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... we need to define it. It is vital in the construction of this new framework to see that the learning environment extends well beyond the school gate. In this respect, it is important to include in the discussion, the role of networks, especially external network connections.
Many schools around Australia are discovering the benefits of global connections and the freely available resources on the Internet. Some schools and colleges are already utilizing information technology such as this to implement alternative curriculum delivery methods. Others will wish to do so. When this is done, it is important that the welfare of students is considered, as well as their educational achievement.
We suggest that parents and students be counseled before they enroll in such courses, about the time commitment and the likely effect of long periods spent interacting with a workstation. Also, such courses must be able to accommodate the special needs of some students for whom screen flicker is a serious problem, or who have difficulties with vision or with keyboard operation. Although not strictly related to teaching and learning, the rate of technological development also needs to be considered. 1994 saw the introduction to the marketplace of voice recognition systems that can accept dictation. This kind of revolution is now common, with significant advances made even within the reasonable lifetime of equipment (3 to 5 years).
Therefore, we recommend that equipment acquisition or lease be done with either a clear strategic view of its educational value in 3 to 5 years (with the associated risk taking) or else within a considered plan to rotate equipment on a continuous basis. Professional development for teachers is crucial in all this. A mono-platform can help here. Continuous professional development will be needed as computers continue to develop at an increasing rate. Inter-active multi-media can actually be utilized to deliver this training, once a critical level of delivery hardware is in place and accepted. Industrial issues must be faced as information processing equipment changes the task of teachers as importers of information and skills.
In a 1993 survey of Tasmanian government schools, 115 respondents gave a picture of management practices. The majority of responding schools (~ 66 %) had no Information Technology Policy or Development Plan. IT management was at a modal seniority of AST 1 / 2, with 33 % of the respondents having this responsibility as one of the Principal's tasks, or no post allocated. Only 9 % of the respondents had any IT support staff or technical assistance. This task seems to have been done by teaching staff. When asked to identify areas for professional development, schools equally chose Basic computer literacy for teaching staff, and Using IT in all curriculum areas as their top priorities.
Developing a whole school IT plan and New Developments in computer hardware and software were ranked just after these top priorities. Protecting minors Recent concerns about the psychological impact of unlimited access to digitised data have surfaced in the legislature. Video-games are now classified by the censor, and bulletin boards are under examination. A Senate Standing Committee is considering the social effects of broad-band communications and information technology in general. It is unreasonable to expect schools to monitor all electronic communications within their equipment. It is also extremely sensible for them to adopt at an early stage a policy on how access to the broader media will be controlled, and what privacy and ethical considerations should prevail.
Typically, a student being given access to information resources or tools will be informed about the discipline codes associated with their use. We recommend that (s) he sign a consent form when given a computer access password, with the approval of a parent / guardian where appropriate. The form would establish the school's behavioral framework for the use of the equipment. This process can also be used to establish whether or not student transactions and data space are considered private, or under what circumstances the school might breach this confidentiality.
Equity issues Differentiation of computer use between boys and girls is still apparent - but not in schools. The SENTIS study (1994) showed that on average girls used computers marginally more in school than boys. However, outside the school, the boys generally used computers twice as much as the girls. Education systems have generally supported positive role models in the use of computers. Within the school arena, this policy can be said to have succeeded.
However, this has not been reflected in the home, and further work might need to be done. One idea might be to follow the practice of some schools, and bias future equipment purchases towards laptop computers. These can be loaned to students over weekends and holidays. Another idea, outlined below, is to construct a school policy that attempts to integrate home and school computer use. The education of students with special needs has been transformed by the use of IT. This change has been seen in the lives of physically disabled people who now use environmental control systems, as well as in the literacy development of slow readers who use close procedures.
Cultures can be supported by the provision of multi-lingual word-processors. Other framework software can be supportive when its contents are made culturally appropriate by teachers. Assessing information technology resources After discussion with several teachers, it has become clear that many software and hardware resources fall out of use in a short time - when their novelty value has expired. This is a potential source of waste, and contributes towards a jaundiced view of technology, when anything less than new is seen as no longer useful.
Therefore it is suggested that schools undertake a curriculum mapping exercise. In such a mapping exercise, a school or college would lay out their curriculum on one axis, and Year/Grades on the other. In a simple case, the eight identified areas of the curriculum for Australian schools might be on the first axis. Schools can then identify software and hardware resources that relate to specific areas and bands. It would be worth noting that some resources might cross areas or bands. Also, the mode (s) of use can be identified for each resource (see below).
In the event that teachers normally teach a particular year group repeatedly, the mapping exercise can be duplicated to include an odd / even year model. Where several resources duplicate or overlap, their use can be alternated in even and odd numbered calendar years. Modes of computer use in learning Curriculum mapping is a good way of ensuring that computers are used in a balanced way across all the areas. However, if students use new technology in just a single mode at school or college, they would leave with a restricted idea of its effects and capabilities. This approach is standard in the UK (National Curriculum Council, 1990) There are at least five modes in which information technology resources can be used in teaching and learning. Schools may identify further modes, and these can be included in any policy for development.
In some applications or learning situations, modes can overlap. The five initial modes are: Support Exploration & Control Tutorial Resource Link The Support mode In the support mode, a student uses the computer to enhance the presentation of work. The computer can help by increasing the accuracy that the student might otherwise be able to achieve. There are a great number of tools that are currently used in schools, or which are available. For example: Word processors, and other office applications Presentation graphics Computer Aided Drafting and Design Desk-top publishing Spelling and grammar checkers. In essence, the computer in support mode enables the student to create or file information which is usually transferred to paper.
Images could quite easily be put on paper using a pen or pencil, but the computer increases the accuracy the student can achieve. In so doing, the computer has an important role to play in raising the self-esteem of students, and giving them confidence to continue to succeed in their learning. The Exploration & Control mode In the exploration & control mode, the student is able to examine and build situations. This kind of work is often associated with adventure games, where an important historical event is encapsulated in software. Students can explore this crucial moment in time and place, whilst making their own decisions about the events that unfold. Other software enables students to control a real, experimental situation, in a science laboratory for instance, or by using robotics.
Several environments for exploration or control are available. These include: Hypercard Tool book Stella LOGO Model Builder Expert Builder Intellect Sense & Control In each case the software provides a framework within which students can explore a situation. Additionally, these applications can be used by students to construct models of the real world, and...
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Research essay sample on Teaching And Learning Word Processors
