Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education

    Sample Issues

 

 

          

 

 

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Sample Issues
Enabler or Driver?
Rationales
Why Online
Class Operation
Access
Participation
More on Factors
Educational paradox
Audience
Reliability
Miscellaneous Issues
Learning Structures
Spatial Issues
Spatial Issues 2
Substance & Form

 

More information...

 

 

 

 

 

Sources: I=ICT Coordinator; T=Teacher, P=Principal, O=Observer, S=Student

 

Bandwidth
O: Online access seems so limited by bandwidth that one should not seriously consider online 
resources.

Competition
T:
Laptops allow deployment of resources to but also introduces competition which may also be 
seasonal, e.g., staff may need laptops for during reports.

 

Ethics
O:
How do children deal with (ignore?) ethical issues, eg, neopets fed (cared for) on the results of gambling, gigglestick gets children to commit to gross actions without information about the actions.

 

Investment, choice
P:
What level of choice should be permitted given the scale of investment (time, $, effort, support…)?  [Comment; there is some evidence to suggest that the choice for teachers will be reduced to justify investment (PD, $…)].

 

Multimedia, sound
O:  Difficulties using sound based multimedia programs in class (e.g. spelling programs): class too noisy to hear program or program intrudes into class. [Comment Head phones maybe the only feasible solution]

 

Networks

O: Wireless network: allows easy introduction of additional computers (e.g., laptops) but if port 
looses network connection then all connected computers loose connection.

 

PC/Mac, efficiency
Aide:
  Difference for those students who have say, a PC at home and use a Mac at school.

 

Purposes
O:
ICT can be used to package and delivery (information, experiences...) and to support processes. Thus the use of ICT needs to be closely aligned to overall purposes.
O: It is reasonable to assume class (shorter term) purposes and activities should align with school (longer term) purposes. Not always easy to discern.

 

Quality of information
L:
Because the quality of information available on the web is often uncertain. This is managed by encouraging the use of Edna as a prime source


Reliability, bandwidth
T:
IT failures are possible/likely: causes can be local or remote (e.g., power failure, bandwidth, 
configuration of machines. Hence "Plan every lesson as if the computers will fail"

 

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