A must-have list of ICT terms in education

The ultimate glossary of ICT terms and their definitions – critical for teachers starting on their digital education journey!

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South African learner in robotics class
Term Definition
21st Century skillsskills needed to live in the digitised 21st Century, e.g. information technology and media skills; learning and innovation skills such as collaboration, critical thinking and creativity
adaptive learning tools/systemsprograms that adapt (change) the content and process of learning offered to learners on the basis of their response to questions and tasks
analyticsdata generated by user engagement with content and assessment that can provide insight and guidance for intervention if required
animationsa series of slightly different pictures, photos or illustrations that are viewed rapidly in succession to create the illusion of movement similar to that of a video or film.
AndroidAndroid is an operating system developed by Google for smartphone
asynchronouslynot occurring at the same time
augmentationdigital technology that directly substitutes print, for example, and improves either the quality or variety of the content that is made available for teaching and learning purposes
bandwidththe rate at which an internet connection can send and receive a volume of information
broadbandalways-on internet access
blogginga personal journal/record of events captured on a website
central processing unit (CPU)a component of a device that provides processing power, necessary for the running of programs or applications
collaborative learningthe practice of learners working together to complete a task or solve a problem
collaborative toolsdigital tools that allow learners to work together in online environments
computing-based toolstools that require a computer
connectivitythe ability to connect with other computer devices via the internet
content delivery systemscomputing-based systems that structure and manage the delivery of content and assessment to learners
desktop computers (also known as personal computers (PCs): designed to fit onto a desk top
digital educationthe use of electronic tools that create, store and process information to deliver and enhance teaching and learning
digital learning programscomputer programs that teach content and test learners’ understanding of the content
e-learninganother term for digital education
embeddedplaced in a computer file or program
enhancementsadditions that improve the quality of something
ePDFa digital document that is formatted as an embedded portable document (PDF stands for portable document format; commonly referred to as books behind glass, ePDFs are simply digitised versions of paper books
ePUBan electronic publication that can be used across devices and operating systems; it allows text to reflow and resize in order to fit the type of device on which it is viewed
formatsarrangements of data in a file or program that allows it to perform certain unique functions
functionalitythe ability to do something
gamificationturning an experience into a game-like process by using elements of game design
hardwarecomputer equipment such as monitor, mouse, keyboard and CPU
hyperlinkslinks in a digitised document that, when clicked on, take the user to another part of the document or to an external location, such as a website
information and communication technologies (ICTs)information and communication technologies
interactive whiteboardselectronic whiteboards that are connected to a computer and can perform the same functions as the computer to which they are connected
interneta global network of computers that connects them to one another
iOSiOS is an operating system developed by Apple for smartphones
laptop computerscomputers that are small enough to fit on the user’s lap and can perform all the same functions as desktop computers
learner management systemanother term for content delivery system
mobile learningthe use of mobile devices and/or mobile networks to deliver teaching and learning
modificationthe degree to which something is changed; in the context of SAMR, the learning tasks that are set are substantially different from those that are set without the benefit of digital tools
offlinenot connected to the internet
onlineconnected to the internet
online discussion forumsonline websites that allow users to engage with one another usually from remote locations
Open Educational Resources (OERs)educational material – typically electronic or digital – available at little to no cost and can be used, shared and/or adapted
operating systemsthe software program that enables a computer or other digital device to perform certain functions
platformsthe software or hardware used to host a particular website or other type of digital tool
podcastsa popular form of audio broadcasting on the internet
redefinitionto change the definition of something; in the context of SAMR, to allow learners to perform tasks that were not previously possible
SAMR(substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition): a framework for understanding the impact of digital tools on education
simulationsvirtual representations of real-world scenarios and tasks
smartphonesmobile phones that are connected to the internet
softwarecomputer programs
substitutionreplacement; in the context of SAMR, learners use digital platforms as a direct replacement of other forms of content delivery without any change in the nature of the task or the teaching and learning method
synchronouslyoccurring at the same time
tabletshandheld computers that have flat screens and can connect to the internet
touch screensa computer display screen where the user interacts with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen; this includes the keyboard which exists as software in a tablet
USB diska portable storage device for digital files
virtualnot physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so
website(s)a set of pages on the World Wide Web published by a single person or organisation about a particular subject or closely related topics
widget(s)interactive component that responds to user input