Insights: #01

	Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education
	Insights: #01

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Arranging for ICT

There is much prior work to arrange for the use of ICT to be successful. For example, laptop loans for families involves

Training sessions for parents (day and night sessions to cater for availability)
Preparation of course materials
Loans managed through the Library
Students arranged to do checking of returned equipment
Families group by grade to make opportunity more meaningful and valuable
Coordination with grades and class programs
Technical support to be provided
and so on.

Don’t compromise the educational program just to tie in something that is spectacular or new in terms ICT.

But be flexible enough to take genuine opportunities when they emerge

ICT is a set of tools - don’t be distracted by the bells and whistles.

Engaging students

Demonstrate new activities in class by working with a weak child to follow the instructions, thus giving him/her a "head start"

Groups and the quality of learning

The introduction of ICT into the class program has resulted in more group work in class.

ICT is often done in groups (or batches) but the quality of the learning experience tends to decline as the batches progress. Contributing factors include...

Time between introduction and undertaking the task increases for later groups
Most competent students are also more likely to seek to be first (confident, keen…)
First groups are likely to get the best deal, eg, more support, attention and supervision
There is increased likelihood of subsequent tasks overtaking or distracting from the original task for later groups
This makes it difficult for all groups to complete an ICT task to a good level

Hardware

Fewer good machines are better than more poor or widely varying machines.

Home & ICT

Home follow-up is as important for ICT skills as it is for literacy, numeracy or music skills (similar learning).

ICT knowledge and skills

Specific teaching of ICT use is necessary and well worth the investment of time, effort and resources

ICT skills need practice and repetition building towards confidence and competence in order to make them useful.

Introducing ICT in school and class programs

It is a huge but rewarding task. Make time to do it.

It is difficult to train children comprehensively in specific ICT skills that the staff may lack.

Motivation

Children are less likely to be impressed by ICT than adults (we adults may have a distorted and hence unreliable view).

Parent Endorsement

A Parent Advisory Group in ICT can be a great help with access to parent skills at all levels

Parents can help make cabling, maintenance, purchasing new equipment very effective and cheap.
The challenge can be achieving the right balance between the necessary educational focus and dealing with the business issues.

Deliver PD in manageable amounts and then ‘go back to go forward’ - revise, re-enforce before adding staff progress at different rates.

Support

There is a need to separate the technical support from the professional leadership roles (separate ICT coordinator and technician roles).