CHAPTER EIGHT

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL STUDIES

Introduction

Using information and communication technology (ICT) to teach the social studies curriculum is becoming essential. Any type of communication, including video conferencing and distant learning, as well as the supporting services and technology, including radio, television, cellular phones, computers, network infrastructure, satellite systems, and so on, are all included in this all-inclusive word.

Definitions of ICT

ICT has been defined in a variety of ways by authorities. Their areas of interest, expertise, and experience are reflected in these definitions. Some of these definitions are listed below:

According to the Online Oxford Dictionary, information and communication technology (ICT) is often used as an extensive generic term for information technology (IT), but it is generally a broader term that emphasizes the significance of communication networks and the integration of information technology (telephone lines and wireless signals), computer systems, development tools as well as relevant software, storage, and audio-visual devices (2004).

ICT is a potent tool for encouraging political responsibility, participating in international markets, expanding local development prospects, and enhancing the provision of basic services, according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2006).

Also described by Ogunsola (2005) as “an electronic based system for data transmission, receiving, processing, and retrieval, which has fundamentally affected the way we think, the world in which we live, and the environment in which we exist,” ICT is also used to refer to a variety of technologies. It has the ability to communicate with others and learn about the world.

Computers, the internet, as well as other telecommunications technologies are used in every area of human effort, claims Bamidele (2006), who refers to this as an ICT revolution. Similar to this, Jimoh (2007) defined ICT as the handling and processing of information (text, photographs, graphs, instructions, etc.) for usage using electronic and communication equipment like computers, cameras, and telephones.

ICT is also described by Ofodu (2007) as electrical or computerized technology that is assisted by people and interactive contents that can be utilized for variety of personal and professional purposes, including teaching and learning. Information Technology Communication is described by Adigun (2014) as the linking together of telephone, computer, and audio-visual networks. It consists of each of these components combined with a vision for how technology might assist a company in achieving its objectives. ICT is also at the core of information systems, according to Yekini and Lawal (2012), who likewise regard it as a potent collection of components that includes computer hardware, software, communications networks, workstations, robots, and smart chips.

The internet, personal computers, video games, cell phones, digital payment systems, software applications, and other devices are just a few examples of the “all types of electronic systems” that are used for broadcasting telecommunications and facilitated communications, according to Ashikuzzaman (2014). ICT refers to a variety of technological devices used for information processing and transmission (Ashikuzzaman, 2014).

Nwachukwu (2004), The methods for obtaining, organizing, storing, retrieving, and transmitting information that make use of computers and other technology are known as information and communications technology (ICT). To store, access, and transmit information in the form of data, text, pictures, and other formats, information and communications technologies, on the other hand, in this case means the use of electronic equipment such computers, phones, the web, and communications satellites.

Open University, (nd) ICTs are defined as being a type of technology utilized for electronic data transmission, manipulation, and storage. Email, SMS text messaging, Skype video chat, and social media platforms can all be taken into consideration (e.g., Facebook). Additionally, it includes every type of computing device (including smartphones and laptop computers) that can be used for a range of information and communication needs.

ICT could be summed up by these definitions as the use of numerous technologies for information processing, communication, and sharing. ICT can also be referred to as information storage and retrieval technologies. ICT stands for information and communication technology. Data collection, processing, storing, and presentation are some of these processes. These activities increasingly demand coordination and communication.

Characteristics of ICT:

According to Ashikuzzaman, ICT applications include a variety of unique features (2014). The following is a list of some unique qualities:

  1. Effectiveness:

  2. Most interactive

  3. Fewer errors

  4. Customized

  5. Personalized

  6. Achievable

  7. Transparent

  8. Searchable

  9. Acceptable

  10. Efficiency:

  11. Faster

  12. Cheaper

  13. Fewer steps

  14. Lower costs

  15. Fewer people

  16. Less paperwork

  17. Innovation:

  18. New product

  19. New technologies

Role of ICT in Social Studies Instructional Process

Every aspect of life, including education, uses ICT. Students, the future of society, cannot afford to keep themselves off from this potential medium given the computer’s growing relevance. Utilizing ICT in education has become essential for increasing productivity and effectiveness at both official and casual settings, at all levels. Even in elementary school, computer instruction is required. ICT’s importance is clearly demonstrated from an educational standpoint. Despite the fact that the chalkboard, books, radio, television, and cinema have all been employed in education over the years, neither of these mediums had as much of an influence on education as the computer. Unlike movies and television, which only have an effect on viewers’ audiovisual faculties, computers have the power to stimulate viewers’ senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Nigeria cannot afford to fall behind in the use of multimedia to develop the intellectual and artistic capabilities of her people. Nigerian schoolchildren need to be educated utilizing completely new curricula and a diversity of educational materials with a focus on multimedia. The functions of ICT in the teaching process are listed below.

  • ICT has the potential to increase people’s options for interaction as they develop into distinctive, perceptive, and creative creatures. “Simply improving human mental capabilities, which enable people to successfully use both pre-existing data and develop new knowledge,” is the main objective of ICT. (Shavinina, 2001).

  • ICT, which is crucial to education and has a big influence on the quantity and quality of learning and teaching as well as studies in educational methodology to herald in a new era in education, was compared by Oduma (2013) to a necessity like electricity and water.

  • Because it provides students with access to effective resources and services that enable them to achieve their educational needs, the internet as a digital instrument of ICT has increased teaching and learning. Additionally, it allows for networking between students and teachers to promote idea sharing and enhance prospects for integrating schools to the outside world as learning expands beyond the walls of the classroom, enabling the formation of real- life context. (Dotimi and Hamilton-Ekeke, 2013).

  • Pupils (students) utilize computers in the classroom to learn subjects including reading, math, social studies, art, music, simulation, and health procedures.

  • ICT provides efficient learning and teaching to increase students’ intellectual and artistic resources, especially in today’s information culture.

  • ICT offers students various and exceptional opportunities to develop abilities for high-quality education and to enhance their innovation capacity. These opportunities include the combined usage of audio, text, colorful images, visuals, and motion.

  • Usage of computer-assisted technology in the classroom is an effective and relevant technique to give students an education that will help them develop the necessary skills for the workplace.

  • Nowadays, very few vocations do not call for the use of technological, collaborative, cooperation, and informational abilities; all of these can be learned through instruction using computer-assisted technology.

  • According to research, ICT can assist innovative teaching strategies and make challenging instructional techniques like simulation or cooperative learning more practicable.

  • Additionally, ICT can improve the efficiency and results of student learning, which is a consensus among educators. When all necessary components of a system are seamlessly merged to form a whole, integration gives the impression that something is full or whole (Chang & Wu, 2012).

  • ICT can improve education quality and boost teaching effectiveness via pre-service training and programs that are applicable to and adaptable to the requirements of the educational system. Teachers will be able to gain the essential subject knowledge, a range of teachingmethods, and professional development for lifelong learning as a result. With a focus more on learning than teaching, these programs will expose kids to fresh, modern sources of information and develop tools for self-directed learning.

  • If it is effectively planned and implemented, ICT-enhanced education can promote the development of the knowledge and skills that will prepare students for lifetime learning. When used effectively, ICTs—in particular, computers and Internet technologies—enable teachers and students to carry out what they have previously accomplished in a better way rather than just making it possible for them to do it more quickly. Learner-centered pedagogy is an alternative to teacher-centered pedagogy, which is defined by memorizing and rote learning in its worst forms. These novel ways to teaching and learning are based on constructivist theories of learning. (Tinio, 2002). Software and multimedia from ICT are used to enhance instruction.

Learning Approaches in Social Studies Promoted by ICT

The following are a few of the learning strategies that ICT can support:

  1. Active Learning

  2. By utilizing instruments for information inspection, computation, and analysis, ICT-enhanced learning provides students with a setting for inquiry, analysis, and the production of new knowledge. Students pick up new information as they go along and, where possible, work closely on scenarios from real life in order to make their learning process less theoretical and more practical to the learner’s position in reality.

  3. Increased learner engagement is encouraged through ICT- enhanced learning.

  4. Collaborative Learning

  5. ICT-supported learning encourages communication and cooperation between teachers, students, and experts in the field regardless of where they are. Along with reenacting exchanges from the actual world,

  6. Students get the opportunity to work with people from various cultural backgrounds thanks to ICT-supported learning, enhancing their ability to work in a team, communicate effectively, and have a global perspective. By enlarging the learning environment to include mentors and subject-matter experts from many fields in addition to peers, it simulates learning that occurs over the course of a learner’s lifetime.

  7. Integrative Learning

  8. ICT-enhanced learning promotes a thematic, integrated method of teaching and learning. This approach eliminates the erroneous distinction that exists in a typical classroom among practice and theory and also between the many disciplines. evaluation in the classroom.

  9. ICT-assisted education is analytical and student oriented. Unlike instructional methods that rely solely on static text or print.

  10. ICT-enhanced learning acknowledges the existence of a wide variety of learning paths and knowledge articulations.

  11. Instead than only listening and remembering, ICTs enable learning through exploration and discovery.

  12. Creative Learning

  13. ICT-supported learning fosters the manipulation of previously learned material and the development of concrete results rather than merely memorizing what was taught.

  14. Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a constructive teaching strategy that prioritizes student-centred activities that solve real-world problems, long-term, theme- based learning, and group instruction.

  • Students may gain from learning that is supported by ICT and allows them to interact with real-world problems and questions. (Curtis, 2001).

ICT as Tool for Higher Technological Development

Without a doubt, one of the realities of today is the high-tech industry’s incredibly rapid development. The individual’s life has undergone a significant transformation both professionally and personally as a result of this. Modern technology is crucial to understanding and using in our social lives, economies, businesses, and educational systems. High technology advances that are new and sophisticated enable businesses to quickly adopt technological improvements into their operational procedures. The US space program has benefited immensely from the quick improvements in high-tech and information and communication technologies. Cellular, satellite and wireless technologies, along with cutting-edge commercial strategies, are starting to make up for the drawbacks of the conventional wire line technologies in many industrialized nations. Cellular technology was brought to Nigeria a little over four years ago, and this has changed the country’s communication sector, however the majority of Nigerians have not yet benefited from the services due to the expensive cost. Nigeria must embrace technology, get rid of some of its out-dated practices and viewpoints, and completely retool if it is to join the developed world in the near future.

To meet the challenges of a modern society, the nation needs to rethink its strategy and broaden its outlook. The majority of educational institutions lack cohesive and thorough curriculum for ICT training, notwithstanding the growing rise of e-learning. A suitable framework for the complete incorporation of ICTs into the academic environment of any country’s institutions should be provided by the central or federal government. According to Yusuf (2006), Competence, sufficient financing, the availability of facilities and infrastructure, and institutional commitment are necessary for the effective incorporation of ICTs and key technologies into the educational system.

Review Questions

Attempt the following questions:

  1. Give your own definition of information and communication technology.

  2. There is no one definition of information and communication technology (ICT) that is accepted by all. Specify any five (5) distinct definitions of ICT that have been presented by experts.

  3. Determine the common elements that appear in the definitions given above.

  4. List the unique qualities of information and communication technology (ICT) that you are aware of.

  5. Describe and identify the educational strategies that ICT in Social Studies supports.