Data and Information

 Data is raw facts and figures unprocessed(meaningless) . data relates to fact, event and
transactions.
 Unprocessed raw information. Data is normally stored in a database or a file.

 Information is data that has been processed in such a way as to be meaningful to the person
who receives it. it is any thing that is communicated.
 Information is the result of processing, manipulating and organizing data in a way that adds to
the knowledge of the person receiving it.
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Data

 Facts, statistics used for reference or analysis.

 Numbers, characters, symbols, images etc., which can be processed by a computer.
 Data must be interpreted, by a human or machine, to derive meaning
 "Data is a representation of information" *
 Latin 'datum' meaning "that which is given"
 Data plural, datum singular (M150 adopts the general use of data as singular.

Information

 Knowledge derived from study, experience (by the senses), or instruction.

 Communication of intelligence.
 "Information is any kind of knowledge that is exchangeable amongst people, about things, facts,
concepts, etc., in some context." *
 "Information is interpreted data" *

http://www.jmcsweeney.co.uk/computing/m150/differences.php

Information Technology

In the broadest sense, information technology refers to both the hardware and software that
are used to store, retrieve, and manipulate information. At the lowest level you have the
servers with an operating system. Installed on these servers are things like database and web
serving software. The servers are connected to each other and to users via a network
infrastructure. And the users accessing these servers have their own hardware, operating
system, and software tools.
http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/definition/information-technology.asp

Definitions of information technology on the Web:

 the branch of engineering that deals with the use of computers and
telecommunications to retrieve and store and transmit information
 The term "IT" encompasses the methods and techniques used in information handling
and retrieval by automatic means. The means include computers, telecommunications
and office systems or any combination of these elements.
www.intosaiitaudit.org/directory/misc/glossary.html
 A broad term used to refer to any form of technology used to create, transfer, or store
information in all it's various forms (text, images, sound, multimedia files).
www.help2go.com/Tutorials/Internet_Basics/Internet_Glossary.html
 We use the term information technology or IT to refer to an entire industry. In actuality,
information technology is the use of computers and software to manage information.
http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/careersintechnology/p/ITDefinition.htm

Communication Technology

 a process to store or deliver information using electronic and graphic means; Processes
include encoding, transmitting, receiving, storing, retrieving and decoding
doe.sd.gov/contentstandards/nclb/documents/Glossary_000.doc
 electronic systems used for communication between individuals or groups.
Communication technology facilitates communication between individuals or groups
who are not physically present at the same location. Systems such as telephones, telex,
fax, radio, television, and video are included, as well as more recent computer-based
technologies, including electronic data interchange and e-mail.
http://www.qfinance.com/dictionary/communication-technology
 communications technology - the activity of designing and constructing and maintaining
communication systems
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/communications+technology

Information & Communication Technology

 Information and Communication Technology or ICTs allow users to participate in a

rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly transformed
by access to varied and developing technologies.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_Technology
  ICT (information and communications technology - or technologies) is an umbrella term
that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television,
cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so
on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as
videoconferencing and distance learning. ICTs are often spoken of in a particular
context, such as ICTs in education, health care, or libraries.
 According to the European Commission, the importance of ICTs lies less in the
technology itself than in its ability to create greater access to information and
communication in underserved populations. Many countries around the world have
established organizations for the promotion of ICTs, because it is feared that unless less
technologically advanced areas have a chance to catch up, the increasing technological
advances in developed nations will only serve to exacerbate the already-existing
economic gap between technological "have" and "have not" areas.
 (ICT) The study of the technology used to handle information and aid communication.
The phrase was coined by [?] Stevenson in his 1997 report to the UK government and
promoted by the new National Curriculum documents for the UK in 2000. In addition to
the subjects included in Information Technology (IT), ICT emcompasses areas such as
telephony, broadcast media and all types of audio and video processing and
transmission.
(http://rubble.ultralab.anglia.ac.uk/stevenson/ICTUKIndex.html).
(2008-09-19)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Information+and+Communication+Technology

Need of ICT in Education

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become, within a very short time, one of
the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and
mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading,
writing and numeracy. According to SearchCIO-Midmarket.com, ICT (information and
communications technology - or technologies) is an umbrella term that includes any
communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer
and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services
and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning. ICTs are
often spoken of in a particular context, such as ICTs in education, health care, or libraries. The
term is somewhat more common outside of the United States.
The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the school classroom is
becoming increasingly prominent, both because of the need for children to develop skills that
will empower them in modern society and because of the potential value of such technologies as
tools for learning. One of the challenges facing teacher educators is how to ensure that graduate
teachers have the necessary combination of skills and pedagogical knowledge that will enable
them to both effectively use today’s technologies in the classroom as well as continue to develop
and adapt to new technologies that emerge in the future. ICT has great potential for enhancing
teaching and learning outcomes. The realization of this potential depends much on how the
teacher uses the technology. This would in turn depend, among other things, on the kind of
training that the teacher has undergone.
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) (2002) states that there is
increasing pressure for teacher education programs to graduate teachers who are confident and
competent in using ICTs for their personal and professional lives. At a program level this
requires a move beyond random acts of innovation in which early adopters continue to explore
opportunities for ICT integration to extend and enhance learning. Teacher educators can no
longer view ICT integration as an option or something new and not relevant to their courses. To
adequately prepare teachers for work in the classrooms of tomorrow, teacher preparation
programs need to develop programs that infuse ICTs into the entire program using authentic and
pedagogically appropriate approaches. That is, 'students should learn about, learn with, and learn
to incorporate technology into their own teaching'. Cabanatan (2001) argues that the
effectiveness of ICT integration is impacted by the teachers’ motivation to integrate, personal
knowledge and experience with ICTs, confidence in ICT use, access to ICT resources and
training, teacher preparedness and technical and pedagogical support.
Omona and Odongo (2006) describe that advances in electronic-based information and
communication technologies (ICTs) are rapidly transforming social and economic conditions
across the globe. As the cost of ICTs continues to fall and their capabilities increase, their
applications are becoming even more vital to all sectors of the economy and society. ICT has the
potential to improve the quality of life by providing new tools for improving access to
information and knowledge management as well as sharing.
Providing teachers with access to technology resources within the school post training is one
motivational strategy. Having them work with colleagues in technology-supported instructional
design projects is another (UNESCO Bangkok 2004). Carlson and Gadio (2002) point out that
giving teachers time and recognition for innovation is essential. Teachers need to be given time
to participate in training activities and they need to be given time to try out what they have
learned in the classroom. The latter means that school administrators should take care not to
overload teachers particularly with extra-curricular assignments — although perhaps this is
easier said than done in the majority of public schools in developing countries where there is a
shortage of teachers. Teachers who successfully complete professional development programs
and implement technology-supported teaching and learning innovations should be given public
recognition to give them a sense of achievement and encourage them to continue, as well as to
encourage others to participate in such programs.
Roles of Teacher Educator
Directorate General of Education and Culture has given the following roles for teacher educator.
The teacher as facilitator and guide
As facilitators, teachers must in many ways know more than they would as directive givers of
information. Facilitators must be aware of a variety of materials available for improving
students’ language skill, not just one or two texts. Teachers need to know how to teach learners
to use all this material effectively. As facilitators, teachers have to be flexible, responding to the
needs that students have, not just what has been set up ahead of time based on a curriculum
developer’s idea of who will be in the classroom.
The teacher as integrator (of media)
Teachers must not only know and understand the functions of different media available in a
media-rich environment, they should also know when best to deploy them.
The teacher as researcher
To keep abreast of developments in the countries of the target language in an increasingly
complex world, teachers need to know how and where they can access information for their own
and for their learners’ use. Knowledge and competent use of search engines and reliable
information sources are essential.
The teacher as designer of (complex) learning scenarios
In order to orchestrate successful learning scenarios, teachers need to learn how to put together
tasks and materials to guide their learners to successful execution and conclusion of their
projects.
The teacher as collaborator (with other teachers)
The investment in time and effort implies a sharing of responsibilities and tasks among teaching
staff, if there is not to be a general rejection of new technology because it confronts them with an
impossible workload. Collaboration with colleagues will lighten the burden and make the efforts
more fruitful and rewarding.
The teacher as orchestrator (technology, learners, curriculum)
Teachers will need to develop fairly sophisticated management skills in order to be able to
provide a healthy balance between the different elements which make up the new learning
environments. Mastery and confidence in the use of technology needs to be applied to the
learning inclinations and abilities of individual learners whilst covering the prescribed syllabus
or curriculum which is often set by outside authorities.
The teacher as learner
For many teachers, opening up the classroom to the outside world presents as much a threat as an
opportunity. Their authority is challenged in a world of constantly changing patterns, when it is
often difficult to establish, for example, the difference between “correct” and “incorrect”
language use.
The teacher as evaluator
If task-based, project oriented work in the foreign language classroom using the new media is to
become the norm, or at least form an important part of activities, then models of evaluation need
to be revised radically.
The new skills
According to Directorate General of Education and Culture, in order to function adequately in
the world of the new media, teachers need to acquire and master a whole range of new skills that
are often taken for granted in today’s business life.
Technical Skills
Teachers need to become completely computer-literate and have the confidence to use the
available technology adequately. They should be able to cope with the most common problems
arising from the use of computers very much in the way that average car drivers can cope with
commonly occurring problems with their motor vehicles, i.e. no specialist knowledge of the
machine, but knowing what to do when routine breakdowns occur.
Organisational Skills
New organisational and pedagogic models are called for, including ICT for teacher education
(using a learning by doing and reflecting approach), and dissemination / upscaling of successful
models. The innovative potential of languages going online must be fully grasped, where
teachers can:
1. build and sustain language communities;
2. dismantle them when they have exhausted their function;
3. link minds and hearts in order to negotiate everyday concerns or complex vocational
issues.
Conceptual Skills
There is a quantum leap for language teachers moving from well-tried, controllable media like
the textbook with its accompanying supplementary materials to the more open, inquiring
approach required when exploiting the new media to the full. Teachers must move to a role in
which they are designing learning experiences and planning encounters for their learners with the
target language environment, often in situations where complete control of the means at their
disposal has to be abdicated to the learner. Good, practical examples with convincing theoretical
underpinning giving a rationale for choices made are needed when introducing this “change of
paradigm”.
The new literacies: scientific, digital, critical, linguistic, cultural
The skills, competencies and attitudes required to participate in all spheres of life have changed.
One aspect of the quality of lifelong learning is the extent to which an education and training
system is successful in equipping people to negotiate the shifting demands placed upon them.
Teachers in particular should be given the opportunity to update, extend and acquire new skills
so that they are better equipped to meet changes in the workplace and in society at large as well
as putting them in the situation where they can pass on such skills to their learners.
Teachers need to understand and master the new literacies (scientific, digital, linguistic, cultural)
which are emerging and the demands they place on both language learners and teachers. In
addition, an awareness of new types of language forms and genres, and to what extent language
acquisition must be complemented by language socialisation, is essential.
Scientific literacy relates to the ability to think scientifically in a world which is increasingly
shaped by science and technology. This kind of literacy requires an understanding of scientific
concepts as well as an ability to apply a scientific perspective. PISA defines scientific literacy as
the capacity to use scientific knowledge, to identify questions, and to draw evidence-based
conclusions in order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the
changes made to it through human activity.
Digital literacy relates to the ability to use ICT adequately and apply them in a principled way to
the subject matter at hand. For the language teacher, it refers in particular to Web literacy, i.e. the
ability to make use of the World Wide Web for language research, to the use of linguistic tools
and standard programs for exercises and testing.
Critical literacy implies the ability to evaluate the credibility, usefulness and reliability of any
given sources of information. It also encompasses skills in sifting and identifying the relevant
and important in the flood of information which threatens to engulf the unprepared.
Linguistic literacy in this context refers to the ability to recognize different genres as they
develop, to track developments in use and usage and to adapt teaching materials and approach to
the changing situations.
Cultural literacy relates to observing and recording changes in the society or societies of the
target language together with implications for language teaching. Such changes may be of a
general nature leading to convergence between own, native culture and the target culture or to
changes particular to the target culture. The new media provide a greater sense of immediacy
than was possible in the past as trends can be followed as they develop.
Directorate General of Education and Culture. The Impact of Information and Communications
Technologies on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and on the Role of Teachers of Foreign
Languages. International Certificate Conference. Retrieved May 30, 2010 from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27229723/The-Impact-of-Information-and-Communications-Technologies