Information and Communication Technology to Enhance Reach and Effectiveness of Physics Teaching

Abstract

The availability of tech-savy and skilled human resource is one of the major factors affecting the growth and development of a country. Education plays a vital role in shaping the human resource. Education is a key factor for deciding the human development index (HDI). Our constitution makers have directed Union and State governments to take necessary steps and frame policies to bring education within reach of citizens of the country. The methods of imparting education and learning have been debated and modified to suit the changing requirements. The teacher centered class-room teaching is still most widely used way of imparting education in India. It needs to be modified to suit the modern requirements, if not fully replaced by other methods of learning. The information and communication technology (ICT) is looked as a means of upgrading and overhauling the complete education system. In medicine, tourism, travel, business, law, banking, engineering and architecture ICT’s impact is enormous. However education is lagging far behind in this regard. ICT can reform our education system to bring it at par with global systems without compromising our social values. The use of ICT in imparting education makes it learner oriented rather than the present teacher oriented system. ICT allows teachers to work as coaches and mentors of students rather than content experts. It is believed that ICT encourages and support independent learning. Physics lies at the heart of most of technological developments. So the knowledge of Physics should be given to the learners in a very effective manner. Smart classes will definitely enhance the reach and effectiveness of Physics teaching; however it would require a huge investment. This paper tries to find out ways and means in which ICT should be introduced in Indian education system with special reference to physics teaching to enhance its reach and effectiveness.