The world we live in today is very different from what it was a century, even a few decades ago. This transformation has been driven in part rapid technological innovation. While the 19th century saw the rise of the Industrial Revolution, with steamed powered machines intensifying and expanding human productive power, the 20th century was characterized by the birth of machine-powered flight and the our nations more and made possible new ways by which humans could live and work together. In the past fifty years, especially, technology has made information, once a scarce resource, abundant. With computers and internet technologies in particular, more people can now have access to more information more quickly than ever before. Moreover, the exponential growth in access to information has led to a corresponding exponential growth in the production of new information, and this has forced us to rethink our notions of what we need to learn and how we should learn it. Educational institutions acknowledge that they must move a pace with the technology driven changes in the society and economy. In today’s knowledge society, not only must schools ensure that learners possess the competencies to wield these new information and communication tools productively, they must equip learners with the critical and analytic tools necessary to live and flourish in an information-saturated environment. Mastery of facts has become less important the ability to contextualized these facts and derive their meaning within specific contexts. Thus, learners, must develop three foundational skills: 1.) how to find information; 2.) how to determine if what is found is relevant to the task at hand and; 3.) how to determine if the relevant information is accurate. “ 1 Acquisition of these three foundational skills sets the parameters for the use of ICT in schools. The tools that in part created the demand for information literacy skills in the first place can, if used effectively, be the best tools to help learners meet these demands. The integration of ICT in the teaching and learning process is potentially, one of the most variable interventions towards educational reform. The models of effective ICT use, however, cannot be constructed overnight. A variety of technological, circular, institutional, cultural and financial issues need to be addressed and the complex interaction among these various factors means that the best practice models would involve” thought, experimentation, and a willingness to spend the time to develop and refine strategies until they are proven to be effective.
By: Ria A. Cortez | Teacher III | Limay National High School
