Affect Of Implementing It In Education

Education has always been an important part of childhood, upbringing and life in general and is what allows a person to prosper and succeed. Now due to information technology, education has developed in as many ways possible, allowing access to a wide range of information and resources while recognising different learning styles through interactive learning and developing creativity and encouraging motivation. This change has not been an easy one but the advantages are vast, numerous and noticeable as technology has moved to classrooms and evolved to suit the daily needs of students and teachers today and encouraging the most important part of a student's learning: independent learning. My research question was chosen to allow me to discover the benefits of using IT in the early years of education and how it allows the development of independent learning for the future. Moreover, in regards to the social and ethical impacts of this research question, the social impacts in this essay is discovering if IT has really helped students in the classroom to improve their skills and independence and if it is an ethical tool for both the teacher and the students to use in a learning environment. Therefore, my investigation will allow me to discover the truth behind the impact of IT in the classroom and come to a valid conclusion of the results to understand the impact on young students. Enhancing Motivation Using IT

It has been proven that technology enhances motivation in students to continue using computers at other times of the school day and that "Teachers providing IT activities offering opportunities for active, independent learning can increase students' motivation to learn." Therefore, IT engages and extends pupil's learning and has had a great impact on student motivation, which plays an important role in education, where students need enthusiasm to be interested in what they are learning. This may be due to the improvement of quality and functionality of technology such as user friendly interfaces, making these capabilities responsible for the increased interest of computers among students as it is something they are familiar with as they are surrounded by it. This helps to motivate because learning from something they are comfortable with increases interest and knowing how to use these facilities encourages students to improve. This enables children to be independent lifelong learners who are keen to use the tools around them to improve, as they become motivated. This develops skills that will be everlasting and allow them to attain higher levels of achievement.

Interactive Programs in Learning

Technology such as programs that revolve around a particular subject such as maths or English are very motivating, especially to younger students learning basic skills in the subject. The programs include programmed learning that tests a child as they work independently, for example with the handheld console LeapFrog . Educational software and hardware such as this allows children to move at their own pace without the pressure of face-to-face contact with an adult. It also allows students to be tested according to their own ability and students will be unafraid to make mistakes, as the program will not become irritated if a child is unable to understand. Moreover, as the student's attainment becomes higher the level of the program will increase, testing the child, which can be motivating. There is a benefit to using interactive programs in a child's learning, as the market today has many Smartphone applications, CDs and games and much more available which provides a vast amount of choice for varying levels and subjects. However, in my own experience, the applications available on Smartphones are the most beneficial. A recent report by Encyclopædia Britannica has revealed, "Pupils at primary schools who use educational apps on smart-phones and tablets are performing better in their lessons" the research was carried out online by 510 parents in the United Kingdom of children aged between five and eleven with at least one smart device, in March 2011. The study reveals that forty per cent of parents who download educational apps say their child`s academic performance has improved. While also helping attainment and concentration inside of the classroom. Therefore, these educational apps support children's learning as it gives new opportunities to practise, research and study by using other methods rather than the traditional textbook, allowing pupils to gain more control over the direction of their learning and become more independent.