ICT is understood as a complex of artefacts, techniques, and knowledge for solving human problems involving information and its communication.
One key feature is the employment of electronic rather than mechanical means for storing, processing, and communicating information. Sometimes it is simply termed as the use of technology to handle information and communication (Stevenson 1997). The article examines how to use ICT tools in research.
Introduction
Several synonyms are used interchangeably with the term ICT. These include Information Technology and Computer Technology. Some would argue that IT fully encapsulates ICT; that is, the word Communication in ICT is somewhat superfluous.
Others argue that the information, without being communicated, is worthless in impacting development. What is clear is the need to identify the driving force of computers and computer software and the need to make more efficient decisions that impact development in a significant way.
Focus 1
Until very recently, the main forms of communication, such as phones, fax machines, and electronic,c mail, were used by a select band of people, who were considered elites in society. Today, these tools are easily affordable to even the lowly in society.
The main driving force has been that information has become a commodity resource to be utilised efficiently for a competitive edge(AMR Research 2004).
Focus 2
Computing and telecommunication technologies have converged to unleash a lot of computing power and communication possibilities that must be harnessed to improve the productivity and profitability of the pair.
This has, in turn, brought on social pressures, which are in silence, the way work is done, the amount of leisure where the technology will head in the next ten years, but we know for sure that for a long time to come.
ICT tools will significantly impact how we live, how much leisure time is available, as well as social interactions, standards of living, and economic relationships among nations.
The Computer and the Internet
ICTs are defined by two very important and interconnected components:(a)the computer, and(b) different types of computer and telecommunications networks, among which are telephone networks, Local Area Networks of computers(LAN), and the Internet.
Focus 1
The Internet is itself a network of different connected individual computers.
The Computer: The computer is designed as general-purpose equipment that can be used for different information collection, conversion, analysis, and transfer applications, depending on the software that is used with it.
Focus 2
In other words, computer equipment is necessary for computing applications, but the sufficient requirements are (i) software (or computer programs)for processing information and
(ii)The researcher’s knowledge of the different ways a computer can be used to facilitate the different stages of research, and (iii) the researcher’s skills in using particular software to facilitate the information collection, analysis or reporting aspects of the research process.
Amid current developments, the computer has had a central role. Computers are getting to control almost all aspects of our lives and work. They are making old methods of work rapidly obsolete.
Focus 3
Decisions have to be made from time to time, and computers lend themselves to good use in aiding decision-making because of their speed and accuracy.
Computers have also applied the way and manner of information to facilitate effective communication.
Computers continue to be employed mainly due to the advantages relating to:
Reduction of computational errors
More effective control procedures
A greater degree of systems integration
Simplification of problem solution by the use of software
A ready supply of information to impact the decision
making
The Internet
The Internet is simply a computer-based global information system, composed of interconnected networks of computers. It has brought information right to the doorstep of both the rich and the poor. It is cheap to use and deploy within an organisation (Microsoft 2003).
You probably have heard about or used electronic mail(e-mail)before. E-mail, and related facilities and services on the Internet, such as teleconferencing, telecommuting, and Internet browsing or surfing.
Focus 1
All are made possible between offices, organisations, regions, and countries through the networking of computers by various types of telecommunications media and equipment, including ordinary telephone lines, fibre-optic cables, satellites, microwave channels, telephone switchboards, modems, etc.
Such networking of computers by communications media and equipment is referred to as the Internet if the network spans the whole world, as a wide area network (WAN). If it spans an area greater than about 5 kilometres,
Focus 2
A local area network (LAN) spans a small area, less than about 5 kilometres, as an intranet. If it connects only the computers of the same organisation, irrespective of location, then an extranet fits links and computers to those of its clients, and so on.
Think of the Internet as millions of computers interconnected by the computer and telecommunications networks of the different countries of the world.
Some of these putters are actively connected to telephone lines twenty-four hours a day, waiting to attend to other computers, or send, receive, store, or forward messages, computer files, and other instructions between themselves on behalf of their users.
Focus 3
The messages, files, and instructions are transferred between the computers in the form of electronic signals through the interconnecting telecommunications network.
The signals are exchanged between the computers much in the same fashion as people exchange telephone calls among themselves.
Computers on the Internet are classified into two main types: servers and clients. Servers are computers that have extensive data processing, storage, and communication capabilities, and that can receive and send signals to many other computers simultaneously and are usually on twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.
Focus 4
Servers are usually perpetually actively connected, waiting to receive or send messages and data among themselves.
Other computers that lack these capabilities are referred to as clients and often must connect to nearby servers [usually owned by Internet Service Provider (ISP) organisations] to connect to other servers and client computers on the Internet.
ICT in Research
Let us begin by considering the following two propositions:
Research involves collecting and processing data, and exchanging and using information to improve knowledge.
Computers, and more generally, information and communication technologies (ICT), are designed for processing data, exchanging information, and using the information to improve knowledge.
Focus 1
These two propositions imply that ICTs are the quintessential tools for research, and researchers in all fields are expected to arm themselves with the knowledge and skills of how to use them to boost their research productivity.
It is also important to reiterate here that the process of research comprises the following four major stages of activity: Conceptualisation of research;
Design(of the methods of research);(11)
Data collection and analysis); and
Reporting of research findings.
Conceptualising and Designing Research
The process of conceptualising and designing research requires the synthesis and application of ideas through the communication of different information sources, institutions, and documents.ICTs facilitate such processes by providing fast modes of communication with people individually and institutions.
Moreover, an increasing proportion of the documents that must be consulted during research are now available in networked computer systems or computer media such as CD-ROMs.
Focus 1
First, communicating with people and institutions might entail using telephone networks to establish contact with other researchers, to establish an active network of fieldworkers for a survey, and/or to collect data from people(e.g.telephone interviews), etc.
Second, gaining access to information might entail connecting to the Internet to send and receive an e-mail, browsing websites for information, downloading documents for research, or using specialised software that can be used for analysing peculiar research data.
Apart from the personal use of e-mail by people to exchange messages, the e-mailing mode of communication has found important applications in the following contexts:
Fast and cheap information service. E-mail is the next fastest means of communication, after fax. However, email is much cheaper than fax.
Moreover, communication requires that both fax machines must be active simultaneously for a message to be sent and received. For e-mail communication, however, the message might be sent from the originating computer to an intermediate computer on the Internet.
Focus 1
The intermediating computer may then store the message pending forwarding when the intended recipient computer connects to the Internet.
Document delivery and data exchange. An important e-mail facility is the ability to send any computer-created document or file as an attachment to an e-mail message.
Hence, large documents containing formatted text, numeric data, and images(e.g.logos, photographs, signatures, etc) can be sent by e-mail, much faster than post or courier, and much cheaper than fax.
Focus 2
Bulletin boards. Bulletin boards are computers on which electronic notices may be “pasted’ by other computers by e-mail. Researchers can then use other computers to “visit’ and ‘browse’ the notices and information periodically.
Alternatively, such notices may also be automatically distributed by e-mail by the bulletin board to the list of subscribed computers on the Internet.
This entails using computer networks to compile and send important notices to subscribers through what is known as a list service or listserv.
Conclusion
Researchers can subscribe to different list services about their areas of research focus and thereby remain constantly informed of research developments, such as research grants, findings, conferences, meetings, etc.
Computer conferencing. This represents an application of email to send and receive contributions to a topic. The contributions are sent to a designated ‘moderator’ computer, which collates and summarises all contributions and distributes them to all computers participating in the conference. Read further related posts on our research page of the site.
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