Kristie’s Blog

ICT: Is it worth the hassle?

October 28, 2008

I’ve just had a look at a paper which was written by Dr. Cameron Richards for the AARE 2001 conference in Fremantle in 2001. It is entitled ‘Electronic-age education and the need to revamp the action research model’. Dr. Richards notes that in the electronic age, there are increasing social expectations and professional requirements for teachers to promote effective integration of ICT’s in education. He also says that it is becoming increasingly clear that ICT’s are not just add-on teaching or learning tools, but represent a new medium of literacy and learning which extend beyond the spoken and written word. However, his paper also got me thinking….is ICT always worth the hassle? I mean sure the students find it motivating and it certainly has its place in education but I’m going to present a different side.

How many times have you been in class, whether school or university and the teacher says, “I’ve got a great presentation for you today, but the computer/data projector etc isn’t working”. And then they spend half the lesson trying to rectify the problem, calling in the IT boy and in the end they give up and go to plan B (minus the technology). However, if you’re making plan B, you might be questioning if ICT is forcing you to duplicate work, and is it really worth it? Well Dr. Richards thinks so! He says that teachers who integrate ICT into their lessons are much more likely to a) create an effective learning environment, b) model the kinds of indirect attitudes as well as teacher interventions needed to effectively use ICT’s and more importantly, send a message that they and their learning are important enough to warrant the effort and mutual respect.

Now, I do believe the incorporation of ICT into our classrooms is a necessary tool to teach effectively, however do computers make learning easier and better? Should schools be spending more and more of their resources on computers and software? I have always thought of teaching and learning as being fundamentally social, interpersonal activities, and therefore wonder sometimes whether we as future teachers should be worried that computers may increase the efficiency of teaching andthus fewer teachers will be needed!

Although I pnder the thought of computerstaking over our jobs, I do recognise that technology does allow students to find out more things faster, as well as keep up to date with the latest information. Certainly, using google and wikipedia are pretty much givens these days. And then there’s that fact that the Net Generation are in some way different to previous generations…and need new ways to inspire and engage them. Today’s students are also so used to being around technology that they will do their homework in front of the telly while texting their friends and chatting in some internet chat room!!

It is clear in Dr. Richards paper that most students find technology both motivating and fun, and most importantly, in today’s world, using ICT at school develops a key life skill. SO you can see, whether we are in favour of ICT or not, it is something that the students now expect to use and us as educators need to respond to by identifying the challenges and benefits the information world throws up.

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