ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE

21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

The term “21st century” has become the central part of educational thinking and planning for the future.

Creating a 21st century education system is about thinking sure that all students are prepared to succeed in a competitive world - a world with plenty of opportunities for highly skilled individuals and limited options for everyone else.

Instruction should be

student-centered

Student-centered learning is strongly encouraged in the 21st century.

Education is no longer about listening to the teacher talk and absorbing the information.

Instead of passively receiving information, the students would gather information on their own, under the guidance of the teacher.

Education should be

collaborative

Students must learn how to collaborate with others.

Students should be encouraged to work together to discover information, piece it together, and construct meaning.

Students should learn how to recognize the different strengths and talents each person can bring to a project, and change roles depending on those attributes.

Learning should have

context

Students will be much more motivated to learn something that they can see the value in.

Since we are no longer preparing students for specific tasks and roles, we need to take a more general approach and teach them the skills that are useful in any situation.

The Role of Technology in 21st Century Learning:

1.Technology allows for 24/7 access to information

2. Constant social interaction3. Easily created and shared

digital content

There is a call for action to integrate technology as a

fundamental building block into education in three broad

areas:

USE TECHNOLOGY COMPREHENSIVELY

TO…….

1. develop proficiency in 21st century skills.Even if all students mastered

core academic subjects, they still would be woefully underprepared to succeed in postsecondary institutions and workplaces, which increasingly value people who can use their knowledge to communicate, collaborate, analyze, create, innovate and solve problems.

2. support innovative teaching and learning

To keep pace with a changing world, schools need to offer more rigorous, relevant and engaging opportunities for students to learn-and to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways.

3. create robust education support

systemsTo be effective in schools

and classrooms, teachers and administrators need training, tools and proficiency in 21st century skills themselves.

IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS

OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Improvement of Teaching Analysis of the Teaching-Learning

Process Improvement of Learning Enhancing Goals of Education Training to Teachers Development of Curriculum Development of Teaching-Learning

Materials Teaching-Learning Strategies Development of Audio-Visual Aids Help in Overall Improvement Identification of Needs of the

Community