This page is a glossary of ICT terms and definitions for teachers. It covers foundational technology, online safety, digital learning and AI words you are likely to meet in school.
It is a personal reference, not institutional guidance. Fast-changing products appear as examples, not as the definition. Last reviewed: 30 August 2026.
How to use this glossary
- Start with the four sections, or jump by letter.
- Where two terms are often mixed up, the third column names the mix-up.
- For classroom use, treat definitions as starting points. Local policy, curriculum language and vendor names still need checking.
Jump: A B C D E G H I L M O P R S T U W
Foundational ICT
Core devices, networks and file formats. These terms sit underneath most school technology conversations.
| Term | Meaning | Often confused with |
|---|---|---|
| Android | An operating system developed by Google and used on many smartphones, tablets and other devices. “An Android” in everyday talk usually means a phone or tablet running that system, not the operating system itself. | A brand of phone. Several manufacturers ship Android devices. |
| Bandwidth | The transmission capacity of a connection: how much data it can carry. Teachers often hear it used as if it were the speed a class actually gets. Capacity and experienced speed are related, but they are not the same. | Broadband, which is a class of internet access, not a synonym for bandwidth. |
| Broadband | High-capacity internet access. The International Telecommunication Union has long defined broadband as transmission capacity faster than primary-rate ISDN (about 1.5 or 2.0 megabits per second). National regulators set their own consumer speed floors, and those numbers change. It is not simply “always-on internet”. | The speed one classroom happens to have today. |
| Browser | Software used to open pages on the web, such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. | A search engine. The browser is the window; the search engine is a service you open inside it. |
| Cloud computing | Using computing services, such as storage or software, over the internet rather than only from a program installed on a local device. School examples include online document suites and hosted learning platforms. Data still sits on someone else’s computers, so access, cost and privacy need checking. | “The internet” as a whole, or a local school server. |
| Central processing unit (CPU) | The part of a computer or device that carries out instructions and runs programs. | Memory or storage. The CPU processes; storage holds files. |
| Desktop computer | A computer designed to stay on a desk, usually with a separate screen, keyboard and pointing device. A personal computer can be a desktop, a laptop or another form. The two phrases are not synonyms. | Any computer a person owns. |
| Hardware | The physical parts of a digital system: screens, keyboards, devices, cables, servers. | Software, the instructions that run on hardware. |
| Hyperlink | A link in a page or document that takes the reader to another place in the same file or to another location, such as a website. | A bookmark saved only on one device. |
| Information and communication technologies (ICT) | The devices, software, networks and practices used to create, store, share and use information. In schools the phrase often covers computers, mobile devices, the internet and classroom tools, and now overlaps with digital competence and AI use. | One product, such as a laptop scheme or an app. |
| Internet | The global network that connects computer networks to one another. The web is one set of services that runs on the internet, not the whole internet. | The World Wide Web, email, or a school Wi-Fi network. |
| iOS | Apple’s operating system for iPhone. iPad uses iPadOS. Saying “iOS device” for every Apple tablet is therefore imprecise. | macOS, which runs on Mac computers. |
| Laptop computer | A portable computer with a built-in screen and keyboard, able to do the same kinds of work as many desktop computers. | A tablet, which is usually flatter and more touch-first. |
| Operating system | The software that manages a device and lets other programs run. Examples include Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and ChromeOS. | A single application, such as a word processor. |
| PDF (Portable Document Format) | A file format for exchanging documents so they can be opened and printed across different software, hardware and operating systems. Adobe created it; it is now an open ISO standard. In some education publishing, ePDF is used loosely for a fixed-layout digital book that still looks like print. That is jargon, not what PDF stands for. | ePUB, which is designed to reflow on different screens. |
| Platform | The software or service that hosts a tool or set of tools, for example a learning platform or a video-meeting service. In schools the word is often used more loosely than engineers would like. | A single file, or the device in a learner’s hand. |
| Search engine | A service that finds pages and other results matching a query, such as Google, Bing or a library discovery tool. | A browser. |
| Smartphone | A mobile phone that can run apps and connect to the internet, not only make calls. | A basic feature phone. |
| Software | Programs and applications that tell hardware what to do. | Hardware. |
| Tablet | A handheld computer with a flat touch screen, used for reading, writing, browsing and apps. | A laptop with a detachable keyboard, which sits between the two. |
| Touch screen | A display the user controls by touching, rather than only with a mouse or trackpad. | The whole device. A touch screen is the input surface. |
| USB flash drive | A small portable storage device for digital files. Older school materials may say USB disk or memory stick. | Cloud storage, which is not in your pocket. |
| Website | A set of pages on the web, usually published by one person or organisation about related topics. | A single file, or a social-media profile. |
Classroom example: “The lesson PDF will not open” is often a software or device problem, not proof that “PDF” failed. Check whether the file is actually a PDF, whether a reader is installed, and whether the device can open it.
Online safety and responsible use
Terms that help teachers talk about privacy, harm, access and care. School policy still decides what is allowed.
| Term | Meaning | Often confused with |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Designing websites, tools and materials so people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with and contribute to them. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative treats this as essential, not optional extra polish. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 are a current shared standard. | A single overlay widget that claims to “make the site accessible”. |
| Assistive technology | Tools that help someone do a task they would otherwise find difficult or impossible, such as a screen reader, captioning, switch access or text-to-speech. | Accessibility, which is about the design of the resource itself. |
| Cookies | Small data files a site stores in the browser. Some are needed for login; others track use across sites. Learners should not have to accept tracking in order to read a worksheet. | Viruses. Cookies are not malware by themselves. |
| Digital identity | The information, accounts and traces that represent a person in digital systems. DigComp treats managing digital identity and digital footprint as a competence, not only a password. | A school username alone. |
| Encryption | A way of encoding information so that only authorised people or systems can read it. Useful on school devices, but it is not a complete privacy policy. | A password. A password is a key; encryption is the lock. |
| Malware | Software designed to harm a device, steal data or disrupt a system. | A slow computer, which may have other causes. |
| Ransomware | A type of malware that locks files or a device and demands payment to restore access. School backups and offline copies matter more than paying. | Any file that will not open. |
| Multi-factor authentication | Signing in with more than one check, such as a password plus a code or device prompt. It reduces the damage of a stolen password. It does not remove the need for careful sharing of learner data. | A stronger password on its own. |
| Phishing | A deceptive message that tries to obtain passwords, money or access by impersonating a trusted person or organisation. School inboxes and parent groups are common targets. | Spam. Unwanted mail is not always an attempt to steal access. |
| Privacy and data protection | Rules and practices for how personal information is collected, stored, shared and deleted. DigComp includes protecting personal data and privacy as a digital competence. Local law and school policy decide the detail. | Copyright, which is about owning and licensing works, not personal data. |
Classroom example: A “free” quiz app that asks for a class list is a data-protection question before it is an ICT-skills question.
Digital learning
Terms used when technology is part of teaching, assessment or publishing.
| Term | Meaning | Often confused with |
|---|---|---|
| 21st-century skills | A loose label for skills often listed alongside digital life, such as collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and information handling. Different frameworks name the list differently. Use the curriculum or competence framework in front of you rather than treating the phrase as one agreed standard. | ICT skills alone. |
| Adaptive learning tools | Programs that change the content or path offered to a learner based on their responses. In AI policy language, adaptiveness can also mean a system that changes its behaviour after deployment. In class, ask what the tool is adapting to, and who can see that data. | Any quiz that marks right or wrong. |
| Learning analytics | Data from learners’ use of content and assessment, used to notice patterns and, sometimes, to guide support. It is only as fair as the data, the questions asked and the human judgement applied. | A markbook, or automated proof of learning. |
| Asynchronous | Not happening at the same time. Forum posts, recorded lessons and submitted tasks can be asynchronous. | Synchronous work, which happens together in real time. |
| Collaborative learning | Learners working together to complete a task or solve a problem. Digital collaborative tools make that possible at a distance; they do not by themselves create collaboration. | Sharing a file while one person does the work. |
| Creative Commons | A set of public licences that let a creator keep copyright while granting permission in advance, such as attribution, share-alike or non-commercial conditions. Useful for finding and sharing teaching materials. Not every Creative Commons licence is an OER licence in the UNESCO sense, because some forbid adaptation. | “Copyright-free.” The work is still under copyright; the licence grants specific uses. |
| Digital education / e-learning | Using electronic tools to create, store, share and support teaching and learning. E-learning is often used as another name for the same idea. Neither phrase tells you whether the pedagogy is any good. | Emergency remote teaching, or a pile of PDFs in a folder. |
| ePUB | An electronic publication format designed to reflow and resize across devices and operating systems. | A PDF that has been renamed. |
| Gamification | Using elements of game design, such as points, levels or challenges, in a learning activity. It can motivate; it can also cheapen the task if the game layer replaces the thinking. | A full educational game. |
| Interactive whiteboard | A large display connected to a computer, used for teaching at the front of a room. It can support good lessons or expensive lecturing. The board is not the pedagogy. | A learner tablet. |
| Learning management system (LMS) | Software that gathers course materials, communication, assignment handling, quizzes and grade reporting in one place, for classroom and fully online courses. EDUCAUSE describes a typical LMS as an integrated suite of online resources and communications tools. Older local wording such as “learner management system” or “content delivery system” is not the standard name. An LMS is also not a student information system, which holds enrolment and administrative records. | A content folder, a video call, or the school’s learner database. |
| Mobile learning | Teaching and learning that uses mobile devices and/or mobile networks. It includes planned use of phones and tablets, not only “learning while walking about”. | Any lesson that happens to mention a phone. |
| Open Educational Resources (OER) | UNESCO defines OER as learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright released under an open licence that permits no-cost access, reuse, repurposing, adaptation and redistribution. Low cost without those permissions is not enough. | A free-to-read page that still forbids copying or adaptation. |
| Podcast | An audio series published on the internet, usually in episodes. | A one-off voice note. |
| SAMR | Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition: a classroom heuristic for noticing whether a digital tool is replacing an old task, improving it, changing it, or enabling something that was not previously possible. It is a prompt for design talk, not a scientific law and not a ranking of teachers. | Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is about cognitive demand, not tools. |
| Simulation | A virtual representation of a real-world situation or task, used for practice or explanation. | A video of the real thing. |
| Synchronous | Happening at the same time, such as a live lesson or a scheduled video call. | Asynchronous work. |
Classroom example: Putting last year’s worksheet into the LMS is substitution. Asking learners to comment on one another’s drafts in the same platform can be a different task, if the comments are actually used.
AI terms
Short definitions for school conversations. UNESCO’s teacher AI framework treats human agency, ethics and pedagogy as part of competence, not extras after the tools.
| Term | Meaning | Often confused with |
|---|---|---|
| Algorithm / recommender system | An algorithm is a set of steps a computer follows to complete a task. A recommender system uses such methods to suggest content, people or products. In school this can mean reading lists, video next-up, or “you might like” panels. The suggestion is not a professional judgement. | A teacher’s recommendation. |
| Artificial intelligence (AI) | The OECD definition, also used in the EU-US terminology list, is: a machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers from the input it receives how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments. Systems differ in autonomy and in how much they change after deployment. This does not mean the system understands as a person does. | Any digital tool, or a particular chatbot brand. |
| Chatbot | A conversational interface that responds in text or speech. Some school chatbots are rule-based. Many newer ones use generative AI. Do not assume every chatbot is an AI system, or that an AI chatbot is a tutor. | A search engine, or a human helpdesk. |
| Confabulation (also called hallucination) | When a generative AI system produces inaccurate or false output that can still look plausible. The EU-US terminology list notes that this can include invented historical or biographical detail, and that it comes from statistical prediction and patterns in training data, not from a person lying. | A bug that always shows an error message. Confabulation often looks fluent. |
| Deepfake / synthetic media | Media, often images, audio or video, generated or altered so that it can appear to show real people or events. Detection from surface cues is unreliable. Check source, context and provenance instead. See also why media literacy matters. | Any edited school photo. |
| Generative AI | AI systems that produce new content such as text, images, audio or code from patterns in data. The OECD update added “content” to the AI-system definition so that this class of system is in scope. | Every use of AI. Predictive marking tools, for example, may not generate essays. |
| Large language model (LLM) | A language model trained on very large text datasets, usually able to generate text and sometimes to classify or answer questions. It is a component, not a whole school policy. | AI in general, or the chat window on top of the model. |
| Machine learning | A branch of AI concerned with systems that improve at a task by adjusting model parameters from data, rather than being given an exhaustive hand-written rule for every case. “Learning” here is a technical process, not human understanding. | A teacher changing a lesson after marking books. |
| Misinformation and disinformation | Misinformation is false or misleading information spread regardless of intent. Disinformation is false or misleading information spread in order to deceive. DigComp 3.0 treats tackling both as part of digital competence. Neither term is a synonym for “news I dislike”. | A genuine mistake in a textbook, which still needs correction but is not a campaign. |
| Multimodal AI | AI systems that take or produce more than one kind of input or output, such as text plus image or speech. | A tool that only pastes captions under a photo. |
| Prompt | An input to a generative AI system that describes the task or the information the system should respond to. | A search query, which is related but not identical. |
| Prompt engineering | Designing and revising those inputs so the system is more likely to produce a useful, relevant response. It is a practical craft. It is not a guarantee of accuracy, and it is not a substitute for checking the output. For a longer walkthrough, see fundamentals of prompting. | Programming, or a secret that removes the need to verify. |
| Training data | Data used to fit an AI system’s learnable parameters. It shapes what the system can do and what it may reproduce. Schools rarely see the training set behind a commercial tool; that is a reason for caution, not a reason to invent a story about how it was “taught”. | The examples you type into a chatbot today, which are inputs, not the original training set. |
Classroom example: Asking a chatbot for “five questions on photosynthesis” can save drafting time. The teacher still has to check scientific accuracy, reading level, and whether the questions actually assess the intended thinking. For a fuller primer, see introduction to AI and machine learning.
Related pages
Sources
Definitions above are written for teachers. Where a term has an official wording, that wording is summarised rather than copied at length.
- UNESCO, Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER), 2019. unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/recommendation-open-educational-resources-oer
- OECD, updated definition of an AI system. oecd.ai/en/wonk/ai-system-definition-update
- EU-US Trade and Technology Council, Terminology and Taxonomy for Artificial Intelligence, second edition. nist.gov/document/eu-us-terminology-and-taxonomy-artificial-intelligence-second-edition
- Adobe, “What does PDF mean?” adobe.com/acrobat/about-adobe-pdf.html
- ISO 32000-2:2020, Document management, Portable document format. iso.org/standard/75839.html
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, Introduction to Web Accessibility. w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/
- W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
- European Commission Joint Research Centre, DigComp 3.0. DigComp 3.0
- UNESCO, AI competency framework for teachers, 2024. unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391104
- Lang, L. and Pirani, J. A., The Learning Management System Evolution, EDUCAUSE / ECAR, 2014. educause.edu LMS bulletin
- International Telecommunication Union, Birth of Broadband FAQ, citing ITU-T Recommendation I.113. archived ITU FAQ
- Creative Commons, licence overview. creativecommons.org/cc-licenses/
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