The Importance of Information Technology-Based Tools in Successful Project Management - Coursework Example

Running Head: INFORMATION AGE Information Age Name Institution Date Introduction Information age is an idea that the present age will be exemplified by the capability to transfer information freely and to have immediate access to facts which would have been hard to find previously. The notion is associated with the concept of Digital revolution and entails the effects of a shift from traditional industry through industrialization then finally to an economy which is purely based on manipulation of information. The ability to read and think critically is therefore a necessary requisite in the current age both to the students and the entire business world. They determine the end results of the set objectives. Importance of Critical thinking Critical reading involves observing details and remembering facts after going through a written document. Most of the reading materials that are of college-level have complex issues with challenging attributes. The students are required to draw conclusions, analyze new material with the application of the knowledge they have acquired, make comparisons on the available information and argue on the basis of thereon (Hubert, 2000). College students are required to apply relevant strategies in order to achieve the intended objectives. When employed, they are expected to positively contribute while at places of work and be involved in making strategic decisions about important issues through the application of the critical reading skills. The strategies of critical reading need to be utilized for analyzing and evaluating the material being read. Attempts should be practiced by college students in polishing their reading habits. The swift changes in information Technology in modern years have provided current high school Curriculum capability of coping with several student needs. This is due to the fact that information has massively changed over a couple of years and is also available everywhere. Therefore, more students possess or acquire suitable skills requisite in today’s information era. To be precise, many college and university students have the skills to search effectively and efficiently for information needed. Therefore, Students are required to acquire this information anywhere. This is aimed at ensuring that they are able to fit in today’s world (Doyle, 2002). Purposeful reading The need to have a purpose for reading certain text must be considered. This helps to assimilate and keep information that is crucial for the objectives that is required to meet a particular objective. The importance of having a purpose in critical thinking is to evaluate, grasp, answer or apply what is being read. Understanding the intention for reading on selected material helps individual to critically think of the message and identifying its role in achieving crucial objectives. The skill to read and write is a task that involves access to schooling, prevailing social, persisting on basic learning and cultural outlook to literacy (Klose, 2000). Administrative, Commercial intellectual, religious and "revolutions" of the 15th century onward has facilitated and enhanced the supply of information, education and fueled a budding demand for more information and instruction thereon. The consequence of the changing information and that of acquiring literacy largely depended on an ample variety of issue. Wealth, expected job opportunities, sex, employment for children, inheritance laws and even the language an individual speaks in everyday life—all played their important part. Thus literacy is fully enhanced because of "push" and "pull" aspect. For Instance, there is the need or push of religiously inspired information on the market fluctuant (Hubert, 2000). Identification of the main idea The ability to grasp the main message provides a basis for analysis and assessment of the content. It also helps in stimulating the reasoning, summary and argument making. Key message creates and unifies issues and facts to apply as evidence to base on the argument. Pre-reading the material is always necessary and it involves the interpretation and assessment of the written material relating it to the main ideas. Effective investigative reading helps in distinguishing literal word meanings from suggestions in the contents. Reading critically evaluates the arguments made. The second attempt is to judge the context to determining the audience in the text. This helps to evaluate anticipation of the proceedings in the text. Differentiation of the various reasoning types and the organization of the text identifying the analysis should be made by the author. It is also essential to observe the evidence within the text for arguments made and the sources for originality purposes (Knott, 2005). Critical thinking plays a major role as it helps one in monitoring his or her understanding while reading a document. Thinking critically about some text materials involves reading critically to understand it and then evaluate its statements. Therefore it is quite clear that these two skills work hand in hand though critical reading has to be given the first priority (Doherty, 2005). Reading critically aims mostly at ensuring that a certain topic has been fully addresses and that the presentation of evidence, use of familiar knowledge and presentation of a conclusion depending on the previous arguments and facts is done. Critical readers always need to be assured of the identified tasks being used comprehensively and consistently in a written document before making evaluations on agreeing to statements and conclusions made. Information in the business world may come as result of technological investment and innovations. Due to the increased level of competition in the market more organization are required to adapt to the new technological information in the market. “Innovate or simply die’’ is what most of the organization are operating under the rule. Information about the market changes day-in day out, as result of this changes business is advised to be much flexible. The information about the technological advancement of the business is everywhere, starting from journals, TV, newspaper and even magazines. Following the report analysis by Doherty (2005) which involves evaluating the use of critical thinking for information skills, the results were that most universities do not attain the expected outcome. Students graduate but do not have basic skills to efficiently apply globally in their professions. The skills of thinking logically, writing and speaking coherently need to be practiced by students and be tasted on the fundamentals of research. The outcome of the report gives a challenge to the universities to restructure their models of instructions and introduce the inquiry-based education. This prepares students to be researchers. The students in their respective faculties as learners should understand that they are knowledge discoverers as well as learner. Assessment and analysis skills should be the values for efficient education. According to Daly (2001) humans beings continuously process information. Thinking critically involves processing the available information carefully, correctly, and precisely and making it very much reliable, reasonable, and dependable so that it enables one to make accountable decisions concerning everyday life, performance and actions and making assumptions and outcomes from these decisions made. Reading skills are very much required for critical reading. They help the reader to change the written material into useful and achievable objectives that are fluent, logically interact with the whole idea and comprehend the message for meaningful decision making. Reading critically helps in critical writing skills. Knott (2005) suggests that one needs to critically think about the research previously done concerning the subject and come up with an analysis. This requires vigilant critical reading of the document and making some necessary arguments. Critical thinking is all about being willing and most of all able to evaluate critically one thinking (Daly, 2001). Thinking can be criticized since one is not required to have all necessary and relevant information - indeed, imperative information could remain undiscovered, or information at times may not even be known. An individual may make unjustified inferences, uses of a wrong concepts, or unable to discover important implications. One's thinking might be unclear, imprecise, inaccurate, illogical, narrow, irrelevant, shallow, or trivial. This might be as result of ignorance or misapplication of the suitable skills of thinking. On the other hand, one's thinking might be censured as being the result of a sub-optimal temperament. The dispositional aspect of critical thinking is mostly character logical. It tends to focus more on developing the habitual goal to be open-minded, truth-seeking, systematic, inquisitive and prudent when an individual’s tries to make judgments by students and business world. Conclusion It is to note that the digital era has brought about positive changes as far as the acquisition of knowledge is concerned. Learning in schools and colleges has been facilitated and the resultant outcome has been positive. Businesses as well as other entities have received a major boost leading to improved levels of production. Advancement of technology should therefore be fully embraced by different economies as a way of encouraging development of various sectors of the economy. References Daly, K. (2001). Critical thinking: an introduction to the basic skills. New Jersey: Broadview Press. Knott, (2005). Enhancing undergraduate learning with information technology. London: Academies Press Hubert, Ö. (2000) Business in the information age: heading for new processes. Chicago: Springer Publishers. Doherty, P. (2005). Critical thinking: tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. New York: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Doyle M. M. (2002). A study of the importance of information technology in higher education. California: University of California, Santa Barbara. Klose, J. J. (2000). Assessing the importance of information technology-based tools on successful project management. Harrisburg: Penn State Harrisburg. Read More