Unit 9: ICT to Keep School Records

Information management (IM) is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that information. Management means the organization of and control over the structure, processing and delivery of information.

In the past management of information was largely limited to files, file maintenance, and the life cycle management of paper-based files, other media and records. With the proliferation of information technology starting in the 1970s, the job of information management took on a new light, and also began to include the field of Data maintenance. Information management was no longer a simple job that could be performed by almost anyone. An understanding of the technology involved, as well as of the theory behind it became necessary. As information storage shifted to electronic means, this became more and more difficult. By the late 1990s, when information was regularly disseminated across computer networks and by other electronic means, network managers, became in a sense information managers. Those individuals found themselves tasked with increasingly complex tasks, hardware and software. With the latest tools available, information management has become a powerful resource and a large expense for many organizations.

In short, information management entails organizing, retrieving, acquiring and maintaining information. It is closely related to and overlapping with the practice of Data Management.

Unmanaged content is taking a huge toll on today’s businesses: it affects productivity, complicates regulatory compliance, increases business and legal risks, and drives up the cost of doing business. Hence the essence of information management can be explained clearly by the process diagram below.

The student registration process is an elaborate activity that involves the registration of students when they are admitted to the institution. The purpose of registration process is to determine which students will be taking different courses within the institution and for the administration to keep its records up-to-date. This includes students admission registers, class attendance registers, hostel registers, fee registers and progress records registers. ICT application in schools can be explained by the diagram below.

It is generally agreed that ICT is a crucial resource in education. Children use computers from an early age and continue to university level. They are also taught practical ICT skills that are transferable into the workplace.

Information management in schools offers an advantage in that it’s a cheap and fast way to access a huge amount of resources that are regularly updated, and hence enables accessibility of information whenever it is required allowing teachers and even students to continue their work at home. It also encourages computer literacy which is helpful in an increasingly technologically-orientated world. Teachers upload course documents as well as other materials helpful for the classroom management.

Components of School Management System

The main features of school management system are: