Teaching ICT

The Place of ICT in Teaching

Processing and communicating information lie at the heart of teaching and learning in schools, and this suggests that ICT capability should be central to effective learning of the students.

WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF ICT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING?
ICT is defined for curriculum purposes as: the range of tools and techniques relating to computer-based hardware and software, to communications including both directed and broadcast, to information sources such as CD-ROM and the Internet, and to associated technologies such as robots, video-conferencing and digital TV.

This offers a very broad scope for ICT in terms of the tools which we might use in
school. The pedagogical aims of ICT are defined equally broadly and include a wide
range of purposes aiming to develop: the knowledge skills and understanding needed to employ ICT
appropriately, securely and fruitfully in learning, employment and
everyday life . . . As with any change in terminology there will be exceptions. Thus qualifications in this area continue to have the title IT, including in particular the IT Key Skill.

discussing how to teach ICT in schools it is necessary to be clear about our aims. A range of purposes is implied in the statements above.

We need to be clear about what we want pupils to learn and why we want them to learn it if we are to organise the curriculum effectively. What priorities should you have as a teacher of ICT? The following tasks will guide well:


Task 1.What place should ICT have in the school curriculum?
Identify the key areas of ICT knowledge, skills or experiences that you
think every student should gain during their education. For each of these, explain why you think it should be included.    

Table 1 What place should ICT have in school curriculum? 

Table 1 is produced for Task 1 and have grouped the knowledge, skills, understanding and experience
which you might have considered under general headings.

NB
The rate of development of information and communications technologies has been stunning over the years.

Task 2. What is most important in ICT teaching?

Given that so much of the precise and detailed knowledge that might be gained in ICT may be short-lived, re-examine your list and decide what knowledge, skills, understanding and experiences are most important in ICT teaching.
   
THE PLACE OF ICT IN TEACHING
exchanging and sharing information;
reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses.

Although some knowledge and skills about current technology must be developed
in order to gain the experience necessary to understand the potential of digital technology and develop the attitudes necessary for ICT capability, these should be the vehicle for developing ICT capability rather than its focus.
The effective teaching of ICT, whether through special lessons in ICT or through
the use of ICT in other subjects, should develop in pupils:

• positive attitudes to the use of ICT;
• confidence in their own ability to use ICT to solve problems;
• a disposition to apply ICT in relevant situations and critically evaluate its effect;

personal autonomy in their use of ICT for learning and problem solving.
Clearly there is a small number of basic skills and routines which support the development of the key concepts, processes and higher order skills which are necessary for true ICT capability. Rather than focusing on the basic skills or techniques, we prefer to consider ICT capability in terms of broad domains of transferable learning, which must be developed within the context of higher order components (see below) to
create longer lasting and more useful knowledge. We suggest that ICT capability requires the development of knowledge in five key components:

• routines, such as: using a mouse or double clicking on an application;
• techniques, such as: adjusting margins to make text fit a page;
• key concepts, such as: menu, file, database, spreadsheet, website or hypertext link;
• processes, such as: developing a presentation for English, researching for a Geography project, organising, analysing and presenting the results of a survey in Mathematics;

higher order skills and knowledge, such as recognizing when the use of ICT might be appropriate, planning how to approach a problem, making and testing hypotheses, monitoring progress in a task and evaluating the result, reflecting on the effect of using ICT in a particular situation.

The different components of ICT capability, listed above, are most typically developed through characteristically different learning experiences.
Basic skills or routines are learned primarily through practice. Techniques may develop slowly through trial and error, but are developed more efficiently by copying the actions of a teacher or other pupil. If skills and techniques are to be transferable they should be encountered and practised in a range of subject areas or problem contexts.

ICT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
There are relatively few fundamental concepts involved in ICT, and we will discuss these further in the next post. Concepts are developed effectively through pupils’ talk and reflection based on experiences that are supported by the teacher.

Processes and higher order knowledge and skills are developed in environments that are characterised by the active involvement of a pupil who demonstrates significant personal autonomy. The pupil should be encouraged to explore the opportunities which are presented, and be allowed to decide which software to use, to plan how to use it, to monitor progress and to evaluate and reflect on solutions. This does not
deny an active role for the teacher – the support and gentle guidance of a teacher are vital if learning is to occur.

It should also be noted that the higher levels of knowledge demand that ICT should be used in the context of other school subjects and the real world. The higher levels of attainment in ICT capability are most clearly demonstrated when ICT is used effectively in context. The nature of ICT is complex and we can identify three distinct aspects of ICT within the school curriculum.