4 Top teaching methods when using Tech in the Class

By Michael Hilkemeijer

The integration of ICT into the primary curriculum is what is known as ICT capability. It is formerly known as the integration of digital technology and is different to that in the Digital Technologies strand of the Technologies Curriculum.

 

Despite the misconception that it simply involves the teaching of ICT techniques/skills, ICT capability does comprise of other key components. In this article, then, you will learn a number of ICT teaching methods for primary school teachers that will help you overcome a key concern of many of your colleagues in that of planning ICT activities that will help develop students’ ICT capabilities.

 

They are quite innovative teaching methods for primary school teachers. However, they all work and not because I have tried them myself, but because research in the UK has proven these to be the best teaching methods for primary schools that want to effectively integrate digital technologies that includes ICT, and increase the attainment levels of ICT capability amongst the students and staff.

 

Read through these teaching methods for primary school and then I encourage you to practice these theories in your classroom throughout the week.

 

So what are teaching methods in primary schools that develop ICT capability when integrating digital technologies?

 

List of Teaching Strategies for Primary School

Here is my list of the best teaching methods in primary schools today.

 

Planning

You probably already understand the importance of planning as a teacher, yet it is one aspect of your teaching that can be easily overlooked.

Doing this can lead to haphazard development of skills, and this, in turn, leads to behavioural issues in the classroom as a result of students being bored with the same activities.

You need to plan for the progression of ICT capability and this involves first understanding the role of ICT in the lesson. Decide first if you want to integrate ICT to support the subject learning, to develop ICT capability or both?

I would strongly encourage you to select the last option as it helps you to also meet the requirements of the curriculum.

 

Other teaching methods for primary school to do with planning would be considering:

• Whether the students need to be monitored to identify opportune moments for teacher intervention?
• Will the activity allow the students to use ICT as a tool?
• Are you going to allow opportunities to assess their ICT capabilities?
• And whether or not they work collaboratively or cooperatively?

 

Careful planning teaching methods for primary school like this will allow you to develop student ICT capability in a meaningful, subject-related context such as in literacy learning activities.

 

Other pedagogical strategies involved in planning is differentiated instruction and you find out more about it here.

 

Teaching strategies example: Planning ICT use in English/Literacy

Creating Texts (Year 3 – Australian English Learning Area)

As word processing is ideal for literacy learning as a result of its ability to allow students to construct and edit texts, you can plan an ICT activity where the students will use the software to plan, draft and publish an imaginative piece of text (ACELY1682).

1. Plan in advanced to have a pre-assessment conducted of their ICT capability ensuring that you understand what it is your looking for.
2. Note down the students ICT techniques that they use.
3. Create a list of ICT techniques to challenge them intellectually and to progress their capabilities.
4. Ensure that there are opportunities to assess these ICT techniques that you have challenged the students to use in their imaginative text creating.

 

Build on a student’s home experiences of ICT

You will need to make their ICT work at school both interesting and structured in such a way as to engender understanding that may be difficult for them unaided.

Techniques of teaching that allows you to achieve this involve ensuring that you provide opportunities for students to learn both inside and outside of lesson time. Not all have great access to ICT at home, so take this into consideration.

 

 

Stimulate and Structure learning

I have already briefly mentioned how important it is to structure activities. So here is another teaching strategies example:

• Set clear objectives and high expectations of all students;
• Have an appreciation of the problems likely to be experienced by the students and planned techniques of teaching to overcome them;
• To be successful, you need to work with the whole class or group beforehand to clarify their expectations;
• Focus their attention on what they are going to do;
• You will need to generate ideas about how they might go about it;
• And demonstrate any new ICT techniques involved.

 

These are the best teaching methods for primary school as the study that I got this from pointed out that they were successful strategies that primary school teachers had used.

 

Monitor and Intervene

As far as pedagogical strategies go, monitoring and intervening are crucial when it comes to ICT activities for two reasons:

 

Firstly, you will probably identify this yourself, however, and that is when it comes to students working on ICT activities in subject learning, they can appear to be usefully occupied at the task when in fact they working very inefficiently and failing to exploit the full potential of ICT.

The second reason is that because of the richness of the ICT resource, students can divert from the intended tasks without it being too obvious from their behaviour.

 

So these teaching strategies in primary can serve you well in terms of classroom management. However, monitoring can also help you identify when the best times are for you to intervene.

 

During your planning, you will need to have a set of pre-planned questions ready to use at hand. Teacher intervention are effective teaching strategies for primary school teachers such as yourself, as it has been proven to promote higher order thinking skills and develop their technical skills and knowledge of ICT.

 

ICT capability, of course, is more than just ICT techniques so pay close attention to the other components as well.

 

 

Evaluate your Teaching and Learning with ICT

You will always need to consider whether each ICT-based activity is appropriate within the curriculum as a whole. It is vital that ICT tasks should never involve the repetition of ICT techniques as this could lead to behavioural issues.

1. Reflect on the effectiveness of the activity or unit in relation to the objectives for developing students’ ICT capability and for other learning.
2. Conduct an overall evaluation of how the students progressed during the course of a year in relation to expectations.

 

Integrating digital technologies/ICT into the primary curriculum does not need to be an issue for you anymore as these techniques of teaching are effective teaching methods for primary school teachers as they are evidenced based and come from research derived from the most ICT capable classrooms today. They are innovative strategies for teachers using technology in the classroom and they will work for you too.

 

 

ICT Teaching Strategies

CT has changed the face of education in many ways. Even teaching has changed for the better due to ICT teaching strategies. In the context of teaching, and learning in general, ICT (information communication technologies) refers to a broad range of technological tools and resources necessary to create, transmit, store and manage information in a learning environment.  

 

These tools include laptops, cell phones, computers, video conferencing devices, and other objects of this nature. Devices of this nature have become very common today, and they reflect the spirit and nature of learning in the 21st century. Therefore, as a teacher, mastering the use of ICT skills is indispensable.  

 

This is mainly because ICT creates new learning environments, and teachers should be not be afraid to accept this paradigm shift for the sake of their profession and the success of their students.  

 

Through the use of ICT tools and their innate capabilities, teachers can educate their students on a variety of issues, measure their learning progress, and even enhance their learning. ICT tools can also help improve students behavior, which can result in better learning outcomes as well.  

 

With the use of ICT, planning, exploring new learning technologies, collaborating with students and colleagues, and meeting teaching deadlines is also a lot easier on the teachers. Quite simply, ICT teaching strategies make it easier to do more for the students, but with a reduced effort on the teacher's part.  However, the proper application of ICT strategies by teachers does not come naturally, some knowledge and skills are required. Taking a course on ICT teaching strategies is the best way to learn how to integrate iCT in the classroom to make teaching easier and the uptake of information more effective for the students.  

 

There are a number of technological skill teachers require in order to use ICT strategies properly and reap all the benefits that come from their use. Some of these skills include word processing, spreadsheet, and database management skills. Use of email, understanding web navigation, and creation and use of electronic presentations is also important. Of course these skills are based on a basic understanding of ICT such as learning to use mobile phones, the internet, computers and other ICT tools.  

 

Proper integration of ICT into teaching is critical to its effectiveness. So, if you are a teacher, you should feel obliged to know as much as possible about ICT teaching strategies. Fortunately, these information resources are available on our site.  As a teacher, you will also learn that the use of ICT in teaching is not a one-sided affair – the effectiveness of the ICT strategies and tools is a critical part of ICT in teaching. For instance, you should be in a position to know why students prefer one ICT tool over another and so forth.  

 

You just have to explore the content on this site, especially by going to our teaching resources page. The website and the articles posted on ICT strategies should offer your some direction regarding the proper application of ICT in learning. Best of all, we also provide courses on ICT teaching strategies, and these will ensure that you are fully conversant with the role ICT can play in teaching. More importantly, you will learn to use ICT better in your profession as a teacher.  

 

High impact teaching strategies such as these make a considerable impact on student learning when teachers make sound instructional decisions that is informed by formative assessment strategies that provides them with the data they need in order to plan effectively for the future. Read more about our high impact teaching strategies here.

 

 

The Best Strategies when Integrating ICT in Primary Ed

As a primary teacher, the ICT teaching and learning strategies that you employ in your lessons should help you to develop ICT capability. This should be your ultimate aim and it is when the use of ICT in the learning activities becomes ‘transparent’ to the students when they are achieving the learning outcomes which you have set for them.

 

The Issue at Hand

One of the most important ICT teaching strategies that I bestow on my online students, is the fact that this does not necessarily just mean the teaching of ICT techniques/skills. ICT capability is so much more than this and is what makes this capacity building workshop for teachers so important today. It is gaining the understanding, knowledge and expertise that teaching strategies using ICT is NOT about ICT skills teaching and also NOT about simply exposing students to ICT in the classroom. Neither will it develop ICT capability.

 

The use of ICT in primary education, particularly in Australia, is very important as the ICT Capability Learning Continuum sets the path for teachers to ensure that learning progression. Yet there is a demand for knowledge on evidence based teaching strategies when integrating ICT in the classroom.

 

The development of ICT capability in learning activities still remains a key issue for many teachers.

 

Another issue emerging as a result of the ever-increasing pressure on teachers who plan on integrating ICT in the classroom is the rapid rate of technological development. It is a common misconception that the use of any kind of technology in the classroom will add to the development of ICT capability.

 

This is incorrect.

 

The application of ICT capability is achieved when teaching and learning with ICT throughout the key learning areas to enhance student learning. However, technology such literacy and numeracy software requires minimal capability on behalf the students and the computer stays in control. The ICT tools used in classroom teaching that we encourage further use of in this workshop allows the students full control and contains the following attributes:

 

1. Recognised as a tool software;
2. Can be used in many different applications;
3. Intellectually challenges students;
4. Content-free or generic;
5. The demands and possibilities will depend on whether the main objectives are to learn ICT techniques;
6. The level of control and decision-making by students is high.

 

Gaining further expertise in ICT teaching and learning strategies will boost your own capabilities and you will be able to foster the following ICT teaching strategies that emphasise higher order thinking skills and provide an effective foundation for the challenges of a disjointed secondary curriculum.

 

 

Applying Teaching Strategies in Primary School

There are many uses of ICT in primary education and as mentioned earlier, this is mainly due to the pressure that you have as a teacher to incorporate the use of ICT in the classroom. ICT is a complex and powerful tool for learning, but exposure to it will not benefit the students unless supported with teaching strategies for ICT capability development.

 

Video in Advanced Workshop (Short Preview) - Applying ICT teaching strategies in Primary Science

 

When it comes to teaching strategies using ICT, the teaching strategies that you need to employ become more complex. Here is why?

1. There may be confusion between ICT as a subject, a key skill and as a learning tool – this can lead to a variation in approaches when teaching and learning with ICT.
2. Successful for ICT capability comprises of a variety of ICT teaching strategies.
3. The components require a variety of conditions for their development, therefore, it is also helpful to identify these components.
4. ICT capability is not a once-and-for-all initiative. Progress should be monitored and goals reviewed regularly.
5. ICT activities are not isolated from the rest of the curriculum.

 

The most effective teaching methods for primary teachers are the ones that you will use to support your students in their learning process.

 

I will give you the expertise you need in order to exploit ICT tools used in classroom teaching such as word processors, paint and drawing programs, coding programs.

 

You will learn how to apply ICT teaching strategies in the classroom such as the following through real-life, authentic learning experiences:

• Learning how students learn with ICT – provides the groundwork for your understanding and effective employment of ICT teaching strategies when integrating ICT in the classroom.
• Analysing your situation – this involves a level of complexity as the level of ICT capability that you have as a teacher directly impacts your student’s ICT capability development. It also means taking a look at your school’s ICT resource level.
• Make instructional decisions when integrating ICT in the classroom such planning and seeking to develop all components of ICT capability.
• Selecting the appropriate ICT tools used in classroom teaching – significant use of ICT teaching and learning strategies depends on the selection of ICT as tools for learning and ICT capability.
• Supporting and scaffolding ICT capability when integrating ICT in the classroom.

 

Our capacity building workshop for teachers also supports other ICT teaching and learning strategies such as:

• Putting clarity first to allow for the autonomous selection and use of ICT.
• Personalising instruction through the use of the ICT capability Learning Continuum.
• Incorporating interactive learning.
• Promoting student reflection.
• Cooperation and collaboration in the use of ICT.

 

Making Instructional Decisions

Learning how children learn with ICT will play a big role in the type of ICT teaching and learning strategies that you employ. While ICT in classrooms might be becoming more popular it is clear through research that simple exposure to ICT is not sufficient in itself to develop student ICT capability and technological literacy.

Ultimately, these ICT teaching strategies should enable you to be able to plan and seek opportunities to develop each component of ICT capability.

I encourage you to join your colleagues in this workshop for teachers when using ICT in primary education. It is essential that in the 21^st century classroom that is predominantly digital or ICT-orientated, that you not only choose the right ICT tools for classroom teaching, but support your choices with ICT strategies in the classroom such as the ones that you will learn to employ in meaningful and purposeful learning activities as this develops ICT capability.

 

 

Can't Embrace Technology in the Classroom -Try this ICT Teaching Methods

For students, being ICT capable is about not only knowing the ICT skills but also knowing that they know it and be able to decide if it is appropriate to use for a solution to a problem.

The same concept can be applied helpfully to your own understanding of how to use ICT in your teaching profession.

For you as a teacher, it is not just about acquiring ICT skills but developing an understanding and judgement about how to use those skills appropriately. Let’s look at a classic example of this.

One of the common uses of ICT in the classroom is with presentation software like MS PowerPoint.

As a teacher, you decide whether such a presentation will be effective with technology. Will it be an effective teaching technique for students in the class? You have to make a decision as to why this would be better about other teaching techniques.

 

 

 

The best ways to use tech for Learning

 

When teaching with technology in the classroom you are given a multitude of options to choose from in terms of what to use. There are many different types of Information and Communication Technology in classrooms, but it is important to facilitate the use of those that develop ICT capability.

 

The use of technology in the classroom should always be something that is planned effectively beforehand. As a teacher, it is important that you decide in your planning whether you are going to use ICT to develop student capabilities, to support subject learning or both.

 

It is entirely possible to achieve both when integrating ICT as the development of ICT capability is best accomplished in meaningful and purpose-driven context. In fact, you can do this by simply giving them meaningful activities with ICT tools used in classroom teaching in subject-related contexts in any key learning area of the curriculum.

 

So why not do both? It makes perfect sense….doesn’t it?

 

If you are looking for ideas as to how to use technology in the classroom, some examples include:

 

• Word processors
• Databases and Spreadsheets
• Desktop publishers
• Web design and creation programs
• Email
• Animation software
• Presentation software
• Web searching skills in Search Engines
• Video and Movie making programs
• Blogging and Podcasting

 

In my opinion, these are the best ICT in the classroom examples as they truly represent what integrating ICT in the classroom is all about today. Here are a few ideas to what you can do.

 

Word Processors

Can be used throughout any curriculum and in all key learning areas. It is important not just to use it just so the students can present their work neatly as a final piece of work. Like most software, you need to select the most opportunities in which word processing software can facilitate, enhance or extend children’s learning. WP can help make explicit links between knowledge, understanding skills as they are closely associated with literacy and language development at all levels. This makes it ideal to integrate it into English lessons and whenever you choose to also develop literacy in other key learning areas.

 

Databases and Spreadsheets

A key strategy that you will need to ensure occurs is when using spreadsheets that you make explicit the role of the equal sign formulae. To develop ICT capability, embed meaningful activities in purposeful subject-related contexts by providing them with the knowledge of the principles and processes required to enter and manipulate data. This will help them learn something about the subject being taught.

 

Graphics software

Generic and affordable programs are readily available to enable children to develop capabilities in drawing and painting programs. Images can be used in literacy lessons and when they create their own using their programs it adds a whole new level of engagement in it.

 

Presentation Software

Incorporate a multimedia element in your activities by using presentation programs that uses video, images, sound and animation. They can develop slideshows and digital presentations with sound and music.

 

 

Other use of technology in the classroom includes:

• Gamified learning.
• Digital field trips
• Integrate social media
• Gather student feedback
• Creating digital content

 

 

Why students benefit from using technology in the classroom?

Previously in another blog, I outlined a number of reasons why schools should invest in ICT. Besides making communication more effective between students and teachers, student and student, and teacher and parent, the use of technology in the classroom is vital to not only enhance learning, but to broaden a child’s technological literacy and to develop their ICT capability. Using technology in classrooms also creates space for students to have a voice in their learning. They become empowered to take responsibility of their learning and they begin to learn how to use ICT as a tool that is designed for a specific purpose and to use it creatively, effectively and safely.

 

 

So what are strategies for teaching with technology that accompany the above ICT tools?

 

Firstly, it is important that you always have high expectations at the beginning. This is significant as children will always enter your classroom with various levels of capabilities in ICT. They don’t call them the ‘digital natives’ for no reason.

 

Before, any ICT activity is implemented in subjects it is essential that you gain an appreciation of the children’s ICT capability so that you can effectively plan for progression. This is typically done through observing their use of ICT techniques and determining their conceptual understanding of them.

 

Continue this formative assessment strategy throughout the year to keep track of student progress in ICT capability in key learning areas.

 

Throughout this time, set clear expectations and intervene at the appropriate times.

 

These are the fundamental strategies you will need when teaching with technology in the classroom that will develop ICT capability alongside subject learning. This should be your ultimate aim as a primary teacher.

 

 

More About ICT Literacy:

ICT Literacy: What do businesses expect?

 

It is important to understand that the level of capability a student can gain is directly connected to that of the teacher’s knowledge and capability of using ICT in the subject.

Research conducted on the most ICT capable schools (Kennewell et al., 2000) has concluded that where a teacher’s level of ICT capability was grounded in confidence and a high level of competence, students were given the freedom to explore and develop more ‘capabilities’.

I will use this term more than I will use the term ‘skill’ because it is more important to be able to make the correct decisions about which technology to use and when and where to use it.

 

Despite this, there is still a presence of fear about technology use in the classroom amongst teachers. These include factors such as time, loss of control, cost, lack of PD opportunities, and lack of ownership over the technology they are meant to integrate into their teaching practices.

Yet if schools are to help students develop their ICT capability than it is through the work of teachers and other staff who support learning that it will be achieved.

 

Technology literacy, ICT literacy or ICT capability of teachers – no matter how you define it – is vital in schools today. You need to be prepared to provide technology-supported learning for your students. Thus, what needs to embedded in your professional repertoire is the knowledge and preparedness to use ICT techniques in different contexts of the Learning Areas. In other words being able to use ICT across the curriculum to support the subject context whilst remaining transparent and still be teaching students ICT capability.

 

 

What can you do?

It is virtually impossible for you or for anyone to know all there is to know about ICT. We really are never going to achieve it as ICT continues to develop and emerge. My advice is to walk into your classroom as a learner alongside your students and never try to give the impression that you do know everything. By doing this, you will start to feel more comfortable in your use of ICT in the classroom.

 

Secondly, exploiting technology is all about understanding the potential of the available technology in your classroom. Don’t wait for the next big technological development to come along to be able to prove your ability to use it in the classroom. Exploiting technology is to do with the here and now of available technology.

 

My next advice stems directly from this point. It is far more beneficial for you to be intimate and know in-depth particular software that your students use in the classroom than it is to be acquainted with a large number of software. Know the educational potential of what you have available by spending time getting to know it intimately so that you are able to exploit its features effectively. In addition, being familiar with a program will help you to identify the circumstances when students are ready to move onto another feature or be able to use it for a more demanding purpose.

 

The best way of achieving this is by reflecting on the processes that aides the user to carry out and the techniques with particular effects can be achieved (Kennewell et al., 2000). You need to consider how you will introduce your students to the program and clearly define your objectives and ideas to students before they start.

 

 

What software can you start with?

Yes, there is a lot of educational software out there including subject-specific software. Despite this, there is only one type of software that you should encourage students to use if you aiming to develop their ICT capability. Content-free software is the software that should be encouraged the most as it gives students full control of the technology and the level of decision-making is high promoting the use of higher order thinking skills. They need to be able to have a clean slate in terms of what’s in front of them and assess and decide what ICT technique to use and for what reason and purpose. 

 

The problem with subject-specific software is that the program maintains some form of control and direction over what students can and can’t do. Therefore, it will only partially develop their ICT capability. It is for this reason that you need to carefully plan and consider what you want the aim of ICT to be in your lesson – to teach ICT capability, to support subject learning, or both?

 

What you need to know is that the software that I am talking about here is readily available in your classrooms and most of you have at home too. I am talking about generic software such as word processors, databases, drawing and painting, even specific coding programs these days. To take one example, word processors, is something that everyone is familiar is and is widely used throughout the curriculum. For you, it means plenty of opportunities to teach ICT capability.

 

Furthermore, as it is something that you know fairly well, it saves you both time and money as you don’t have to attend a PD to learn about it, how to use it, to evaluate and test it out in your classroom.  The same goes for any other program that you and your students are familiar with. In a time where school budgets are not big enough for everyone, you can demonstrate to your colleagues how to effectively exploit ICT in your classroom this way.

 

 

What I have just discussed will help you to overcome the fear of using technology in the classroom. It will give you the start you need to confident and competent in the use of ICT. Being an ICT capable teacher is what is required of you today to teach students knowledge and understanding they need to participate in a technology-dominated knowledge society. Teachers who fail to learn new knowledge and understandings in this type of pedagogy will be left behind. 

 

 

What is ICT Literacy?

ICT literacy in education is the ability of a person to define, access, integrate, evaluate, manage, create, and communicate with ICT tools and resources. Someone who does possess these attributes is known to be an ICT literate person. The development of ICT literacy in education is significant as schools are preparing young adults to meet the challenges of the future. 

 

Today, technology and ICT have transformed society in many ways and ICT literacy skills are needed for everyone if there is to be an ICT proficient society. Those students who lack ICT literacy skills will encounter obstacles in full civic participation and will not be able to communicate their ideas effectively using technology and will be very ineffective and inefficient at researching information.

 

This as a result of having a lack of knowledge to do with effective search strategies using the Internet. Their ability to analyze and interpret this information may also falter. That is why teachers in primary and secondary schools need to develop ICT literacy skills with students and good ICT literacy assessments need to be conducted in order to determine if more training is needed. By following these steps, the process of integrating technology in the classroom should become easier for you.

 

 

Integrating ICT in education is an instructional choice by you the teacher and it involves collaboration and deliberate planning in addition to always having you as the teacher to participate. The integration of ICT in education is when you as the classroom teachers use ICT to introduce, reinforce, extend, enrich, assess, and remediate student mastery of curricular targets.

 

Effective ICT integration in education cannot be achieved without you and it certainly won’t occur if you just send your students to the computer lab to learn ICT skills while you do something else.

 

 

 

5 Steps to Integrate ICT in Education

The significance of how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning success was driven home for me personally one day when I read information about past ICT tools in teaching and learning.

 

If you can remember those days back in school when television was around. Many of my old school teachers used it a lot for learning experiences. What has happened since then is that we have all become too familiar with TV as a result of it being an ever-present part of our lives. It no longer exists as a learning medium.

 

Today, as ICT keeps permeating out lives, it too is in danger of losing its power as a learning medium. You cannot simply expose children to it as learning will not sufficiently occur.

 

 

You will learn in the following paragraphs the best practices on how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning today and I encourage you to apply these principles as you do so. Such strategies for integrating ICT into classroom learning can found in our advanced course in more detail and can be applied with support from the theories learned in the course.

 

Here is how to integrate ICT in the classroom.

 

Step 1. Develop an appreciation of where the children are

This is all to do with the methods of observation and assessment that you choose to use. The integration of ICT is about making ICT transparent in meaningful and purpose driven contexts. Its components are practical and so observation is ideal as the main form of assessment. However, you need to use different strategies for each component of ICT capability.

 

An idea would be to conduct a pre-lesson with ICT where you list all the ICT techniques that you expect your students to already know. Monitor these throughout the lesson and record what you observe. Then plan your lesson accordingly.

 

Step 2. Plan and seek to develop all components of ICT capability

ICT capability is constituted of 5 components and just the one aspect that many teachers are familiar with that is just teaching ICT skills. You need to develop all components in meaningful, subject-related activities.

 

Step 3. Embed ICT in the meaningful and purpose-driven context

I know that I have mentioned this before, however, this is the whole crux of it. Understanding how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning means that you are on-board with embedding it throughout your curriculum. It is an instructional choice that includes collaboration and deliberate planning.

 

So you need to make sound instructional decisions by creating ICT activities in your curriculum. To take this example further, I will use the Australian Curriculum to broaden your understanding. It recognises ICT capability as a 21^st century skill or what is known as a general capability as something that can be integrated in key learning areas. As such teachers are encouraged to use a range of ICT tools, strategies and resources to support the teaching and learning of ICT capability.

 

This brings me to the next step.

 

Step 4. Select the appropriate ICT tools

There are so many out there and as teachers both you and I know that we are under pressure from the society and our government to try new things. However, you can have the latest and greatest tech and yet be unsuccessful in integrating it.

 

So what is the solution?

 

I believe firstly that it is about imagining the potential of the available technology for learning with the context that it will be taught. This is something that we can all do.

 

Secondly, not all ICT tools and resources that are out there develops ICT capability and as ICT capability is best developed in meaningful contexts, it is actually integrating ICT in education. So you need to select the appropriate ICT tools.

 

Most of these you already know and have in your learning environment. They involve the capability to allow students to develop higher order thinking skills (through a high volume of decision-making on behalf of the students), challenges them intellectually and just so happen to be content-free or generic.

 

In many of our advanced online pd courses for teachers we discuss in detail what they are and the best strategies for each.

 

Moving on… this works well for you as a teacher as time is never on your side and so why go out looking for next big technological development to come around and solve your ICT integration problems?

 

 

Step 5. Practice formative assessment strategies throughout the year

Already I mentioned how valuable this is as observation is your best choice for assessment. You need to use different strategies for each component.

 

 

Finally, if you want to effectively integrate ICT in education it is important that you have a good understanding of the ICT concepts and their relation to other areas of the curriculum. There are close relationships between ICT capability and knowledge, skills and understanding in other subjects and it is not helpful to see their development in isolation.

If you follow these steps then you are on the road to leading your students to 21^st century skills that they can continue to build on in their lives past school. There are many ideas out there as to how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning, but sticking to these fundamentals is vital for your success as a teacher in a technology-rich. And remember that you set a good example to your colleagues in relation to integrating ICT in education even if you have just one ICT tool at your disposal.