ICT in education: Benefits, Challenges and New directions

The presented work gives an overview of the state of the art of ICT in education, at the end of the second decade of the 21st century. Current and needed policies, benefits, challenges and risks in the use of ICT are explained. A clear distinction between using ICT as a supportive tool from using ICT as a pedagogical means in education is the main driving force of this work. For this reason, the cognitive, pedagogical and affective benefits of using ICT for teaching and learning are projected to specific, also advanced technologies available today and their role is analyzed through examples. Finally, a critical review towards the current technological, research and pedagogical aspects of ICT in the educational procedure is provided, and the main directions that efforts should be taken towards are discussed.