Information technology (IT) and Instructional Technology (EdTch) serve different purposes but but can overlap in educational environment. Here's a comparision :
Information Technology IT :

purpose: IT refers to the use of computers, network and other physical devices to store, process and exchange information. It is a broad field that encompasses hardware, software, network and data management.

Scope: It is applied across various industries including finance, healthcare, education and more. It involves system administration, cybersecurity, datamanagement, cloud computing and IT support.

#Application: IT professionals manage and maintain systems that support the oprration of organizations. This includes setting up and maintaining servers, database, network infrastructure and ensuring data security.

Examples

• Setting up computer networks and servers in an organization.
• Managing database and ensuring the security of sensitive information.
• Setting up software applications for business operations.
Instructional Technology EdTech):

Purpose: Instructional technology focuses on using technology specifically to enhance teaching and learning process. It integrates tools like software, online platforms and digital resources to create an engaging educational experience.

Scope: While properly focused on education , EdTech can also be applied in cotporate training and professional development. It deals with designing, implementing and evaluating educational programs and materials.

Application : Instrutional technologists design curriculum, create digital learning resources, develop e-learning platforms and use data to improve educational outcomes. They might work on integrating new teaching tools or platform into the classroom.

#Examples:
• Creating interactive e-learning modules.
• Using Learning Management System (LMS) like Moodle or Blackboard to manage course.
• Implementing technology in classrooms like interactive whiteboards or tablets.
Key difference:

Objective: IT focuses the infrastructure and tools needed to manage and share information while EdTech aims to improve educational process through the use of technology.

Target audiance: IT serves all sectors whilre EdTech specifically target educators, students and learners.

#Tools and technologies: IT involves a broad range of technologies for vsrious business functions while EdTech focuses on technologies that support teaching and learning.
Overlap:
In educational iinstitutions IT and EdTech professionals often work together. IT provides the infrastructure (network, hardware security) while EdTech professionals ensure that these technologies are effectively used for educational purposes. For example the IT department mighg mange the servers that host an LMS while EdTech team design the course content delivered through that system.
Yousuf Memon
From Matiari Sindh Pakistan

Hello, every one I'm Yousuf Memon from Pakistan. I'm a High School Teacher and Teachers Trainer also. I'm certified Teacher Trainer for English by British Council. I want to take part in Teaching in the 21st Century 3.0 Teachers Competition.

@FarhanMehboob @Tabassumlaghari @Mariam @Aqsa-Khatri @Adel-8d693e36c4
Have you not read the poem "Children" by Henry Longfellow ? Who says children are source of joy who dispell all worries of others.
Here is the full text of the poem "Children" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Come to me, O ye children!
    For I hear you at your play,
And the questions that perplexed me
    Have vanished quite away.

Ye open the eastern windows,
    That look towards the sun,
Where thoughts are singing swallows
    And the brooks of morning run.

In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,
    In your thoughts the brooklet’s flow,
But in mine is the wind of Autumn
    And the first fall of the snow.

Ah! what would the world be to us
    If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us
    Worse than the dark before.

What the leaves are to the forest,
    With light and air for food,
Ere their sweet and tender juices
    Have been hardened into wood,—

That to the world are children;
    Through them it feels the glow
Of a brighter and sunnier climate
    Than reaches the trunks below.

Come to me, O ye children!
    And whisper in my ear
What the birds and the winds are singing
    In your sunny atmosphere.

For what are all our contrivings,
    And the wisdom of our books,
When compared with your caresses,
    And the gladness of your looks?

Ye are better than all the ballads
    That ever were sung or said;
For ye are living poems,
    And all the rest are dead.

So when you are gloomy go to children. They will make you happy.

@Engr-Zeeshan
3: What challenges have you faced in integrating technology, and how did you overcome them?
This question consists of two parts : challanges and solution of the challanges.
Challanges faced in integrating technology are:

1. Whether the administration of the school allow to integrate technology in teaching learning process or not. Particularly it is not officially allowed to integrate technology in teaching learning process. Still we are using traditional methods of teaching.
2. All the students don't haves access to technology.
3. Al parents of all students don't allow their childen to use technology for learning purpose.
4. Reaction from society: Anyone from society can raise objection on using technology for teaching learning purpose.
5. Reaction of colleague teachers: Colleague teachers can also raise objection on using technology for teaching learning as it is not officially allowed.
   The answer of second part of the question " How did you overcome them?" is after convincing administrstion, studdnts and their parents and colleague teachers technology can be used to some extent.

All 21st century skills are essential but in my opinion in all these skills creativity is the most important skill for children. All other skills have secondary importance but creativity has primary importance in my opinion. Creativity is such a skill which can lead a child to his livelyhood earning by himself easily and which will make him self sufficient. I don't deny other skills. No doubt they are also essential. So a child child should be taught different 21st century skills along with creativity.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1
I think if these 4Cs, which are considered as 21st century skills including some others I have already mentioned, are applied in proper way our teaching learning will be effective. Moreover an effective teacher is he/she who applies these 21st century skills in his/her teaching. In this way we can keep pace with the modern changing world. Othereise we will not only be left behind but will be no more.
Regards
Yousuf Memon

@MehranKhan
The best study hacks I've discovered are:

1. Active Recall: Instead of passively reading notes I quiz myself on the matetial. This reinforces my memory.
   2.Spaced Repetition: I review information at increasing intervals e.g after 1 day or 3 day or 1 week. This helps me transfer knowledge to long term memory.
2. Teach what you learn: I explain the concept to someone, particularly students or even myself. This reinforces my understanding.
3. Summarize notes: After studying I summarize the key points in my own words. This helps consolidate my understanding.
   These are some of my best study hacks that I usually use.
   Yousuf Memon
   Matiari Sindh Pakistan.

@Tabassumlaghari
You are right in saying that games positively affect learners mindset. I also think educationl games are very important. They leave positive effects on learners in following way:

1. They refresh learners minds.
2. They remove tiredness among students.
3. They increase physical growth too.
4. They help learners to learn fastly.
5. They teaches students collaboration.
6. They teach students team rules.
7. They increase their knowledge.
   It's good to learn that you've suggested some educational games bedides telling their positive impact on students. Keep up good work.
   Regards
   M Yousuf D Memon
   From: Matiari Sindh Pakistan.

@Bilim
Yes, I agree with it that students over15 are more creative than students of 10. As I teach students of grade ten. They are at the stage of 15 years age or some over 15. So it is my observation that my students who are 15 years old or over 15 are very creative. They create their own ideas. Similarly I teach some students of lower classes who are below 15 and some students who are below 10. So the students who are below 10 are not creative, some of them may be creative to some extent but they are not fully creative. And you are right that they can be somehow creative by cinquains poems as they are easy to understand according to their mental level. Here I give an example of cinquains poem which students of 10 or below 10 can understand easily and create their idea about it to some extent. The poem runs thus:
Flowers
Colourful, fragrant
Swaying, growing, blooming
Make me feel happy
Blossoms
From this poem little students of 10 years old and below 10 can create their idea about flowers easily. They can say that flowers ar colourful. Flowers give fragrance.
Flowers grow. Flowers bloom etc.
So I agree with you that this approach is applicable to students of 10 and below 10 for creativity.

Re: Get to know your fellow Forum members and tell us a bit about yourself in this discussion!
Hello! I am a secondary school teacher. I teach students of grade ten. I teach english subject. I have joined this forum recently for my professional development.
Regards.

@Mariam
Yes ma'am, you are right. I teach students of grade ten who at the stage of 15 years and some over 15 years. It is my abservation that these students are more creative than the students of below 15. You are also right that they are more sensitive. They create their own ideas. But ma'am Billin is right that students of 10 years and below 10 can be made creative through cinquains poems because these poems are easy to understand according to their mental level. Here I suggest a cinquains poem which runs thus:
Cats
Curious, playful
Sneaking, pouncing, sleeping
Always fun to cuddle
Feline.
From this poem students of 10 or below 10 can create their idea about cats easily. So according to Billin this approach is good for students of 10 and below 10 to make them creative.

Re: Get to know your fellow Forum members and tell us a bit about yourself in this discussion!
I am Yousuf Memon from Pakistan. Ihave been a teacher trainer for english subject. I have worked as a teacher trainer with national as well as international organizations like British Council, World Population Foundation, SEDA, HANDS, Auhang etc. I am certified Master Trainer by British Council. I have got training from British Council for ETTE ( English For Teaching and Teaching For English), TKTE (Teachig Knowledge Test Essentials) and Peer Support Program. After getting training fron British Council I gave training to school teachers also. I got training from World Population Foundation (WPF) for Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) and gave training to schol teachers also. Except that I have been teacher trainer by by my parent Education Department where I have been working as a secondary school teacher. I have conducted induction trainings for newly appointed teachers and have also conducted some refresher training course for teachers.

@Lamee9d1837a745
Translation, Speech-to-Text, Natural Language, Video Intelligence are some of AI tools which can be used free in classrooms.
Some other AI tools are : canva, curipod, Magic school.ai Shop, Gradescope, Grammarly, ChatGPT , Diffit.me, twee.com, Eduaide.ai, magicschool.ai

@Bilim
In my opinion some of the challanges of educational change are as follows:

1. Readiness for change: one of the challanges of educstioal change is readiness for change weather it comes from teacgers, students, psrents, administrators, society or government. As long as all these are not ready for bringing change in education, the change can not be brought.
2. Awareness about educational technology: All people involved in education are well awared about educational technology. So this is second challange of educational change.
3. Trained teachers: Many teachers are not still so trained to impart education to students which meet the needs globally.
4. Lack of resources: The fourth challange of educational change is that there are insufficient funds for educstion so all the needs of quality education are not fulfilled in many schools particularly the schools of backward areas.
5. Political influence: This is also a major challange of educational change. The political persons are given portfolios in education departments so the make many hinderences.
6. Curriculum: The curriculumn is not designed which meets the needs from locally to globally. So many students can not compete at global level.

Our students have only android cell phones but they are not allowed to bring these android phones in class so they make use of it at home only. We instruct them to visit only educational websites to search for their topics of their textbooks as I have my own educational youtube channel so I ask my students to learn english subject there. All the units of the textbook are available there on my youtube channel. The link of this channel is youtube.com/gelccmatiari . They learn those topics at home and on next we discuss with them in class. We add new things which they have not learned or have faced difficulty in learning on their own as english is their second language.

@Ana_moderator
How to become a green teacher?
To become a green teacher I'll suggest my own ideas. We have students hailing from rural areas. Their parents are mostly farmers who work in their fields. They not only grow diffent crops but also plant trees of different kinds in mango garden, guavas garden, Berries garden etc. And also plant neem trees, acacias trees etc. Their children help them with their work. So these students already know tree plantation. These students should be given tasks to bring different kinds of trees and plants to school. Then at school they should be given tasks of preparing garden in school with other students living in cities who don't know planting a tree. The students who know this will teach them this work. In this way to become a green teacher a teacher can carry out different environment friendly activities at school as well as out of school engaging his/her students busy at school as well as out of school. Moreover students should given different projects of energy conservation and recycling.

@Ana_moderator
At school my work place is the classroom where I teach my students daily.
And out of school my workplace is my educational youtube channel where I spend my time in preparing my lessons or videos for uploading on my educational youtube channel whose link is youtube.com/gelccmatiari

21st century classroom v/s Traditional classroom:
21st century classroom is different from traditional classroom in many ways:

1. In traditional classroom there was backboard and white chalk but 21st century classroom is equipped with digital technology tools.
2. In traditional classroom students were passive but in 21st classroom students are active.
3. In trditional classroom only textbooks and note books were used but in 21st century classroom AI tools are used along with textbooks and notebooks.
4. In traditional classroom the teacher used to be in controlling position and students followed him/her but in 21st century classroom a teacher is a guide and fecilitator where as students do their work by themselves and when they need any guidance the teachers gives them guidance.
5. In traditional classroom students worked individually where as in 21st century classroom students work in groups.
6. In traditional classrooms students solved exercises given by teacher but in 21st century classroom students explore new things by themselves working on different projects.
   Yousuf Memon
   Sindh, Pakistan

@sabahatjamil
You are right green education is beneficial and useful. As man is part of envitonment. He makes environment where himself lives. For his benefit he should learn how to make environment beneficia for himself. Similarly students are also part of environment. They should learn to make it green. They should learn this where they get education. They should learn to make environment green there then they will proceed further. This will make them a responsible citizen.
Regards
M Youduf D Memno.

@sabahatjamil
No doubt energizers are necessary for engaging students in the clasdroom. Students not only learn a lot from them but get more energy to learn more.