Role of ICT in teaching and learning of Biology

The rapid advances recently made in ICT have very important implications for us, as biology educators. As we begin the 21st century it is almost impossible to imagine what ICT will be like by the end of the century. We can already start to see how these advances are changing our ideas about traditional education. Advances in ICT will mean an enormous increase in the amount of information available to our students as they study their courses and as they move into the workplace, but this must not be the limit of our expectations. If we wish to provide our students with a quality education in Biology, we must consider more than mere transmission of information and facts. We must take account of what the educational research tells us about learning. We can employ ICT better in the future to change teaching and learning in Biology more fundamentally by promoting such activities as networking, communities of learning and research, interdisciplinary problems, individualized learning etc. Biology (and all of science) progresses through a process of inquiry, rather than just building a body of factual information. The way we utilize ICT informed by the research findings will be of vital importance to high quality biology education for our students. The Internet can be used to create learning environments where students are allowed to explain and defend their thinking, opinions and decisions. The future looks very exciting from a biology education viewpoint. ICT thoughtfully implemented has the potential to profoundly influence learning in biology for the better. However, if we wish to gain the most benefit from the advances in ICT, we must ensure that its implementation follows sound pedagogical guidelines informed by educational research. This will require profound changes in our attitudes as Biology teachers. The technology will provide us with great opportunities for our own learning and professional development.