INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES: EDUCATION QUALITY ASPECT

Information and communication technologies are changing so rapidly, that it is hardly possible to react properly to all changes. First of all, the speech is about technological changes. This inevitably touches education system as well. A certain technological “overloading” is felt in all levels of the system. It is especially felt in comprehensive education sector. On the one hand, a big demand remains for teachers' qualification in ICT field, on the other hand, the pressure increases for the younger generation to possibly master technologies earlier. In Lithuania, as in the other Baltic region countries, a lot of attention is paid to ICT implementation at schools. For example, in Estonia, even primary class children are already learning programming; the state also devotes much attention to this, first of all, financially. One of priority fields in Lithuania, declared in education policy since 2000, has been information and communication technology application in education system. A very important moment is that technology progress rapidity is and it is likely to be much more rapid than society's technological (and computer as well) literacy level. It is ob-vious, that every country's social – economical development and competitiveness strongly depend on information and communication technology level. However, the ability of a concrete person to use the possibilities provided by information and communication technologies, is another thing. The opinion, that prevails in Lithuania is, that part of the problems related to ICT are determined by technical resources, computer literacy, lack of methodics and methodology, wrong attitude to the usage of technologies in general. Speaking about teachers (they are central part of education process), it is important to form an understanding, that ICT is not a thing in itself, i.e., it is necessary to use, because the others do this and do somewhere else and finally, that it is fashionable. ICT, first of all, is a didactic support seeking better education results.