEAM PEDEGOGY
The emergence of e-STEAM pedagogy underscores the integration of
digital technologies to enhance STEAM learning experiences. Shatunova et al.
(2019) highlight the significance of adaptive learning environments,
gamification, and multimedia resources in promoting engagement and skill
development. These approaches harness ICT to tailor learning experiences,
catering to individual student needs and preferences. This pedagogy focuses on
using digital technology to make STEAM learning more fun and effective.
Shatunova et al. (2019) show how adaptive learning, gamification, and
multimedia tools can make learning feel like playing. These methods make
learning more personalized, helping each student learn at their own pace.
STEAM and ICT both go hand in hand as two of the approaches are the powerful tools in the 21st century. STEAM makes the learner integrate the subject in different ways and ICT helps collect the information as well as make them use the different tools that are needed to enhance the learning process. In the traditional approach, teachers are in the center and use the conservative approach in teaching learning approaches. In modern education, learners are in the center and the teacher is only the facilitator and uses interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary. Making the learners more creative, smart and developing the skill required for the 21st century STEAM approach is essential. Therefore, STEAM emphasis on the interdisciplinary approach and creativity and ICT basically transform the information that is needed to nurture the challenges in the future. The fusion of STEAM and ICT encourages the learners to apply different aspects to solve complex problems. ICT tools provide the learners to develop creativity within STEAM approaches. As an educator, we have to make the learners fit for the real world situation.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ON ICT
I got the
access to various web tools like Canva, Slidesmania, proper use of Bookmarks,
Screencastify, various web resources and tools etc. this has obviously helped
me to enlarge my horizon in the field of ICT. Similarly, I got introduced with
a lot of online courses that could help me in my professional development. I
got chance to get some knowledge on various topics related with technology
through Applied Digital Skills by Google. While learning through google, I came
to know about the Google Workspace and it was very fascinating to know that we
can interact with peers and experts globally and discuss and share our ideas.
The use of social media has helped me to reconnect with my friends and
relatives. I went through one of the web resources and I came up in one of the
science related resources and there I saw the interactive learning process for
experiments where the students can easily get the ideas for learning and
experimenting. Being a part of the academic organization, to be able to
integrate the technology in teaching and learning process is really cherry on
the top for transformative learning. Chatgpt, AI based software also has given
a helping hand to some extent. I research various topics so that I can get an
easy way to help my students understand the topics. For my own studies too, I
would check the scholars’ paper for new insights all by the help of Google
Scholar. It has really helped me to be updated with the topics that I am learning
and that I want to learn.
USE OF ICT IN MY WORKPLACE (TEACHING FIELD)
ICT became a turning point in the teaching and
learning process. Integration of technologies in the education field has
completely change the face of the education process. ICT can be integrated for
personalized learning. Various learning software uses ICT to customize
educational content based on individual learning styles and progress. In short,
it ensures a tailored learning experience. One can learn the topics as per the
convenience. Physical learning might be difficult in some scenario or due to
various challenges. In such case, remote learning or remote education can be
really fruitful for the further learning process. ICT is the one that enables
remote education which means an individual can learn from anywhere breaking all
the geographical barriers and enhancing the accessibility and availability to
education. It is very important to have digital literacy or in simple language,
an individual should have the digital knowledge as this era is more tech
dependent. Every work is done by the help of the technology whether it is to
talk with your beloved all over the world or to learn or discover or explore
the new insights, information or knowledge. ICT integration fosters digital
literacy, a vital skill in the modern world, that helps to enable individuals
to critically evaluate information, use digital tools effectively, and stay
safe online. In terms of exploring, I came through a web resource named Be
Internet Awesome. This web resource helped me to understand about the safety
along with the confidence to explore the online world. I can help my students
to give them more insights on how to be aware and safe while using internet
through this type of web resource. Virtual Reality is another hot topic in the
technology era. This technology when integrated with ICT can create immersive
learning experiences, enhance understanding and retention of complex concepts.
VR in education can make it easy for students to be engaged the whole time,
making experiences memorable and can be helpful to understand complex subjects.
Also taking about the STEAM, ICT has been playing an
important role in the education. Every subject matter could be connected with
technology. Whether it is Science or Engineering or Mathematics, a
collaborative work with ICT or technology can make the subject matter easy to
understand. The use of ICT in interactive games and simulation can be very
helpful to engage the students in learning experiences, allowing them to
experiment and learn from the practical scenarios. Another thing that has
helped in learning because of ICT is collaboration and communication among the
students through ICT tools like discussion forums, video conferencing etc.
FURTHER PLANS ON ICT USAGE IN MY TEACHING
Personally, I plan to continue to look through some online
courses and educational platforms and resources to stay updated with the latest
change in the technological world. I can assist not only my students but also
some other colleagues in teaching and knowledge sharing by the use of ICT
tools. I can thus contribute in online learning to my students. I learnt about
Google form which can also be helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of
educational content and method. We can get the feedback, surveys done which can
further help in continuous improvement. I also aim to provide guidance on
digital literacy, helping my students and teachers critically evaluate online
information, avoid misinformation, and use digital tools responsibly and
effectively.
In short, integrating ICT into personal and
professional development is not just a strategy but it is the necessity in
today’s technology evolving world. By leveraging ICT tools and staying updated
with technology advancements, individuals can acquire new knowledge, overcome
obstacles and contribute meaningfully to their personal and professional lives.
