Can ICT make a difference?
Can we make a difference to student learning through the use of ICT? As a classroom teacher who has loved using ICT in her class for many years, I have to say YES! However, it has always been difficult to articulate why I have felt this.
Is it because students are more motivated? Or engaged? Or is more than that?
Is it because they are interacting more with each other, analysing their own and peer’s work, collaborating and creating products as a response to other learning? Reviewing, revisiting, rewriting? Reflecting and questioning?
Tonight I am reading an article by Carole Kimble, Ed. D called The Impact of Technology on Learning Making Sense of the Research 1999 (pdf download). It reminds me of some of my previous posts here on my blog about the way ICT is integrated or embedded into learning. Kimble explores the notion of doing more than just teaching the skills of technology. She highlights higher order thinking skills and problem-solving as way to maximise learning with ICT.
I recently had a comment on my blog by Jo McLeay about the way I think of ways that students can use new Web 2.0 tools to help them learn. I think as teachers we do this. However, not all teachers are on the same page with the use of ICT or with teaching and learning practices. And I guess the assumption that we all know how to effectively teach with ICT just because it has landed in our classroom, is one of the problems facing us now with so many advances in technology in such a short time.
Kimble writes, “Care must be taken to focus future research on understanding how learning and instruction should change to best use technology…”
As teachers or leaders I think we can make a difference to the learning of our students and each other. The ideas and the research explored in Kimble’s paper are certainly worth considering when I embark on delivering Peer Coaching training in my region this semester, and generally the work I do in schools.
4 comments July 14th, 2008
