From Traditional Classroom to Online Learning: ICT as Change Agent to Boost Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

In this digital world, opportunities for education are available like never before and it is all because of advancements in the field of ICT. ICTs stand for Information and communication technologies and are defined as diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, to create, disseminate, store and manage information. These technologies include computers, the internet, broadcasting technologies and telephony as well as various services and applications associated with them. Information and Communication Technologies have become one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Developments in ICTs have impacted almost all sectors of society, including the education sector. The use of Information and Communication Technologies in education sector enables the learner to learn online. Online learning has attracted considerable attention among teens and young adults who tend to connect and share common interest. It has changed the way we learn as well as how we teach. The paper explores that the integration of Information and Communication Technologies in the education sector provide new opportunities to a massive number of learners to learn online from anywhere all over the world at their own pace and place without attending the formal classroom practices. It will also discuss about the various trends and platforms of online learning and the problems associated with the effective implementation of them. Moreover, the paper points out the merits of the innovative use of online learning in higher education and it is suggested that it could be a permanent change agent that boost innovation in higher education learning arenas.