Education is the medium of human development, the key to self-realization, development of self-confidence and creativity and a comprehensive guide to solving life’s problems. Through education the human mind is exposed and can know the unknown. Education is said to be a lifelong process. In this process a student enters the world of knowledge gradually; step by step
Basically, teacher-student-centered education is conducted in an institutional environment. In modern times, learning and teaching activities do not only acquire subject knowledge. How many skills and techniques have to be adopted in conducting quality and up-to-date educational programs, which are related to education as a whole. As people’s lives are dynamic or ongoing, so the management of educational programs has also taken different forms with time. One such related and relevant topic in the field of education today is Information and Communication Technology.
Today the world is considered as a global village. This period of development is being identified worldwide as the age of information technology. Beyond the age of science, we are now in the age of technology. The power of the country or state is determined by the ability to use information technology. The free use of technology has turned our world into a global family. The invention of mobile, laptop, computer, internet has brought humanity to a different height.
In this continuation, Bangladesh is also moving towards its desired goal. The use of information technology in the field of education is considered to be one of the areas of the Digital Bang
ladesh movement. Realizing the importance of information technology, it has been successfully incorporated in primary education. The use of technology in various areas of our education has helped us to reach a sustainable and standardized level of education.
Development of e-books, presentation of lessons through digital content using multimedia in the classroom is bringing about a modern and revolutionary change in our education system. In order to ensure the quality of education, information technology has been connected to the teaching-learning system of Bangladesh in keeping with developed countries in the era of globalization. Making difficult classroom activities enjoyable by using information technology in the learning process of teachers and students.
According to various studies, ICT activities are able to play a role in creating interest in reading in addition to learning standard pronunciation by combining information and communication technology to improve reading skills. Children learn happily in multimedia classrooms. Through the use of multimedia classrooms, the traditional teacher-centered learning process has been transformed into student-centered joyful learning.
A 2013 impact study found that schools where classroom activities were conducted through multimedia classrooms showed a decrease in students’ tendency to memorize and increased interest in learning. Teachers can search the internet and download various learning materials and create content suitable for the subject and class to take classes. It increases the professional skills and knowledge of teachers.
Moreover, by using information technology, the head teacher can monitor each class through the school’s classroom cc camera. Again through the cloud app, the learning activities of the school can be monitored from any part of the world. Currently, the introduction of digital attendance has started in primary schools. As a result of this, on the one hand, as the importance of time is increasing, teachers are becoming more aware and active.
The present age is the digital age. In this age of digitalization, if teaching is done through multimedia through digital content, using participatory method, observation method, discussion method, and various teaching methods including participatory method, observation method, and discussion method, learning results are easier and more permanent. Among the various teaching-learning methods, demonstration method is a very modern and effective teaching method.
This is a one-way process. It differs from the lecture method in that the learner’s two senses are activated, where the learner hears and sees. Teaching students by presenting digital content by setting up digital classrooms in primary schools is essentially a renaming of this display method. Here students can see and listen and simply absorb the lesson content with pleasure.
This makes their learning permanent and they can successfully apply it in real life. Demonstration teaching by presenting digital content largely prevents students from memorizing. The tendency to memorize destroys the student’s innovative and creative abilities. We can replace this tendency to memorize with the concept of imbibing by presenting digital content through the use of information and communication technology.
IT is not education; Rather, it is possible to increase the quality of education through the use of information technology in education. Digital content is audio visual material made up of sound and images of the subject covered in the textbook. With the support of the Access to Information (A2I) program and the initiative of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, since 2010, training of teachers on creating digital content using multimedia classrooms and Microsoft PowerPoint has been ongoing.
Laptops and projectors are being provided to every school. According to the Department of Primary Education (DPE) 2018 annual report, the government has already distributed 1 laptop and more than 22,000 multimedia projectors to 53,689 government primary schools out of about 65,000 schools in the country to create digital classrooms in primary schools. In addition to this, the process of purchasing 36 thousand 746 multimedia projectors and 51 thousand sound systems has been completed.
The program of setting up digital classrooms by distributing laptops and multimedia projectors to all primary schools in the country is continuing. For this purpose, the work of establishing connection is going on in the schools which do not have electricity. According to the report of the Department of Primary Education, the process of collecting 3 thousand 700 tabs has been completed with the aim of starting the e-monitoring system everywhere in primary education.
Apart from this, a 12-day basic training on ICT is being given in Primary Teachers Training Institutes (PTIs) of the country to train teachers on creating digital content using ICT. So far more than 60 thousand school teachers have been given this basic training. For this purpose, modern ICT labs have been set up in 55 old and 11 new PTIs.
The report also said that necessary activities have been undertaken by the Department of Primary Education for the use of digital content of 21 books from the first to the fifth class of primary. DVDs of digital content have already been sent to various schools.
In addition to this, the current government has taken important steps to implement integrated education by providing opportunities for all children, including children with special needs, to participate in every aspect of school according to their ability. In this regard, information and communication technology is working as one of the accessories in teaching according to their needs and demands. As a result, children with special needs are also able to study together with everyone in the same school. It develops the latent talents of students with physical, mental or intellectual disabilities and they also realize that they are not different from others.
Now teachers are able to fulfill their responsibilities with ease as there is no additional pressure of preparing lesson plans and materials for a long time like before. Merit-based primary education has been more effective than before. While the government is providing training to teachers in digital content creation, it has also undertaken extensive activities to create interest in information technology among students. The day is not far when every student will read books on e-book readers instead of printed books.
There is no alternative to integrating information technology in education to make students a skilled population of the 21st century. ICT is truly the main powerful tool of education in our country in meeting this expectation of modern education science. The use of ICT in primary education has ensured Bangladesh’s massive success in achieving the MDGs. In the SDGs as well, the government has given immense importance to quality primary education and has undertaken extensive activities.
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Writer,
Md Karar Islam Aulin
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE