The best ways to use tech for Learning

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.

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:

o Word processors
o Databases and Spreadsheets
o Desktop publishers
o Web design and creation programs
o Email
o Animation software
o Presentation software
o Web searching skills in Search Engines
o Video and Movie making programs
o 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:
o Gamified learning.
o Digital field trips
o Integrate social media
o Gather student feedback
o 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.

Teacher ICT Skills for an Online and Digital World

When using ICT in the classroom, there are a number of ICT skills for teachers to master. This is
important as the level of ICT capability of a teacher will have a direct impact on the development of
 student ICT capability. For example, studies have shown that in literacy lessons the extent to which
ICT is used effectively will depend to a large extent that of the teacher’s ICT capability.

Teacher ICT capability is not about being an expert on everything ICT and knowing everything about
it. Let’s face it, the level of development in ICT is ever-increasing there is no way this can be done.
Instead, teacher ICT capability is about developing an understanding and judgement about the most
appropriate ways to use ICT classroom teaching.

The ICT in classrooms most also be suitable for the development of student ICT capability. This
means that it must:

1. Challenge students intellectually;

2. Promote a high level of decision-making by the students and not the technology;
3. Be generic and content-free software and;
4. Enable a student full control.

The following ICT skills for teachers will, therefore, be important for teachers using technology in the
classroom that want to develop student ICT capability.

Word Processing
The word processor has ICT techniques for students that is transferrable across all key learning
areas. For you as a teacher, you will apply your knowledge, skills and understanding of word
processors in two different ways. The first, therefore, will be about teaching and learning with ICT not
just to support subject learning, but also to develop student ICT capability. The other one, of course,
is to do with your own professional use. However, the widespread use of word processors makes it
one of the best ways to capitalise on its generic use in subject learning such as in English/literacy
learning and develop student ICT capability. You need to be competent and confident users of it. This
does not mean that you need to know the answer to every question, but to have a working knowledge
of it so that you can plan, support and assess its use in activities along with being able to predict any
arising difficulties.

Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets is one of the top 21st century ICT skills for teachers. The modelling of spreadsheets in
the classroom is important because it may appear very mathematical business-orientated, the
educational potential in quantitative subjects is considerable. They enhance the display and analysis
of data, enabling students to gain rapid and accurate summaries and graphs from raw figures. The
knowledge, skills, and understanding of spreadsheets, therefore, have relevance across the primary
curriculum. As a teacher, you might use them for compiling grades of your students. An example of
modelling this ICT in the classroom is perhaps by showing how the formula can be replicated using
the ‘fill down function’. You may also want to demonstrate the effect of changing the prices of
sausages in a spreadsheet budget.

Graphics Software
Using ICT in the classroom in the primary classroom should not necessarily require a high level of
ICT skills for teachers. There are many graphics programs that is generic and very easy to use.
Examples of such include drawing and paint programs like MS Paint or even the latest version, Paint
3D. Such software has considerable implications for students use towards the development of visual
literacy. Having a working knowledge of this type of program is essential. ICT skills for teachers of
these programs will enable you to prepare resources such as a mathematics worksheet. You may
have to model such things as cropping an image from a digital camera and transferring it to a word
processing program.

Databases
Like spreadsheets, the use of this ICT in the classroom can be just as widespread. They are useful in
education as they enable students to analyse the information they are recording. This, in turn, brings
about a greater understanding than merely reading the information. It will be important for you to
show students how to understand the information they are generating as they generate suitable
questions and interpret the results they obtain. Remember that data-handling software in schools are
designed to facilitate learning about the processes and possibilities of data-handling as well as the
retrieval and manipulation of information. You would need to model, for example, how producing a
branching tree database in electronic format enables modifications to be made quickly and easily.

Presentation software skills

When developing student ICT capability, an important part of your teaching needs to involve enabling
students to have conceptual understanding behind every ICT technique they use. For presentation
software, the concepts of transition and animation, are therefore important in designing a presentation
and do not have equivalents in the printed form. Also, for you as a teacher, presentations have
tremendous value in supplementing and supporting an oral presentation by showing visually the
structuring of ideas in a more effective way. The key elements in the program can help with the
emphasis of points and the focusing of students’ attention on key issues and relationships.

Information Literacy skills

Web searching skills are an important skill to have for not only the 21 st century teacher but also for
students. You will need to model the correct way how to search for the information on the World Wide
Web on a daily basis at times depending on the activity that you set for students. Honestly, any
activity that involves students researching information for their work will need you to demonstrate
these ICT techniques. Information literacy skills have widespread implications across all key learning
areas as you learn to become more of a facilitator of knowledge than a provider of knowledge and
information in your classroom.
Email skills
Emails, as you know, are interactive as well as asynchronous. You can also send large amounts of
information world wide at no extra costs. However, did you know that it also has applications for the
development of literacy? The language that people use to write emails is different at times. Modelling
email etiquette will be very important for you to include in your planning.