fredag 11. februar 2011

ICT in schools - is it neccesary?

Teachers nowadays have no options when it comes to the question of using ICT in their teaching or not. Computers, smartboards, movie-clips and so on are frequently used during teaching units.

One of the positive aspects of ICT in schools in relation to pupils and their learning is, according to Andy Seed and his article The effective use of ICT in RE, that it provides access to a wide range of information and different "view-points". This is, without a doubt, true. Pupils learn to search for relevant information online as well as becoming critical in relation to sources that are discovered. In addition, they develope investigative skills, which enhance as they work further on with ICT. These factors may lead to the statement that pupils growing up in the age of ICT-schools become more knowledged than pupils were twenty years ago.

But what about the teachers? Does ICT enhance the quality of their teaching? There is no doubt that Internet sites, such as Google are tools which can help teachers increase their subject expertise. The amount of information that can be found on the Internet is amazingly enormous. some teachers might find it too much, and therefore difficult in relation to choosing the best internet sites and so on. 

ICT can be a tool for teachers when creating an interesting, visual and motivating teaching unit. Pictures, sounds and videoclips from Youtube for example, can enhance the pupils' learning. Some pupils learn best when they have a picture connected to the information, and some pupils remember better when they have seen a videoclip that is relevant for the content of the teaching. In other words - ICT can help more pupils getting involved and motivating in the classroom and the school in general.

Question: ICT - do you (as a teacher) agree that it is a helpful tool?

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