Information and Communication Technology
ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are
defined, for the purposes of this primer, as a “diverse set of
technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create,
disseminate, store, and manage information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony.
In recent years there has been a groundswell of interest in how
computers and the Internet can best be harnessed to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of education at all levels and in both
formal and non-formal settings. But ICTs are more than just these
technologies; older technologies such as the telephone, radio and
television, although now given less attention, have a longer and richer
history as instructional tools. For instance, radio and television have
for over forty years been used for open and distance learning, although
print remains the cheapest,most accessible and therefore most dominant
delivery mechanism in both developed and developing countries. The use
of computers and the Internet is still in its infancy in developing
countries, if these are used at all, due to limited infrastructure and
the attendant high costs of access.
Moreover, different technologies are typically used in combination
rather than as the sole delivery mechanism. For instance, the Kothmale
Community Radio Internet uses both radio broadcasts and computer and
Internet technologies to facilitate the sharing of information and
provide educational opportunities in a rural community in Sri
Lanka.Similarly, the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India
combines the use of print, recorded audio and video, broadcast radio and
television, and audioconferencing technologies.
