ICT and Technology in the primary classroom

Element 4.1.5

Use a range of teaching strategies and resources including ICT and other technologies to foster interest and support learning

“If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob children of tomorrow”

John Dewey.

Children in today's society have grown up immersed in a world of technology. This includes the internet, iPads, iPods, computers, cameras, smart phones, social network sites and video games). As a result, students think and process information differently from previous generations, i.e. their thinking patterns have changed. This has many implications for educators. According to Prensky (2001, p.1), “today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach”

Five reasons why educators need to embrace internet technologies.

As teachers, we must become familiar with the technology that children are engaging with so that we are able to incorporate it into the learning environment. Technology is the key to making learning more interesting and relevant for children today.

Benefits of incorporating ICT into the classroom:

Technology has changed the face of all classrooms. Through the use of technology, students can engage in self-directed tasks. This places the teacher in the role of the mediator and facilitator. However, teachers must know when explicit teaching is required, and when practical or concrete materials are more appropriate. I believe that an ideal classroom would have an appropriate balance of all important elements, depending on the needs and capabilities of the students.

Students of all abilities are able to engage with educational technology. When students master such skills, their self-esteem improves and they become motivated to improve their performance. From my own practical experience, I observed that students were more motivated with tasks that involved some form of technology.

Through the integration of interactive technology such as the internet, GPS devices and Google earth, students are able to witness first handedly how learning within the classroom relates to the real world. 

Booker et al (2010) suggests that teachers incorporate ICT skills so that when students are faced with new technologies, they will be able to take advantage of them.

How I have used ICT in the classroom:

To assist in teaching the topic of position in math to Year 1 students, I created an interactive whiteboard resource. The students were quite competent in using the interactive whiteboard. I created the resource with a range of activities, providing opportunity for immediate feedback in some activities. I designed the resource so that it was mostly self-explanatory, so that teacher direction would not be necessary. The great thing about working with an interactive whiteboard is that student responses can be saved in a separate document. There has been a space provided at the end of the document for students to record their names (which could perhaps be used as assessment).

You can download this resource and others which I have created at the link below:

Interactive whiteboard resources.

Do you want to be one of those teachers that are "out of the loop"?

How I plan on using ICT in the classroom:


I have only recently considered the possibilities of using social networking mediums (e.g. twitter, blogging) in the classroom. I found these great ideas by searching what others had posted about technology in the classroom through “Google blog". 

TWITTER-

28 creative ways teachers are using twitter - This site offers some great ideas on using twitter to engage students in learning and encouraging contribution, but perhaps it is a more appropriate teaching tool for students in upper primary.

Calendar for scheduled educational twitter chats - Keeping educators in the loop by keeping track of educational twitter chats. Great way to connect with other educators throughout the globe around a variety of topics.

BLOGGING - 

I came across this video posted on the classroom blog of two primary school teachers in Victoria, who I follow on Twitter. There's only one word to describe the work of these teachers - inspirational. A great example of how blogging can be used to meet learning outcomes, the benefits of blogging and samples of student work which clearly demonstrate how their skills have developed. All teachers could learn a thing or two from this video. 
Visit their class blog here.

'FAKEBOOK' - 

Get your students to make a ‘Fakebook’ profile about someone or something. A great tool to use to follow a personal interest or to create a character profile.
Create a 'Fakebook' profile

Look to the right panel of my blog for other great sites to keep teachers up to date about technology integration in the classroom.

REFERENCES:


Booker, G., Bond, D., Sparrow, L. & Swan, P (2010). Teaching Primary Mathematics. Frenchs Forest: Pearson

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the horizon, 9(5), p.1 – 6.