Use of Technology in Primary School Education

The study is meant to explore the use of educational technology at the primary school level in (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa). The main objectives of the study are to investigate the usability, importance of educational technology, availability and whether primary school teachers are utilizing the educational technology tools for the teaching-learning process. For this kind of research two different questionnaires used for the collection of teacher and student data. After the processing of collected data, the researchers decided that educational technology useful for teaching & learning process at primary school level in pkp.

Education means to bring about desirable changes in the behavior of an individual according to the demands of its concerned society. The primary level is an important stage in the child’s educational life. If a teacher makes the entire concept clear to a child then in future the student will be able to handle the difficult things easily (Suleman, 2008). The word technology derived from the Greek language “techne” or ”technique” which means art. Educational technology is the development application and evaluation of system, techniques. which improve the process of student learning. It is more practical, less theoretical and fast growing modern discipline. Educational technology enabling the child to find, manage, evaluate and use information retrieved from the calculator, charts, electronic dictionary etc. By providing access to a range of information technology resources.

The children can also discuss his or her findings, and share them with others using presentation and authoring software. Educational technology provides opportunities for children to learn about the world beyond their classroom and also afford opportunities for children to develop learning skills, thinking skills, including problem-solving, and communication skills. Educational technology is complicated, comprehensive and integrated process which involves many things like, people, ideas, procedures, devices and organization design to evaluate problems and it also includes other various processes like, devising, implementing, evaluating and managing solutions to those problems which involve all aspects of human learning (AECT, 1977).

Educational technology is a broad subject and it is impossible to cover it as a single subject. Therefore, it is further divided into four classes i.e. instructional technology, teaching technology, behavioral technology, and instruction design or management technology (Sharma & Sharma, 2006). Instructional technology is “the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning”(Seels & Richey, 1994, p.1). Teaching technology is a unification of academic systems which is designed to enhance the effective design of the teaching-learning process, to solve the problems which are faced during teaching and learning process and to improve the quality of the information which are presented (Isman, 2002). Educational activities are those activities which are designed to bring about desirable changes in the behavior of the students. Therefore, behavioral technology is broader than educational technology.

According to Smith & Ragan (2005) the management technology as “the systemic and reflective process of translating principles of learning and instruction into plans for instructional materials, activities, information resources, and assessments”.

Characteristics & Aims of Educational Technology: Educational technology has played an essential and revolutionary role in the education system. It has determined and boosts the teaching-learning process. However, the major objectives of the educational technology in education are described below.

• Educational technology is involved in three aspects of education e.g. input, teaching-learning process, and output.
• Educational researches have no impacts on the existing educational problems because these researches have theoretical nature. Educational technology has played an important role in solving classroom teaching and training problems practically and experimentally.
• The main problem in teaching learning process is to handle individual differences in an effective way. The educational technology has developed the strategies to ensure the solution of the same problem.
• Educational technology builds up educational theories for teaching and instruction and makes a scientific foundation for education. (Sharma & Sharma, 2006, pp.57-58).
• Educational technology makes the classroom teaching more effective & easily modify the skill of the teacher and the learner.

Role of Educational Technologies:

• According to Sharma. & Sharma (2006, p.40), the important role of the educational technology are described below;
• It analyzes and evaluates the teaching-learning process.
• It develops and organizes suitable instructional materials for the teaching-learning process.
• It prepares teachers in the use of new teaching technology.
• Educational technology has played a vital role in equalizing educational opportunities without taking into consideration the social, economic and geographical position of the learners.
• to investigate the availability, usability, and usefulness of educational technology at the primary level.
• to explore whether teachers are trained for the effective use of educational technology at the primary level.

It is a survey type research in this research the researcher personally visits each primary school in Khyber pakhtoon khwa and distribute the questionnaire sample by own hands among the teachers and students and provide basic instruction about the filling of questionnaire sample. The nature of the study is descriptive, for this researcher used the statistical tools/methods to calculate the data. By this way, we easily collect the trustful data. Population: All the teachers and students at the primary level in kpc are the population of this research.

Only nineteen lack thirty-seven thousands and one hundred ninety-seven (1937197) boys & girls primary school students; and one lack forty-nine thousand two hundred ninety(149290) of primary schools Male & Female teacher data needed for the completion of research. Questionnaire: Two questionnaires are designed for data collection and summarized the data in the table for more calculations.