Information and communications
technology has been a very useful tool for recording information and passing
knowledge from one generation to another. Indeed, without information
technology, the progress of the world in terms of globalization would be a lot
slower or maybe there would be no progress at all, because information about
new discoveries wouldn’t be recorded and it would be difficult to pass on the
exact information to other people and to the next generation.
Recent economic history has shown
that, as developed countries approach the technological frontier, ICT is
crucial for them to continue innovating in their processes and products and to
maintain their competitive advantage. Equally importantly, ICT has proven
instrumental for enabling developing and middle-income economies to leapfrog to
higher stages of development and fostering economic and social transformation. (SCHWAB, 2009)
Information
and communications technology (I.C.T.)
is often used as an extended synonym for information
technology (IT), but is a more
specific term that stresses the role of unified
communications[1] and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers
as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems,
which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. (Carnoy, 2005)
I
found various articles and essays stating how important Information Technology
is. One of which say: “The Information isn’t just a natural history of a
powerful idea; it embodies and transmits that idea, it is a vector for its
memes (as Dawkins has it), and it is a toolkit for disassembling the world. It
is a book that vibrates with excitement, and it transmits that excited
vibration with very little signal loss. It is a wonder. (Doctorow, 2011) ” .
“ICT has the potential
to “bridge the knowledge gap” in terms of improving quality of education,
increasing the quantity of quality educational opportunities, making knowledge
building possible through borderless and boundless accessibility to resources
and people, reaching populations in remote areas to satisfy their basic right
to education.” (ADB, 2009) .
Information and
communication technologies (ICT) has proven to be a key enabler of socioeconomic
progress and development, enhancing productivity and therefore economic growth,
reducing poverty and improving living standards in many ways. ICT is
increasingly revolutionizing production processes, access to markets, and information
sources together with social interactions. ICT also has an impact on government
efficiency, fostering transparency and better communication and services with
and to citizens. (SOUMITRA DUTTA and IRENE MIA, 2009)
http://youtu.be/aBWriRGahf0
