Talent Map ICT Training for Teachers

Talent Guide

Conference Area

ICT Tasks

Glossary of terms

References

ICT Competencies

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Module 6: Evaluating the Impact of ICT and Planning for Future Development
   

Reflecting on the impact of ICT

Reflecting on practice is an important part of a teacher's learning. When planning future activities it is helpful to be clear in your mind about which strategies were effective and why, or what software was not appropriate for a particular group of pupils and why.

Techniques used in Action Research:

In order to help you reflect on your practice you may find it useful to draw on some of the techniques of 'Action Research'. Action Research is the kind of research which you carry out in the course of your teaching. It is a way of helping you, as you teach, to become a more reflective teacher, and it can be built into your normal lessons. They include the use of:

For example, when planning an ICT activity you might also plan to observe pupils at work, so that you can identify what they are learning while they are engaged in this activity (see Module 3 for more on planning, and Module 4 for more on assessment and observation techniques). If you are interested in reading more on Action Research, you should find the following book helpful: 'Teachers investigate their work' by Altrichter, H., Posch, P. & Somekh, B. (1993).

Using your Portfolio to assist in evaluating the impact of ICT

You may also by now have completed a portfolio which contains your reflective notes, pictures of pupils, samples of pupils' work, software evaluations, notes on your observations of pupils, and so on (see the Talent Guide for more on this). The process of collating this material and reflecting on your practice will have helped you to identify strengths and weaknesses both in your teaching strategies and in the software you were using.

Reflecting on pupils' learning

You will by now want to summarise your reflections on your use of ICT in teaching your pupils. The following series of questions will help you think about what your pupils have learned as a result of the use of ICT in your teaching.

What do you think the pupils achieved:

- in the subject?

- in developing their ICT skills?

What evidence is there that specific learning objectives have been met?

Were there any unexpected learning outcomes? If so, how did they arise?

Were any of your learning objectives not met? If so, what impeded progress?

What were the plus factors for the pupils in using ICT?

Were there any negative factors for the pupils in using ICT?

What contribution did the use of ICT make to advance:

- the pupils' subject knowledge and understanding?

- the pupils' ICT capability?

If you offer these particular ICT activities again, what changes would you make?

How do you plan to consolidate and build on the learning gains that the pupils have made?

Task 13

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Reflecting on your own learning

In addition to reflecting on what the pupils have learned you will also want to reflect on what you have learned. By the end of this training you should have:

At the beginning of the training you will have used a range of resources to help you identify your training needs. These included:

You may find it useful to revisit the Audit to assist planning of NOF ICT Training for Primary Phase including Foundation Stage again and compare your results at the end of the training with those at the beginning. Alternatively you may want to revisit the TTA Needs Identification booklet or the CD-ROM in order to identify the progress you have made.

Reflecting on Your Future Action Plan

When you have completed your training you will find it helpful to draw up an action plan to map out where you want to go next in terms of your own professional development in ICT. Revisiting the needs identification materials indicated above will help you to identify what you have learned and what areas you feel would benefit from further training. You may find it helpful to map your portfolio against the level 4 qualification: "Professional Development Certificate in ICT for Teachers", awarded by Edexcel. Achieving this award might be one of your targets for future progress. Click here to see a checklist of the objectives.

Task 14

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Reflecting on the impact of ICT at the whole school level

You may also want to review the impact of ICT at the whole school level. In this context, Headteachers and ICT Co-ordinators should find the following websites helpful:

The NAACE "Implementing IT" materials (www.naace.org/imp): look at section 9 on professional development.

The Becta Building the Grid site (www.becta.org.uk/buildingthegrid): this will lead to a wealth of useful tools for schools wishing to review and evaluate the impact of the NOF ICT training.

The Lewisham ICT Advice web site (ecs.lewisham.gov.uk/ICTAdvice) provides advice on reviewing and evaluating ICT. Click on:Support for Schools' Development Planning to see what is available.

Your school Headteacher, Inset Co-ordinator, Head of Department or ICT Co-ordinator may want to collate data about your progress in order to help them identify the school's progress against targets in its ICT development plan. This data will also help the Talent Consortium Management Team to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme. The TTA will also be asking teachers at the end of their training to complete an 'on-line' questionnaire on the effectiveness of the training in helping teachers to use ICT in the teaching and learning process.

IWB files

Task 15

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