What is ICT?

The term ICT, which has been in use for some years now, is an acronym for Information and Communication Technologies and is used to refer to the devices, networks, apps and everything that humans use to create, process and share data or information with each other.

Definition of ICT and its components

If you want to know exactly what ICT is, there is no single, universal definition, but most agree that ICT is a set of technological tools and resources used to process, manage and distribute information.

The world of Communication Technologies and Digitalization encompasses different elements that, when combined, allow people and organizations to interact in the digital world. These fall into two main categories: networks and terminals.

Networks make it possible to connect devices to one another and for these to communicate among themselves. Terminals or devices belong to the sender and receiver of information and are points through which individuals can access the information society.

Examples of Information and Communication Technologies

Although ICT-related technologies and devices are constantly changing and evolving, this list includes some that are already part of our daily lives.

• The internet. A network that connects millions of devices around the world and provides access to digital services and resources.
• Computers and mobile devices. Basic tools for accessing information, participating in online learning activities and creating digital content.
• Digital storage. Electronic data archiving on hard disks or USB drives.
• Cloud-based storage. Data can be stored and accessed over the internet, without the need to keep it on local devices.
• Video calls. Real-time video and audio communications over the internet.
• Email. Allows messages to be sent and received over the internet. E-banking and apps that allow banking operations to be carried out over the internet.
• Virtual communities. Groups of people interacting with each other online: forums, social media or collaborative platforms.
• Online sales and marketing systems. Platforms and tools that allow products and services to be sold over the internet.
• Social media. Online platforms that allow users to create profiles, share content, interact with other users and participate in virtual communities.
• Smartphones and mobile devices. Portable electronic devices that allow you to browse the internet, make calls, send messages, and perform other tasks.
• Mobile device apps. Software designed to be used on smartphones and other mobile devices.

Benefits of ICT in education

The impact of ICT has been, is, and will be very important in our society, affecting both the individual and professional spheres. And in that personal growth and in the way we work, we want to highlight the profound transformation that the incorporation of ICT has led to in the world of education, revolutionizing traditional teaching methods and opening up a wealth of opportunities. In fact, the UN declared that “To advance our national and international aspirations for education and lifelong learning, we must harness the strengths of digital technology.”

Transforming learning with ICT

Incorporating ICT in education has brought about a major change in traditional teaching methods. The greatest impact of ICT in education has been through the possibility of accessing education “anywhere, anytime”. Distance learning and the flexibility it offers has broken down the physical limits of access to education, democratizing knowledge.

Additionally, digital tools promote more personalized and, consequently, more effective learning. They also make it more attractive. The use of multimedia resources such as videos, interactive content, podcasts and simulators offers students a more dynamic and enjoyable way to learn.

ICT in education has also played a fundamental role in research. The immediate and comprehensive use of up-to-date data has made it possible to develop innovative educational projects based on the real needs of students.

Advantages of ICT in the classroom and teaching

ICT has brought many advantages to the classroom and to the teaching-learning process. Some of the main benefits of ICT are:

• Flexibility. ICT allows learning to be adjusted to each student’s abilities, pace and knowledge, helping them to learn in a more personalized way.
• Accessibility. Students have unlimited access to up-to-date information, which helps them complete their assignments more effectively and expand their knowledge.
• Communication. Educational platforms help students communicate with each other and with their teachers, making it easier to resolve doubts and share ideas.
• Autonomy. Each student is the master of their own learning process, which fosters autonomy and commitment to their education. In addition, the appropriate use of ICT can be a key tool for reducing early school drop-out by making learning more attractive and accessible to all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
• Teamwork. The ease of online communication fosters collaboration among peers, creating a more dynamic and cooperative learning environment.
• Access to education. Today, anyone, regardless of where they live or their economic situation, has the opportunity to access quality education thanks to ICT.
• Variety. ICT gives us access to different sources of information, such as texts, images, videos and audio files, which makes learning more varied and enriching.
• Personal growth. The use of these tools stimulates high-level skills, which are fundamental for personal and professional growth.
• Participation. ICT makes it easier to work in teams, exchange ideas and involve all learners.
• Engaging learning. By making lessons more dynamic, interactive and tailored to students’ interests, ICT makes learning more fun and engaging.

Impact of ICT in early childhood and elementary education

According to the Spanish Ministry of Education, “Digital competence involves the safe, healthy, sustainable, critical and responsible use of digital technologies for learning, working and participating in society, as well as interacting with these.” This same body goes on to say that this competence includes information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, media education, digital content creation, security, digital citizenship issues, privacy, intellectual property, problem solving, and computational and critical thinking.

That is why the use of ICT in infant, elementary and high school education is particularly necessary since learning in different areas of computer science begins at an early age. In fact, children at this stage will have their first contact with ICT and will begin to develop their digital skills and critical thinking. Teaching young people how to prevent the risks of abusive ICT use is a priority for the entire educational community.

By the end of elementary school, students should have learned how to perform guided internet searches and develop a critical attitude towards the results obtained. They should also know how to develop simple digital content to express ideas or make presentations. Students should finish elementary school with some experience in school activities or projects using virtual tools or platforms.

Regarding the use of ICT in elementary education, students at this stage should begin to identify risks and learn about preventive measures against misuse under the guidance of their teacher.

In high school, students go a step further in their knowledge of ICT and acquire the skills to perform tasks in a self-sufficient way. They work according to their own criteria and are able to develop basic digital skills on their own.

These tasks include: performing searches according to different criteria and being able to archive information. In addition, they must be able to identify risks and take preventive measures to protect devices, personal data, their health and the environment, and begin to  adopt habits for the critical, safe, healthy and sustainable use of these technologies.

ICT tools and their use in the classroom

There are many tools for transmitting knowledge in an interactive way, making it more attractive to students.

Thanks to these, teachers can create learning experiences that are more dynamic and adapted to each student, taking into account their needs and ways of learning. Teachers can therefore design much more interesting activities, encourage teamwork and critical thinking, and provide students with access to quality educational resources.

In addition, ICT tools play an important role in making education more inclusive, as they help facilitate learning for students with special needs or learning difficulties.

Most widely used ICT resources

Below, we highlight some of the most commonly used ICT resources in the classroom:

• Educational tools: various programs for creating quizzes, games and activities that support the content in an entertaining way. In this respect, Fundación MAPFRE has developed a series of educational activities for parents and teachers.
• Tools for setting up a virtual classroom: online resources that allow teachers to create a virtual classroom where they can organize the content of their course, add their students, communicate with them and create assignments.
• Content creation tools: resources and programs that allow students to create visual presentations, infographics and other types of materials in a professional and creative way.
• Specialized tools: these provide virtual environments where students can experiment with the acquired knowledge in an interactive way.

Examples of ICT resources in education: virtual classrooms, platforms and more

ICT has facilitated the transition to virtual classrooms, a trend that has been on the increase, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the most prominent ICT tools include:

• Virtual classes: many tools, like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, make it possible to conduct online classes, with the possibility of sharing screens, chatting and making video calls.
• Educational platforms: the educational offer is vast. The platforms offer free or paid online courses covering a wide range of topics with interactive materials and online assessments. In the area of culture, Fundación MAPFRE provides schools with online materials that enhance students’ knowledge of art.
• Collaboration software: Google Drive and OneDrive, along with several others, allow students to share documents, do group work and store their materials securely in the cloud, facilitating access from any device.

Collaborative learning with ICT

Collaborative learning is that in which heterogeneous groups of students work together to solve tasks. The use of ICT resources has transformed this type of work, and not only because of the possibility of performing it from a physical distance: ICT’s potential for collaborative work can also be put into practice within the classroom. Here are some suggestions:

• Teachers can divide the class into small groups and have them work together on digital platforms, where everyone can provide input from their own device.
• They can set up virtual boards where students can share ideas and thoughts, sending them directly from their devices, getting everyone actively involved.
• Social media can be a great tool for students to enable them to do group tasks, even at a distance. This not only helps them to work as a team, but also allows them to improve their digital skills, always under the guidance and supervision of the teacher. One tool that teachers can use in the classroom is Controlatic a network control guide developed by Fundación MAPFRE, to teach young people how to use social media safely and responsibly.
• They can also create simple web pages, such as blogs, where several students can collaborate at the same time. In the end, everyone in the class can see what has been created, and the teacher can support the process as a moderator and evaluator, helping to make the learning process more dynamic and participatory.

Challenges and disadvantages of ICT in education

The educational community faces a series of challenges when it comes to digitally transforming classrooms to meet the demands of these new generations of students. In order to overcome this challenge in the educational field, it is necessary to address, among other issues, how to generate and treat content in the digital environment, how to improve the digital competence of teachers, and how to manage the infrastructure necessary to stay connected.

Challenges of integrating ICT into the classroom

Despite the innumerable benefits that the use of ICT in the classroom entails for learning, most schools face major challenges when it comes to implementing it in the classroom. These include:

• Inequality in access to technology. Between different schools and even within the same class, each student’s opportunities to access the appropriate devices are very different. As technology enters the classroom, the important thing is to avoid creating educational gaps.
• Resistance to change. Some teachers who consider themselves to be totally “analog” are not at ease with the use of ICT. Training and teaching support are essential to help them overcome this barrier.
• Disinformation and distractions. Letting technology into the classroom and allowing an internet connection presents risks, such as access to unverified information or constant distraction. Teachers must support the students so that they learn to browse the internet responsibly and safely.
• Inclusive education. Flexibility and personalization in education make ICT an important tool for inclusion. The challenge is to prevent access to these technologies from becoming a new barrier for people with physical or mental disabilities.

Common difficulties and how to overcome them

To effectively integrate ICT in the classroom, a joint effort is required from the entire educational community to overcome certain difficulties that may arise, such as the lack of information for educational teams, the reticent attitude of some teachers, the lack of investment by institutions, or the lack of a long-term vision for the maintenance and updating of ICT.

To overcome these disadvantages of ICT in education, it is crucial to implement effective strategies, such as:

• Ongoing training for teachers, so that they can keep up to date with digital tools and integrate ICT effectively into their classrooms.
• Ensuring equitable access to technology, through programs to distribute devices and aid for students in vulnerable situations.
• Promoting the balanced use of ICT, ensuring that digital resources complement traditional methods and do not completely replace face-to-face interaction.

The role of teachers and the future of ICT

The role of teachers has changed profoundly with the consolidation of ICT as a key teaching tool. Today’s teachers, in addition to transmitting knowledge, are also guides who support students in their use of digital tools and promote collaboration and critical thinking.

The role of teachers in the digital era

If the way of learning has changed, teaching approaches must adapt. The role of teachers and their teaching methods must evolve to encompass the new way in which younger generations conceive knowledge.

In addition to being guides, mediators and supports, teachers should promote practical exercises that encourage the students to search for, select, and file the most appropriate information. In addition, teachers must encourage a participatory community favoring student input and suggestions.

As for the assessment system, in their new role, teachers must continuously and personally monitor each student, evaluating individual progress.

Technological innovations and distance education

COVID-19 tested distance education systems and ICT became a key tool for maintaining teaching continuity.  Thanks to video calls, collaboration platforms and multimedia resources, students were able to keep learning from home. This trend is here to stay and it has paved the way for distance education to keep being another option when it comes to choosing a study path. 

The future of ICT in education

ICT has a very promising future in the classroom. With advances such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, gamification, and machine learning, education will become more personalized, interactive, and even immersive.

In short, ICT is essential if we are to transform education, improve access to content and the quality of learning, and prepare students for what awaits them in the future. With the right training and the right integration of these technologies, there are so many more possibilities for learning and teaching thanks to ICT.