Technology and its Use in Education: Present Roles and Future Prospects

Preparing students for lifelong learning requires new approaches to education that incorporate technologies increasingly a part of students’ everyday lives. While the importance of reading, writing and arithmetic still holds true, educators need to look at these and other subjects in new ways, using readily accessible technologies to engage and inspire students to take a more active role in learning. It's accepted that a well-rounded education is a gateway to personal success. It sets students on a path to life-long learning that enables them to succeed in a changing world. Through education, individuals can expand their mind and embrace new ideas and opportunities, and at the same time, build better lives for themselves and their communities. In a world where geographic boundaries are blurring, student also need the flexibility to connect with and collaborate with people anywhere at any time-communicating information in more dynamic, engaging ways. For today's students to become tomorrow's leaders in science, technology, healthcare, the arts and other areas, they need to know how to use all the technological tools at their disposal. If our country is to successfully integrate technology into education, it should address the needs and concerns of those on the front lines-our nation's teachers. This efforts increased open communication among all the education's key players.

New technologies on their own will not bring about improvements in educational quality, but when we change our mindsets to use them reflectively and strategically, teaching learning processes can be deepened. This includes living behind paradigms of teacher as master. Creative and contextualized appropriation of new technologies contributes to more active and interactive pedagogies, increased motivation, updated teaching materials, discovery of self and others, and changed roles and relationships among teachers and students become partners in accessing information, constructing relevant knowledge, and representing self and others.

The purpose of the present paper is to focus on the essential benefits and uses of technologies or ICTs in education. It also attempts to highlight the role and future prospect of technologies in education.