Education
Advantages
Collaboration and information access
Technologies offer many opportunities to teachers and students collaboration service. By using the information system teachers and students can be able to collaborate virtually through emails, the e-conferencing and others. As for example in APIIT we do have webspace that give us opportunity to book consultation hours with lecturers, check web results, schedule, attendance and etc.
Technology like computers make possible to access to these materials and enables lecturers to work together to build lesson plan and curriculum for their classrooms.
Easy way of teaching and learning
Education technologies have made teaching quite easier for the instructors. Virtual classrooms allow an instructor to instruct and teach in any location around the world. Also computers, projectors make easy way to teach.
With the use of technology, information can be presented in many ways thus, facilitating learning for varied types of people. Any kind of learner, whether intelligent or disabled, can find appropriate study materials that can be used for enhancing knowledge. The term technology is very broad and not only includes the use of the Internet but includes other technological improvements such as smart boards and handheld dictionaries.
Provides distance learning capability
The increased use of technology in education has brought popularity to the concept of distance learning. It is now one of the most preferred methods of learning and teaching all over the world. Actual classrooms have been replaced by virtual classrooms. Online classes, which employ file transfers, chat rooms, and message boards, facilitate student’s interactions to maximize their learning experiences. Another benefit of this is that students can maintain a flexible education schedule along with their jobs.
Disadvantages
Psychological impacts
Psychological impact relates to distance learning. The lack of social contacts could be damaging to the social, moral and cognitive development of the students who spend long periods of time working alone on the computer.
Technology can lead to the traffic congestion
The universities, schools are big organizations that work with 1000 of students and staffs. So whenever there are a lot of students that using the system in one time it can affect to the network traffic for example, 200 students want to print out assignments in one time that will cause the problems with printers or use the WiFi that will lead to the very slow connection or the lecturers are having difficulties to teach students because of the projector problems or the server failure.
Negative impacts on health and safety
Study or job stress
Computers and IS may adversely affect students and lecturers health and safety as for example, the effects of the job stress. An increase in workload and responsibilities can trigger job stress and eyesight problems. And also radiation of exposure effects on health of the students.
Negative impacts on health and safety can be lack of proper ergonomics. Ergonomic techniques focus on creating an environment for the students that is safe, well lit, and comfortable but unfortunately not all universities or schools can afford this kind of devices such as antiglare screens that help alleviate problems of fatigued or damaged eyesight.
Organization
Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well.
Today personal PCs, cell phones, fax machines, pagers, email and internet have all not only become an integral part of organization culture but also play an essential role in our day to day activities.
For example, if we look at IBM Company we can describe some advantages of using IT or IS in order to lead a competitive advantage.
Advantages Globalization
IT has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the world's economy to become a single interdependent system. This means that IBM can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. As for example, IT helped a world developed into a global village by allowing countries like Japan and America who are not only separated by the distance but also by language to share information and ideas with each other.
Cost effectiveness
Information technology has helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions.
Creation of new jobs
Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analysers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT.
Disadvantages
Privacy
Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues as cookies that tract the employees processes. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge.
Security
Security is very important for the organization to continue the business processes. For example, cyber-crime, human errors and other threats exist to steal or damage the private information of the organization. To have strong security prevention needs to have a good budget to develop or purchase and a good IT support staffs.
Dehumanization and other physiological impacts
Many people feel a loss of identity, knows as dehumanization, because of computerization. Employees can have difficulties to work in a group as they depend on technology to use.
Interpersonal skills of a person/individual
Advantages
Communication or collaboration
Integrating communication and collaboration technologies enables individuals to expose to wealth information as Internet, video conferencing, video chatting, chats and others technologies have exponentially increased the amount and the speed of professional communication.
No matter that the other person is in different location, country the individuals can communicate with each other at anytime and anywhere.
Social Relationships
It allows individuals to gain a better perspective from experiences of other individuals which make the individual stronger. The individual relies on diversity on life experiences and a mix of genders.
Impact on health
It improves health by reducing stress related to compromises made between family and work responsibilities as for example by using cell phones to manage the working and family problems. Or online video games entertainment provides relaxation time while the individual have problems in their work or just being stressed from personal problems.
Disadvantages
Internet Addiction Disorder
Psychologists suggest the existence of addictive behavior patterns among heavy Internet users. Identified symptoms of the disorder include: (a) using the computer for pleasure, gratification, or relief from stress; (b) feeling irritable and out of control or depressed when not using it; (c) spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware, software, magazines, and computer-related activities; and (d) neglecting work, school, or family obligations.
In disagreement, some psychologists argue that the list of symptoms seems more oriented toward general personality disorders rather than real computer addiction.
Time consuming
IT can give disadvantages to individual in terms of time management. Individuals sometimes don’t have control on spending their time on the Internet by communication with people using facebook or other social networking.
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