The Importance of Information & Communication Technology
The increasing use of technology in all aspects of society makes confident, creative and productive use of ICT an essential skill for life. ICT capability encompasses not only the mastery of technical skills and techniques, but also the understanding to apply these skills purposefully, safely and responsibly in learning, everyday life and employment. ICT capability is fundamental to participation and engagement in modern society.
ICT can be used to find, develop, analyse and present information, as well as to model situations and solve problems. ICT enables rapid access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures, and allows pupils to collaborate and exchange information on a wide scale. ICT acts as a powerful force for change in society and citizens should have an understanding of the social, ethical, legal and economic implications of its use, including how to use ICT safely and responsibly. Increased capability in the use of ICT supports initiative and independent learning, as pupils are able to make informed judgements about when and where to use ICT to enhance their learning and the quality of their work.
Key Concepts
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of ICT. Pupils need to understand these concepts in order to deepen and broaden their knowledge, skills and understanding.
- Capability
- Using a range of ICT tools in a purposeful way to tackle questions, solve problems and create ideas and solutions of value.
- Exploring and using new ICT tools as they become available.
- Applying ICT learning in a range of contexts and in other areas of learning, work and life.
- Communication and collaboration
- Exploring the ways that ICT can be used to communicate, collaborate and share ideas on a global scale, allowing people to work together in new ways and changing the way in which knowledge is created.
- Exploring ideas and manipulating information
- Solving problems creatively by using ICT to explore ideas and try alternatives.
- Using ICT to model different scenarios, allowing people to identify patterns and test hypotheses.
- Manipulating information and processing large quantities of data efficiently.
- Impact of technology
- Exploring how ICT changes the way we live our lives and has significant social, ethical and cultural implications.
- Recognising issues of risk, safety and responsibility surrounding the use of ICT.
- Critical evaluation
- Recognising that information must not be taken at face value, but must be analysed and evaluated to take account of its purpose, author, currency and context.
- Reviewing and reflecting critically on what they and others produce using ICT.
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