Introduction
Modern educators focus on finding the most appropriate and effective means to teach students and guarantee the active teaching and learning processes. In this case, the developed information and communication technologies (ICT) provide a lot of possibilities to plan and implement the effective teaching and learning methods and techniques.
The sphere of ICT develops quickly, and today there is a range of technologies which can be successfully used in the everyday learning process at school and university. From this perspective, educators choose to integrate ICT into the teaching process because of a variety of advantages associated with the usage of contemporary technologies (Simon & Nemeth, 2012).
Thus, different ICT which are available for educators can be successfully used to enhance the learning process, to stimulate students’ skills and abilities, to develop motivation, and to improve students’ performance. It is necessary to pay attention to the effectiveness of using such game-oriented ICT as multi-touch systems and such ICT as vodcasts in different age groups.
Although the representatives of various age groups perceive the information presented with the help of ICT in a different way, the levels of the students’ performance and motivation can be discussed as high, and this fact allows speaking about the effectiveness of using different ICT in education.
To conclude about the effectiveness of using ICT in the learning and teaching processes, it is necessary to focus on such aspects as the impact of using ICT on students’ learning and motivation, perception, and performance.
The Impact of Different ICT on Students’ Learning and Motivation
There is no single idea in relation to the effect of ICT on students’ learning and motivation because of impossibility to state strictly about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of traditional teaching methods. ICT are actively used by educators in order to make the material presented more understandable and interesting for students and to stimulate their certain activities.
From this point, ICT are used in their combination with the traditional teaching methods and techniques (Ardito et al., 2013). Moreover, appropriate ICT can be selected according to the needs of the age group, topic of the planned activities, and the objective set by an educator.
Thus, to achieve the education goals in primary and secondary schools, it is effective to orient to the game activities. Modern ICT provide the opportunity to discuss a game as a part of the learning process. Different types of material can be presented to students in various ways. The form of the game based on using ICT provokes the additional interest of students to the activities.
As a result, the usage of ICT can be considered as the additional motivator for students who become involved in the learning process (Ardito et al., 2013). To guarantee the understanding of the material and the development of definite skills, educators combine the methods of traditional teaching with ICT. This technique allows making the teaching process complete.
The focus only on a game, ICT, or traditional methods cannot provide the effective results of the students’ learning process (Sluis & Nijholt, 2012). Moreover, this situation can lead to decreasing students’ motivation and interest in the process.
That is why, the complex approach is more advantageous. Thus, the historic material presented in the form of a game based on the multi-touch system is learnt by students more actively (Ardito et al., 2013).
Students studying at high school, college, university, or student teachers can develop their motivation and improve learning with the help of more progressive or complex ICT. Different kinds of computers, computer programs, podcasts, and vodcasts are used to improve the teaching and learning processes.
The development of new technologies provides new opportunities and previous effective technologies can be discussed as out-of-date. Thus, today vodcasts are discussed as more effective than podcasts which were actively used in education years ago. Vodcasts can provide students with more materials, information, and stimuli than podcasts (McNeill & Fry, 2012).
Students need illustration and demonstration in order to follow certain instructions and perform definite activities. In this case, such ICT as vodcasts function as illustration for students in order to provide them with the certain knowledge. Multi-media systems can be used effectively when an educator uses the appropriate instruction (Sluis & Nijholt, 2012).
For instance, vodcasts can be ineffective to stimulate students’ learning process if they are not provided with the appropriate instruction to control students’ activities (McNeill & Fry, 2012).
The Effects of ICT on Students’ Perception
Students are inclined to react more actively to vivid and interesting objects or materials which attract their attention immediately. The students’ interest in relation to the material can guarantee their further high performance regarding this or that subject. That is why, educators should focus on methods to stimulate students’ perception and reaction to the information and new knowledge.
ICT can be discussed as the rather effective means to influence students’ perception (Ardito et al., 2013). Students’ perception is based on analyzing the new information and on its comparison with the knowledge with exists in students’ minds and memory. Thus, the new information is perceived during several stages, and these stages do not depend on the form of information perceived.
However, the abilities of students to perceive this or that kind of information presented in the form of written text, audio, or an image are often different because students have various dominating types of perception (McNeill, Mukherjee, & Singh, 2012).
Nevertheless, different ICT can contribute to the development of students perception abilities in spite of the kind of the information presented. Thus, game activities involve the usage of the written text, images, and audio, and the students’ concentration increases as well as the participation in the learning process can become more active (Ardito et al., 2013).
Such technologies as multi-media systems and vodcasts can contribute to students’ active participation in the learning process because they depend on the diverse presentation of information. From this point, the students’ reaction should be also active. The technology-based learning is discussed as more informal and active.
Thus, students become the centre of the learning process, and they can use all the advantages provided by modern information technologies (Ardito et al., 2013). The informal learning with using the Internet, multi-media systems, podcasts, and vodcasts is more attractive for students because of their possibility to participate in the process more actively and consciously.
For instance, attending lectures and seminars, students can prepare the vodcasts independently (McNeill & Fry, 2012). Modern technologies can be considered as providing more opportunities for teachers to improve their strategy and for students to improve their skills and abilities.
Students’ interest and understanding of the material can be influenced by using different resources and methods. Educational games, puzzles, quizzes, and tests can be presented not only with the help of traditional teaching techniques but also with the help of modern technologies which expand the range of variants for using this or that resource, method, or technique.
Multi-touch displays, online educational games, online tests, podcasts, and vodcasts can be effective to change the approach to teaching and learning processes (Ardito et al., 2013).
Furthermore, the usage of ICT stimulates communication between students, and this fact is advantageous for completing group and team tasks effectively. Thus, ICT can stimulate students’ perception with references to using resources and technologies which help apply the academic material to the real world situation.
The Connection between Using ICT and Students’ Academic Performance
Those technologies which are used in the classroom environments are oriented to develop students’ abilities and to improve students’ performance. Thus, the usage of ICT in education can be discussed as ineffective approach if students’ performance is not affected positively with references to technologies.
That is why, researchers focus on examining changes in students’ performance depending on the frequency of using different technologies in the classroom.
According to Ardito and the group of researchers, positive trends connected with increasing students’ results and improvement of their performance are observed after several weekends of the regular usage of ICT in the classroom environments in order to provide certain material, present instruction, and stimulate activities (Ardito et al., 2013).
It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that such ICT as multi-touch displays and systems are effective to promote and control a lot of everyday classroom activities which are usually associated with using many resources. From this point, these technologies not only influence students’ performance positively but also minimize the resources used by an educator along with maximizing positive effects.
The changes in the students’ performance can be discussed with references to such aspects as changes in students’ learning activities, perception, and behaviour. Thus, the integration of ICT affects the teaching and learning processes as complexes, and high performance is the result of changes in the students’ understanding or comprehending the material.
The assessment of students’ performance allows drawing conclusions about the general effectiveness of using ICT in education. Simon and Nemeth focus on the fact that the alternations in performance can be directly associated with the changes in the students’ attitude toward the learning process (Simon & Nemeth, 2012).
The concentration on informal learning provokes students’ positive attitude and interest because of decreasing the stress and making the process more diverse.
The improved performance is also connected with the concept of self-improvement. Thus, using vodcasts and online materials, students receive the opportunity to assess their successes independently and pay attention to the moments which should be changed or improved (McNeill & Fry, 2012).
From this perspective, new technologies help educators make the teaching process more focused on students. Individualization is one of the main characteristic features of the modern approaches in education (Ardito et al., 2013). ICT with a range of opportunities provided respond to the needs of the modern education oriented to students and stimulation of their successes in study.
Educators use ICT in order to differentiate instruction and reduce those forms of explanation which can decrease students’ attention and concentration on the object of discussion. ICT are appropriate to be used at different stages of the teaching process and to control the students’ involvement into activities (Ardito et al., 2013).
This feature of ICT also works for the benefits of students because they can participate actively in the process during all the stages without reducing concentration and attention.
For instance, focusing on vodcasts, students can improve their performance while analyzing their mistakes and paying attention to achievements (McNeill & Fry, 2012). The communication based on ICT with the other students can also stimulate their motivation and activities with improving performance results.
Conclusion
The evaluation of ICT usage in the field of education can be possible only with references to assessing changes in the students’ performance and to appropriateness of the techniques for helping teachers realize set objectives.
ICT are important to be used in the field of education because researchers predict that further changes in the sphere will be closely associated with the development of new technologies with improved and extended functions. The focus on using ICT in combination with the methods of traditional teaching and learning can be rather effective for the development of students’ perception and performance.
It is important to note that modern technologies can be effectively used by educators not only for improving the teaching strategies but also for stimulating students’ motivation. From this point, it is necessary to choose technologies which can be used successfully in different classroom environments depending on the students’ age category. ICT in education can affect the changes in approaches to developing education strategies.
If ICT are used appropriately, they contribute to maximizing the advantages of the teaching and learning processes. That is why, further research is significant in order to focus on the most effective ways to integrate ICT in education to receive the highest results.
References
Ardito, C., Lanzilotti, R., Costabile, M. F., & Desolda, G. (2013). Integrating traditional learning and games on large displays: An experimental study. Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 44–56.
McNeill, M., & Fry, J. (2012). The value of ICT from a learning game-playing perspective. Journal of Research, 7(1), 45-52.
McNeill, M., Mukherjee, S., & Singh, G. (2010). Podcasting in physical education teacher education. ICHPER-SD Journal of Research, 5(1), 16-19.
Simon, F., & Nemeth, K. (2012). Digital decisions: Choosing the right technology tools for early childhood education. USA: Gryphon House.
Sluis, F., & Nijholt, A. (2012). Designing a museum multi-touch table for children. INTETAIN, 4(7), 139-148.