ICT: Definition, Types and its Role in Developing 21st Century Skills

Introducing Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

The advancement of today's technology has made us realize that some things that seemed impossible are now possible. The so-called ICT, or the Information and Communication Technology has lingered in our society. Some of us may be familiar with it, but some of us may not. To have a deeper understanding of ICT and why it has become an essential factor in developing 21st century skills, here is some additional information about ICT. 

 

Definition of ICT

ICTs, or information and communication technologies, are described in this primer as a "diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information." These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony.

There has been a surge in interest in recent years regarding the best ways to use computers and the Internet to increase the efficacy and efficiency of education at all levels and in both official and non-formal settings. ICTs, however, encompass much more than simply these instruments; although receiving less emphasis today, earlier technologies like the telephone, radio, and television have a longer and more extensive history as teaching aids. Print continues to be the most affordable, accessible, and hence dominating delivery method in both developed and developing countries, despite the fact that radio and television have been utilized for open and distance learning for more than forty years.

Types of ICT

According to Lou and Lei (2012) there are four types of ICT namely: mobile, educational network, web-based, and classroom equipment. 

        Mobile - used for educational purposes that support different aspect of instruction or make new educational activities available. (Examples: Smartphones, PDA, GPS for augmented reality games, interactive response pads, Android mobile Apps)

        Educational network - online learning platforms that connect learners using social networking technologies, exhibiting similar functions to sites like Facebook or MySpace. (Examples: Ning, Classroom 2.0, Elgg)

         Web-based - a set of online application or services that expand learners' abilities to interact and collaborate with each other in the process of searching, receiving, organizing, and generating educational content. (Examples: Wiki, blog, podcast, social bookmark, virtual worlds)

          Classroom equipment - devices that are used in traditional classroom to facilitate the interaction between teachers and students in different class activities. (Examples: Computer, Projector, Interactive whiteboard, touch-screen computer)

Role in developing 21st century skills

ICT is widely used in contemporary society, thus it is possible to incorporate the digital component into 21st-century abilities. The seven essential abilities that ICT supports—technical, information management, communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving—are further discussed in this paper. These abilities are necessary for carrying out duties in a wide variety of vocations. Since they are frequently seen independently, we purposefully make a distinction between digital skills and 21st-century abilities here.

         Technical skills

Employees must be proficient in the knowledge and languages of the constantly evolving technology to preserve competitive advantage (Lemke, 2002). New technology is created in order to increase productivity; as a result, manual labor is being replaced by technology more and more frequently and technology is becoming integrated into most parts of employment (Fuchs, 2010). As a result of emerging, skill-intensive technologies, workforces must be ready to adapt regularly to changing job needs (Levy & Murnane, 2004). More professions now require technical abilities due to the complexity and ICT support of modern workplaces.

         Information skills

Employees across almost all economic sectors must be able to search for, assess, and organize information that frequently comes from various sources due to the quantity of information and data (Silva, 2009). Due to the ease of access to a variety of information sources, people must be able to detect when information is needed and assess the validity and importance of that information (Marchionini & White, 2007; Starkey, 2011).

        Communication skills

The ability to transfer information and ensure that meanings are effectively expressed by taking into account the audience and medium are crucial communication skills in the expanding service sector (Ananiadou & Claro, 2009; Katz, 2007). To succeed in today's social world, one must be able to properly balance their wants and ambitions with those of the greater society (Voogt et al., 2013). Employers need candidates with communication skills due to the interdependence of our global economy (Levy & Murnane, 2004).

         Collaboration skills 

Work is becoming more interdisciplinary, knowledge-based, and specialized. Employee collaboration is necessary due to task complexity because no single person can be an expert in all fields (Wang, 2010). As a result, teams of individuals with complementary skills and functions do work in an expanding amount of situations (Dede, 2010; Fraser & Hvolby, 2010). In order to complete their tasks, employees frequently rely on others (Bronstein, 2003). They require a clear awareness of both their own and their collaborators' duties in order to work together interdependently.

         Critical thinking skills 

Making decisions based on knowledge and communication that has been gathered while employing adequate thought and reasoning is referred to as critical thinking. It relates to the capacity for critical thought and deft judgment in determining what information or communication is pertinent in a certain situation (Gut, 2011). A crucial 21st-century skill is the capacity to sort through the volume of incoming data to create your own point of view (Dede, 2010). Employees need to be able to think critically in order to establish an independent perspective or opinion that is well-founded in the specific domain (Van de Oudeweetering & Voogt, 2018).

         Creativity skills

It is essential to be able to change information into new knowledge in addition to being able to process and transfer information. Previous studies have frequently argued that complicated issues demand original solutions (Kaufman, 2013). The generation of original and possibly beneficial ideas for products, services, or processes is a key component of creativity (e.g., Amabile, 1988; Oldham & Cummings, 1996). Employee creativity is emphasized as a requirement for long-term organizational performance (DiLiello & Houghton, 2008), so it becomes apparent that organizations must possess this ability in order to lead or adapt to change.

         Problem-solving skills

Employees require the abilities to resolve domain-specific issues since the workforce is increasingly challenged by difficult and unique difficulties (Autor et al., 2003). Problem-solving abilities are needed in complex, ambiguous, and novel situations (Keane et al., 2016). Problem-solving is frequently viewed as the knowledge and abilities needed to deal with complex, irregular situations (Funke et al., 2018). Although domain-specific knowledge is crucial, it is not the only factor. An employee must determine the processes required to collect this information, potential gaps, and necessary actions (Rausch & Wuttke, 2016).

Adding the digital components: 21st-century digital skills

Similar technical talents are described in the idea of 21st-century competencies. Workers require these abilities to utilize software or use a digital gadget. They are dynamic and require ongoing work to adapt to new techniques and technologies.

         Information digital skills

ICT's increased access to information necessitates the development of abilities for finding, analyzing, and organizing data in digital settings (Catts & Lau, 2008). Knowing how to effectively and efficiently discover digital information, describe information needs clearly, and choose digital information are all part of information management (Ananiadou & Claro, 2009). Workers must have the ability to assess the value of the source and its information for the task after having located the information. The ability to retain and organize digital information for quick retrieval is another talent that workers must possess. Due to the frequent use of various digital devices by today's professionals, they must possess the knowledge and abilities to disseminate and retain information across all of their digital devices (Song & Ling, 2011).

        Communication digital skills

ICT has made it simpler to communicate quickly, widely, and at a distance with a large audience. At any point in time and space, people can engage with one another, express themselves, and form relationships (Yu et al., 2010). ICT-based communication is viewed as a way to foster social connections and solidify social bonds (Hwang, 2011). It is crucial that employees understand how to use email, social networking sites, and instant messaging systems politely and productively (Lewin & McNicol, 2015; Wang et al., 2012). Within organizations and online forum groups, people are encouraged to exchange ideas and opinions (Lu & Lee, 2012). Workers must have the abilities to make contact with other team members, keep in touch with them, and share online content and media with them. Activities that include sharing content online include posting status updates, blog entries, images, and videos (Brandtzaeg et al., 2010).

        Collaboration digital skills

ICT is being used more and more to assist collaboration processes, which manage interdependencies over time to accomplish a common purpose. When teams need to share information and make choices across company and national boundaries, ICT is very helpful (Wang, 2010). Colleagues can instantly share ideas, information, and experiences by using collaboration software like chats (like Skype or WhatsApp). Therefore, employees must have the capacity to interact and work collaboratively with people outside of a strictly physical setting (Starkey, 2011). Additionally, concurrent work on the same document is possible with the aid of content management systems. Workers therefore need the abilities to collaborate on shared documents and projects regardless of time and location constraints (Lewin & McNicol, 2015). Understanding and managing information sharing within the company is even more crucial in today's knowledge society given the emergence of online collaboration platforms (Bălău & Utz, 2017).

        Critical thinking digital skills

Because people interact in and resources are developed in a global online environment with a variety of objectives and competencies, critical thinking has been suggested as being particularly crucial (Starkey, 2011). In this era of misinformation and fake news, online content must be properly evaluated. It is imperative that people are aware of its nature and origin. The emphasis is on the content of communications in relation to argumentation performance. Workers must quickly filter incoming online interactions and information in order to extract useful information (Dede, 2010). They must be able to elicit critical thought about the topics being discussed online and provide convincing arguments that guide the conversation.

        Creative digital skills

ICT may help creativity in a variety of ways, including concept development, idea creation, and idea realization (Loveless, 2007). Employees can evaluate multiple design ideas, experiences, and concepts in digital settings. Workers may now create and distribute material in novel ways thanks to Web 2.0 technologies. Weblogging, photo and video sharing, and other forms of online content creation are examples of online content creation (Brake, 2014). User-generated content creation has evolved into a widespread creative practice where the level of creativity affects how well the audience would respond to the content (Lai & Yang, 2014; Lessig, 2008).

        Problem-solving digital skills 

In a society where knowledge is plentiful, issues can be framed in a variety of ways, and there are several internet resources for answers. The drawback is that, even while there may be internet resources available to handle particular issues, they may go missed due to a lack of an integrated perspective (David & Foray, 2002). As a result, in order to construct problems or identify approaches to find the best solutions, employees need to be able to solve problems online. They need to be able to use their knowledge in different contexts, solve complex problems, and find multiple solutions (Barak, 2018). ICT has emerged as a key tool for connecting and obtaining information and for resolving issues.

Using ICT would greatly help us enhance our different skills to be able to adapt to our technologically progressing world. We must pursue and be open to learning new skills and be wise in utilizing these materials. Meeting new friends is like meeting ICT; we must familiarize ourselves with each other and learn to understand our attributes for a better connection. 

References

Tinio, V. L. (2003). ICT in Education.  https://e-learning.tsu.ge/pluginfile.php/183/mod_resource/content/0/ict_docs/ICT_in_education.pdf

van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2020). Determinants of 21st-Century Skills and 21st-Century Digital Skills for Workers: A Systematic Literature Review. SAGE Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900176