What could be the demerit of using ICT tools in classroom?

Answer: Impairment of independent thinking — over-reliance on ICT can reduce students' opportunities to think and solve problems on their own.

• Why this is a key demerit: Ready-made digital content, step-by-step solutions, and quick online answers can encourage passive consumption and shortcut the reasoning processes that build independent thinking.

• How it happens: When learners rely on devices or software to provide answers without analysis, they get fewer chances to practise problem formulation, hypothesis testing, and justification.

• Other listed concerns (brief):

  • Cost is a logistical and equity issue that affects access and scale, not the direct cognitive effect on students.

  • Difficulty for late-developing learners can occur if content is not adapted, but good instructional design and scaffolds can address this.

  • Addiction or overuse is a behavioural risk that can be managed with rules, supervision, and balanced activities.

• Mitigation strategies:

  • Design tasks that require critical thinking (open-ended projects, research tasks, explanation and justification).

  • Use ICT as a tool for inquiry and creation rather than only for passive presentation.

  • Provide scaffolds and differentiated resources so all learners benefit, and set clear policies to prevent excessive use.