The effectiveness of
two different types of ICT resources that support teaching and learning
Using
the Internet as an educational tool is still considered somewhat as a novelty
still it has many benefits for pupils and teachers as well. When introducing
the Internet to the children under classroom circumstances, we have to make
sure that they follow certain guidelines in order to keep their virtual safety.
Pupils have to be supervised all the time while accessing the Internet so that
we can make sure they are not viewing potentially dangerous websites or any
content that is inappropriate for their age. If the school’s network has a
firewall system most of this unwanted content can be filtered and made
inaccessible for browsing from classroom computers. Pupils also have to
understand the dangers of revealing their identity and location online to strangers
or sharing school passwords in email communications. After establishing these
ground rules using the Internet can really bring a new colour into learning any
subject and into general school life. Teachers of any subject can design online
research projects for their students by carefully selecting a number of
relevant websites and asking the children to search for specific information.
For example, a geography project can be to find out about low and high
temperatures from different regions of the country and then draw a graph using
the collected information.1 Children can use email to communicate
with pupils from other classes, other schools or even from other countries.
They can discuss books they all read in school, exchange opinions or find help with
their book reports. Emailing children from different parts of the world can
help them to learn about other cultures, broaden their minds and make friends
under supervised circumstances.2 The Internet is the ultimate
resource of the most up to date information so we can encourage our pupils to
read the news and keep up with the current events of the world. There are also
views claiming that the Internet is becoming a more up to date and effective
source of information and teaching material that textbooks, that can be
obsolete by the time they got printed, are expensive and take up a lot of
space. It is true that the most recent discoveries and developments are easier
found and researched using the Internet, but we also have to teach our children
to have “media literacy”. Learning from textbooks meant that we could easily
just accept what we read, but because nobody is editing and checking the
information that is uploaded to the Internet, our children have to be able to
think critically, to be able to select relevant and reliable information that
they can learn from.3
Although
interactive whiteboards have been available since 1991, they have started to
become more and more widespread only recently. The interactive whiteboard is
basically a traditional whiteboard combined with an LCD projector, reminding of
a large computer screen that can be viewed by the whole classroom. Using a
software, the teacher can show interactive multimedia presentation,
transforming a simple the lesson of whole class teaching into an engaging
experience for the pupils.4 Instead of just writing notes on the
blackboard or making drawings, video, animation, graphics, and even music can
be integrated into the presentation. Material from CDs, DVDs, or directly from
the Internet can be displayed, and any changes in the lesson can be saved on
the computer right away. After the lesson the whole material can be archived
and uploaded, e.g. to a student website where it is accessible for those who
were absent and for later study for everybody. This way the students do not
have to make notes during the lesson but can fully participate in the activities.
It makes these lessons a social experience of common learning rather as opposed
to the one-sided atmosphere of whole class teaching. The teacher and the
students talk about the material with each other rather than just the teacher
talking and the students listening and making notes. It is also possible to get
real time feedback while doing the presentation by using an audience response
system. These responses can be test questions, contests, exams, or voting,
making the students to participate and stay motivated during the lesson.5
There are opinions against the interactive whiteboard, claiming that the cabled
connecting it to the computer and other devices creates too much clutter in the
classroom and it is motivating the pupils only as long as the novelty of the
new gadget in the classroom does not wear off. In my opinion, using the
interactive whiteboard now and then can create a little variety in the normal
process of teaching and learning but a teacher does not necessarily needs
electronics to make a class interactive and engaging for the children.
Software packages
that are or can be used to support the work of two selected pupils
Visually
impaired or blind children have a serious disadvantage as compared to their
healthy peers when learning to read. Even though braille materials are
available to make it possible for them to familiarise with the written text,
the speed of reading with Braille is approximately one-third of the speed of
normal reading. As reading is eventually a tool to acquire further knowledge in
all school subjects, using braille materials will make it significantly slower
for a visually disabled pupil to learn and develop in each area of study. The speed
of reading and learning can be increased if the student has access an audio
recording of the text and is listening to it while reading the hard copy
braille or enlarged print. With computers being more and more widespread in
education, the pupil with visual disabilities can take advantage of
text-to-speech screen reader technologies while reading the refreshable
paperless braille or magnified text.6 It does not only makes it
possible to access textbooks in a digital version, but also enables the blind
or partially blind child to use to take part in the ICT lesson and browse the
Internet like their peers do.
Screen
readers are also useful tools for those children who have difficulties with
reading and writing due to dyslexia. AcceleRead
AcceleWrite is a software to help to improve reading, writing, spelling and
listening skills through structured phonics exercises. The package includes
perforated, colour-coded flash cards, photocopiable record sheets, and also blank
flash cards to print off with the user’s own sentences.7 When using
this programme, the teaching assistant gives the pupil a card that contains
four sentences with a particular phonic pattern or number of patterns. The
child has to try and read the card as long as they memorise the sentences. When
confident in remembering the sentences, the child places the card face down and
has to say the sentence to the TA, and then type it into the computer. The
computer will read each word as it is entered, giving audio feedback on
misspelt words. When the full stop has been typed, the text-to-speech programme
will also say the complete sentence. The pupil has to correct the mistakes
until the sentence is accurate.8 The Clicker Software was also designed to support children with literacy
difficulties making use of an in built speech feedback. The software’s word
processor has an intelligent word prediction tool that offers the user words
fitting into the contexts, helping the child to widen their vocabulary. As it
concentrates on the ideas of the written piece, gives more freedom to the pupil
who does not have to worry about correct spelling. The Talking Books are easily
accessible, flexible and even editable reading materials that can be connected
with an audio version to make comprehension easier for a dyslexic child. The WriteOnline
function is an interactive practice book that helps to improve vocabulary and
spelling and gives speech feedback, so children can use it independently even
at home.9
Benefits of
three different ways in which to use ICT resources for teaching and learning
Integrating
ICT resources into the everyday practice of teaching and learning in schools is
a relatively new idea; there are no beaten tracks yet in this area. Therefore
the teacher can and should find creative ways how to integrate ICT into any
subject by taking advantage of any benefit it can offer in helping the children
to learn. The most basic Microsoft Office package with word processor, Excel,
Power Point and drawing programmes can be utilised in connection with any
subject. Children can improve their spelling with the help of the word
processor which highlights most of the misspelt words and grammatical mistakes
and offers alternatives for correction. We have to bear in mind though that
this exercise in typing does not substitute the practice of real handwriting
and also the word processor does not recognise all the mistakes, therefore it
cannot be used instead of a grammar lesson. Excel is suitable for creating
spread sheets, charts and collecting data: it can support a Mathematics or
Chemistry lesson when pupils need to calculate or draw conclusions from the
results of experiments. There is also a function in these programmes to draw
graphs on the basis of the numbers entered – it can support the pupils’ understanding
of the results and can be the basis of their presentation on the experiments
carried out. For presentations on any topic Power Point is the best tool, since
it allows combining pictures, text and even sound into slides following each
other, providing a background for a student presentation on their chosen topic.
A
Music lesson may benefit from the use of a CD player when familiarising the
pupils with samples of different types of music. Since the Internet has been
available in schools, the music teacher does not necessarily have to have so
many different CDs, because now they can use free resources like YouTube, where
the variety of material makes it possible even to push the boundaries of
traditional music education. It is advisable though to do a research before
simply tuning to YouTube in the middle of the lesson, as there is a lot of
material online that is not really what the title promises. Therefore we have
to make sure we find relevant links and bookmark them in the browser of the
classroom computer so that they can be accessed on a click when they are
needed. If the school computers are equipped with a music synthesising and
editing programme pupils can even try to compose their own pieces or mix up
existing songs, become creative and improve their ear for harmony without
needing expensive musical instruments.
Having
access to a digital camera in school can have various advantages in different
subject as well. For example, students can create a presentation or a display
on their home town supported by pictures taken by themselves. We can set up a
photo competition on the topic of school life and make an exhibition of the
best works. When having a school trip, the photos taken by the camera can be
uploaded to the school website to compliment the report of student experiences.
A digital camera is also suitable to record a short movie, e.g. a role play at
drama class that can be played back after and the acting technique of the performers
can be analysed. School events can also be recorded and archived as memories of
school life, so when each class graduates they can even create a DVD with
pictures and recordings of the most important events of the years they spent at
the institution, adding their own comments if they wish, like a digital
yearbook.
External
sources:
1
“The Uses of Internet in School” eHow Mom
2
“Instructional Uses of the Internet for Elementary Age Students” by Linda
Burkhart and Kimberly Kelly
http://www.lburkhart.com/elem/internet.htm
3
“Significance of the Internet for Education” by Craig A. Cunningham
4
“Interactive Whiteboards Enhance Classroom Instruction and Learning” NEA Member Benefits
5 “Info: The Advantages of an Interactive Whiteboard”
TEKGIA
6
“Audio-Supported Reading for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired” by
Richard M. Jackson, Ed.D. (Boston College and CAST)
7 “AcceleRead AcceleWrite CD-Rom with cards” Dylexic.com
8 “Interventions for Literacy” The Dyslexia SP-LD Trust
9 “Clicker 6 Home Page” Crick Software
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