Will Information Technology Kill the Classroom?

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I reflect deeply about the future of education in Nigeria and the world in general. What is the impact of technology in education? How does technology affect the methods and potential of learning? Will technology kill the classroom? From my research, I have found some interesting answers…

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Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life it is perhaps the greatest of God's gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, of arts and of sciences
-Freeman Dyson


Information technology (IT) involves the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and networks for the processing and distribution of data  (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary). The term is commonly used for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones.

The method we store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data has evolved drastically; therefore, information technology has changed the techniques, purpose, and perceived potential of education. It has brought a new world order of speed, dynamism and creativity, and has opened an era called, the limitless world. A world where my teacher lives in China and I live in Nigeria, yet, my teacher and I communicate daily through various mediums. A world where you and I can access millions of information in a jiffy.

At the age of 16, I was initiated into the technological world; I enrolled in a computer training institute with the belief that I had found the best way to while away time until I was admitted into the university the following year. A month into my training, I was fascinated with the numerous methods I could manipulate text, pictures, and videos. I was engaged. One thing was for sure, I had learnt that with technology, you could do anything – almost anything.

The arrival of the personal computer, together with the World Wide Web browser technology, has fuelled the demand for faster, cheaper, more reliable computing technologies accessible to nearly everybody (Kroeker, 2000 cited by Craig Furneaux). Today, almost every human being has a personal computer with internet access; and can get a house full of information with a click of their fingertips. We are in the information era; where information is the main commodity of trade. This era has also fuelled the necessity to create smarter and portable systems that can fit into our palms. Technology experts keep fulfilling the “more portable” dream and have developed the iPad, iPad 2, iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy, iPhone, Samsung Mobile, Blackberry, and so on, to satisfy the desire to carry information with us everywhere. Technology has become ubiquitous.

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