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ICT Integration
ICT in class
Cost effectiveness - ICT
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About cost and benefits
There are a range costs and benefits involved in using ICT: typically these
are a combination of resources expended and/or acquired
- time
- effort
- money
- knowledge & skills
- emotional resources
In addition the costs and benefits will be realised over time: short term
costs may return long term benefits
Some common costs
- Making the technology available. Consider as an examples
using an available PC to write simple notes or a PC plus digital camera plus
printer to produce pictures of students on paper, when a pencil or Polaroid
camera would be more cost-effective for an isolated task (if the Polaroid
and film were also readily available!!. Where this is part of more complex
project and the image will be used in a number of different ways for a
number of different purposes then the relative cost=effectiveness of the
Polaroid might be reduced.
- Frustration can be a cost and has been mentioned very often - it
equates to a psychological cost or 'penalty' while attempting to use
technology. It comes in several forms including the unwanted distractions
associated with managing the technology, disappointment when windows of
opportunity for teaching and learning are lost as a result of unreliable
technology and blows to self esteem when one fails to use the technology
successfully.
- Time. Teachers consistently report that the amount of time
required to find and become sufficiently familiar with suitable ICT based
applications and material is often quite substantial. In many cases so much
so that the effort is abandoned. Certainly few teachers report being able to
attend to this aspect of their work at school. Thus an internet connected
computer at home is important as is 'membership' of a professional learning
group that is able to share knowledge, resources, successful practices and
experiences thus saving each other time.
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