Bridging the Gaps in Learning:The Role of Modern Educational Technology Tools Going by this policy stance,Educational Technology has great role to play in transforming educational policies to practices through its systematic approach to solving educational problems. This is because,according to Luppicini(2005),it utilizes tools,techniques,theories and methods from multiple knowledge domains to design,develop and evaluate human and mechanical resources efficiently and effectively in order to facilitate and leverage all aspects of learning,guide change agencies and transformation of educational systems and practices in order to contribute to influencing change in the society. Provisions for Educational Services in the National Policy on Education call for the establishment of resources centres;use of Educational Broadcasting as a feature of educational support service system;provision of Distance Education;development and use of innovative materials as well as provision of necessary infrastructure for the promotion of ICT at all levels of education among others The whole idea of Educational Technology application in an educational system is to improve the lots of education,enhance effective teaching and learning etc.With the array of innovative materials for education in this digital age,the inclusion of the practice of Educational Technology in the National Policy on Education is well justified,especially considering the many benefits and roles utilization of Educational Technology play in bridging the gaps in learning. Some Modern Educational Technology Tools that help to bridge gaps in learning. People today live in the digital age,an age where several technological tools introduced into Education are helping learning.The following Educational Technology tools come in handy for classroom learning: (a)Mobile devices e.g.Smart phones,These enable teachers get immediate response from students, (b) Interactive White Board which shows anything that can be on the computer screen.It is interactive and aids visual learning.With it,students can interact and manipulate images. (c) Digital videos on demand which are now replacing DVD,VHS.It can be accessed from central server.It helps to eliminates the need for classroom hardware(video players)and allow teachers and students access to video clips immediately by not utilizing public internet. (d) Online-media i.e streamed video website used to enhance classroom lessons. (e) Other modern educational technology tools that are used to bridge gaps in learning include: LCD Projectors,document cameras,digital cameras,video camera,class blogs and wikis, computers and many more to be mentioned in this write-up. The Role of Educational Technology in Bridging the Gaps in Learning in the 21s Century There are several benefits and roles of Educational Technology in an educational system.It is intended to improve education for the 21s century learner.Its impact on schooling has been tremendous;advancing how students learn,how teachers teach and how efficiently and effectively educational services can be delivered.In the present dispensation,emphasis is on student-centred learning;a situation where all learning activities are centred on the learner who in turn,constructs his own learning using every available human and materials resources at his disposal.In this age also, Educational Technology no doubt plays important roles in education especially in the enhancement of educational systems to address knowledge and skills required for the 21 century.In Rosen and Wolf (2011),it is pointed and that past researches show that if appropriately implemented especially in student-centred approach,technology-rich environments can more effectively promote educational goals such as:learning motivation,teamwork and higher order thinking skills in comparison with traditional teaching and learning.In other words,Educational Technology enables learners to construct learning,make decisions concerning learning using the array of technologies at his disposal for effective learning. 33 Going by this policy stance, Educational Technology has great role to play in transforming educational policies to practices through its systematic approach to solving educational problems. This is because, according to Luppicini (2005), it utilizes tools, techniques, theories and methods from multiple knowledge domains to design, develop and evaluate human and mechanical resources efficiently and effectively in order to facilitate and leverage all aspects of learning; guide change agencies and transformation of educational systems and practices in order to contribute to influencing change in the society. Provisions for Educational Services in the National Policy on Education call for the establishment of resources centres; use of Educational Broadcasting as a feature of educational support service system; provision of Distance Education; development and use of innovative materials as well as provision of necessary infrastructure for the promotion of ICT at all levels of education among others. The whole idea of Educational Technology application in an educational system is to improve the lots of education, enhance effective teaching and learning etc. With the array of innovative materials for education in this digital age, the inclusion of the practice of Educational Technology in the National Policy on Education is well justified, especially considering the many benefits and roles utilization of Educational Technology play in bridging the gaps in learning. Some Modern Educational Technology Tools that help to bridge gaps in learning. People today live in the digital age, an age where several technological tools introduced into Education are helping learning. The following Educational Technology tools come in handy for classroom learning: (a) Mobile devices e.g. Smart phones, These enable teachers get immediate response from students, (b) Interactive White Board which shows anything that can be on the computer screen. It is interactive and aids visual learning. With it, students can interact and manipulate images. (c) Digital videos on demand which are now replacing DVD, VHS. It can be accessed from central server. It helps to eliminates the need for classroom hardware (video players) and allow teachers and students access to video clips immediately by not utilizing public internet. (d) Online-media i.e streamed video website used to enhance classroom lessons, (e) Other modern educational technology tools that are used to bridge gaps in learning include: LCD Projectors, document cameras, digital cameras, video camera, class blogs and wikis, computers and many more to be mentioned in this write-up. The Role of Educational Technology in Bridging the Gaps in Learning in the 21st Century There are several benefits and roles of Educational Technology in an educational system. It is intended to improve education for the 21st century learner. Its impact on schooling has been tremendous; advancing how students learn, how teachers teach and how efficiently and effectively educational services can be delivered. In the present dispensation, emphasis is on student-centred learning; a situation where all learning activities are centred on the learner who in turn, constructs his own learning using every available human and materials resources at his disposal. In this age also, Educational Technology no doubt plays important roles in education especially in the enhancement of educational systems to address knowledge and skills required for the 21st century. In Rosen and Wolf (2011), it is pointed and that past researches show that if appropriately implemented especially in student-centred approach, technology-rich environments can more effectively promote educational goals such as: learning motivation, teamwork and higher order thinking skills in comparison with traditional teaching and learning. In other words, Educational Technology enables learners to construct learning, make decisions concerning learning using the array of technologies at his disposal for effective learning. Bridging the Gaps in Learning: The Role of Modern Educational Technology Tools