CONCEPT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

THE CONCEPT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology deals with all the information activities. It includes all the various activities connected with the location, acquisition, processing, storage and communication of information. It is concerned with computing, micro-electronic and telecommunication equipments which make the location, processing and transfer of information feasible in the shortest possible time.

UNESCO defines IT as, “Scientific, Technological and Engineering disciplines and the management techniques used in information handling and processing, their application, computers and their interaction with man and machine, and associated social, economical and cultural matters.

In the field of education, large scale merging with information and communication technologies has taken place. Information technology has made classroom interaction very effective.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA

The IT @ SCHOOL is a project under the Directorate of Public Instruction of the Government of Kerala, which introduces Information Technology in High School Education for qualitative improvement of the conventional teaching / learning system.  

IT@School  is a project implemented by the govt. of Kerala for integrating Information Technology and Education. IT@School provides ICT enabled education to 1.6 million students per year in the state . It endeavors to enhance the intellectual productivity of teacher and the curricular comprehension of students.

The programme is aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning process at school, equipping the teachers and students to make maximum use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools available at schools, thereby setting up their school as the ultimate Knowledge Hub and also as a model for implementing a complete ICT enabled educational system.

As part of the project teachers from the selected schools will be trained in Information Technology and Information and Communications Technology to help them train children in various subjects with the aid of technology. The digital content created by the teachers using ICT tools will be added to an online information repository, which could later be used as an aid in teaching.

IT@School is the nodal agency for implementing EDUSAT network and runs an exclusive channel for education called 'ViCTERS' (Virtual Classroom Technology on Edusat for Rural Schools). The project has now associated with BSNL to provide Internet broad band connectivity to all high schools in Kerala.

In order to take the project ahead, Education Minister M.A. Baby has requested all the 140 Kerala legislators to nominate one high school in their constituency.

AKSHAYA PROJECT

Akshaya, an innovative project implemented in the State of Kerala aimed at bridging the digital divide, addresses the issues of ICT access, basic skill sets and availability of relevant content. Quality ICT dissemination and service delivery facilities (‘Akshaya Centres’) are set up within a maximum of 2 kilometers for any household and networked leveraging entrepreneurship.

Though originated as an initiative to address the backwardness of  Malappuram district, Akshaya was conceived as a landmark ICT project by the Kerala State  Information Technology Mission to bring the benefits of this technology to the entire population of the State. The modus for this was establishment of grass roots level ICT centres at the Panchayat / Municipal Ward level

Today, Akshaya is acting as an instrument in rural empowerment and economic development. The project is a catalyst in creating massive economic growth and creation of direct and indirect employment in the State by focusing on the various facts of e-learning, e-transaction, e- governance etc. Thus, the project is having a long-standing impact on the social, economic and political scenario of the State

In Malappuram district alone, Akshaya has conducted one of the world's largest computer literacy drives, claiming to reach over 600,000 households, representing more than 3.6 million people, in less than 6 months. The project has created a unique brand of state-funded computer access centers, and simultaneously led to a massive wireless infrastructure, providing a wide range of services and making way to many future opportunities.

The project offers a lot of services in 2008: E-Pay (electronic payment of utility bills like electricity, land phone, drinking water, university fees etc.); E-Krishi (for farmers to provide online agriculture trading and information portal, A to Z Solution) E-Vidya (advanced IT learning for e-literates and others; E-Ticketing (online train, flight, bus ticket reservations); PMRY online registration; online passport registration; online communication providers for nonresidential Indians; an online medical transcription course, with extension programs for all the above mentioned services.