JDMcDsblog

Here are some notes on background reading for a psot grad management essay about ICT and teaching I was researching in 2001. I thought it would be worth retaining these to track how, if at all, attitudes to teaching and ICT have changed in the last 7 years,

 Extract 1

“What comes out very strongly from a reading of the literature on ICT and classroom activity -is a stress on the need for human interaction and structured teaching and learning to accompany the use of new technologies in educational settings.  Learning involving ICT applications must be carefully planned, clearly set out and well sequenced (and in this respect the requirements for a successful lesson using ICT are no different from those of a good lesson generally) ”

 Peter Rudd, SETT 2001

  Extract 2

“Why is ICT used in schools?

Schools are using ICT to enhance and add a new dimension to the learning process, and also to increase communication between the home and school. Some schools use their own web sites to make learning resources available on line. With the functionality and capability of ICT, some schools are also able to provide parents and pupils with data relating to attainment, attendance or other school/community-related information. From a learning perspective, the effective use of ICT can lead to benefits in terms of:

• greater motivation
• increased self esteem and confidence
• enhanced questioning skills
• promoting initiative and independent learning
• improving presentation
• developing problem solving capabilities
• promoting better information handling skills
• increasing time ‘on task’
• improving social and communication skills.

More specifically, ICT can enable children to:

• combine words and images to produce a ‘professional’ looking piece of work
• draft and redraft their work with less effort
• test out ideas and present them in different ways for different audiences
• explore musical sequences and compose their own music
• investigate and make changes in computer models
• store and handle large amounts of information in different ways
• do things quickly and easily which might otherwise be tedious or time-consuming
• use simulations to experience things that might be too difficult or dangerous for them to attempt in real life
• control devices by turning motors, buzzers and lights on or off or by programming them to react to changes in things like light or temperature sensors
• communicate with others over a distance.