CAN TECHNOLOGY SHAPE LEARNING IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS?

Technology affects almost every part of our lives, our communities, our homes. Yet many higher institutions are far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning. Many are just beginning to explore the true potential technology offers for teaching and learning. If the use of technology is fully utilised, technology will enable students to acquire the skills necessary to survive the complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy.
Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. any technology tool must support the main key components of learning which are :active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback and connection to real-world experts. Technology also changes the way in which teachers teach, offering educators effective and efficient ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert, and coach. Technology can helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun.
Technology allows participants in the two-way learning process to communicate and interact better primarily through the opportunities presented to improve lectures with a variety of audio-visual tools, enhance the flexibility of presentations through interactive technology, improve the sharing of resources including new knowledge and processes, and demonstrate complex concepts in a clearer manner. In essence, the transfer of knowledge in education becomes smoother because technology assists in transmitting it in a faster and clearer way, with ample space for graphic manipulation and stimulation of human interest.
Of course, technology provides for the important bases of communication – the storage of past data and the instant feedback on present information. For this reason, too, technology is an excellent tool for assessment purposes as well as advocacy issues between the students and the teachers.