EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY: IT’S ROLE IN EDUCATION

The present age is called as era of Information Technology. The growth and developments of the IT is one ofthe most significant achievements of the present century and educational instituations are no exception to thesechanges. Technological progress and innovation in the most areas have significantly increased within the recentdecades. No area has experienced a more rapid growth than that of IT. The Internet and web in particular, arechanging, the ways the people are continously communicate with each other: exchange idea, information, doresearch, business and study. The use of microprocessors has led to the increasing computing power for teaching,learning, decreasing cost, etc. The role of IT in schools has been shifting dramatically from traditional chalkboad,classroom, i.e. chalk, walk and talk to an instructional aid i.e., Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) to help studentsand teachers to learn different subjects. In some countries, IT is now at the centre of education reform efforts thatinvolve its use in coordination with changes in curriculum, teacher training, pedagogy and assessment. Educators areincreasingly aware of the need, and concomitant demand to have skills to access the information to enable them tocontinue learning through their Teachers have to use computer and educational Technologiesto achieve new goalsin their job, supported by IT. They should use computer to perform teaching, clerical and administrative tasks. Theyshould also use computer for instructional design, curriculum planning and utilizing software tools to design andproduce multimedia lessons, tutorials and quizzes.