ICT Training for Teachers|
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Secondary History - Teaching and assessing the use of ICT
| Module 5 | Contents |
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Here is an abbreviated table of the ICT attainment targets, covering those areas which might be associated with the processes of communicating and handling information using a reference CD.
Finding things out Exchanging and sharing information History task details Pupils use ICT to save information and to find and
use appropriate stored information, following straightforward lines of
enquiry. They use ICT to generate, develop, organise and present
their work. They share and exchange their ideas with others. Pupils understand the need for care in framing questions
when collecting, finding and interrogating information. They interpret
their findings, question plausibility and recognise that poor-quality
information leads to unreliable results. They add to, amend and combine different forms of
information from a variety of sources. They use ICT to present information
in different forms and show they are aware of the intended audience and
the need for quality in their presentations. They exchange information
and ideas with others in a variety of ways, including using e-mail. Pupils select the information they need for different
purposes, check its accuracy and organise it in a form suitable for processing.
They use ICT to structure, refine and present information
in different forms and styles for specific purposes and audiences. They exchange information and ideas with others in
a variety of ways, including using e-mail.
Task 5.1
- Complete an assessment table for a History activity using ICT
(you can download a copy of the table here: Word or ClarisWorks)
- Email the completed table to your tutor.
Example - using presentation software
This section will focus on Microsoft Publisher and PowerPoint as two of the more popular presentational software packages used in education. Both share similar concepts in that they are primarily assemblers and presenters of information rather than creators. How and from where do we assemble?Whole publications can be created in presentational software. However it is easier, more efficient and less confusing if the pieces of the jigsaw are created in the software most relevant for that purpose and the puzzle is then created on Publisher or PowerPoint. This has organisational implications for using the software in the classroom.
In addition it is important to maintain a balance between the relative importance of the History and ICT skills which are being used and developed with these two packages. The ICT National Curriculum places a great deal of emphasis on presentational skills at levels 5 and above. Here is a selection from the attainment target level descriptions 4 to 8:
Level 4add to, amend and combine different forms of information from a variety of sourcesuse ICT to present information in different forms and show they are aware of the intended audience and the need for quality in their presentations
Level 5
use ICT to structure, refine and present information in different forms and styles for specific purposes and audiencesLevel 6
develop and refine their work to enhance its quality, using information from a range of sourcespresent their ideas in a variety of ways and show a clear sense of audience.
Level 7
combine information from a variety of ICT-based and other sources for presentation to different audiencesLevel 8
independently select appropriate information sources and ICT tools for specific tasks, taking into account ease of use and suitability
Designing a History newsletter or PowerPoint. presentation, using resources collected from Encarta, the Internet and a subject CD-ROM is obviously going to give students the opportunity of reaching level 7 if not 8 in ICT. The key question is does the activity allow the student to reach equivalent levels in History? Only the nature of the set historical task can determine that, otherwise the activity could become an exercise in demonstrating ICT expertise (not that there is anything wrong with that) rather than contributing significantly to the equivalent levels in History. The presentational aspects of the History National Curriculum at levels 7 and 8 might be seen as:
Level 7They select, organise and use relevant information to produce well-structured narratives, descriptions and explanations, making appropriate use of dates and terms.Level 8
They select, organise and deploy relevant information to produce consistently well-structured narratives, descriptions and explanations, making appropriate use of dates and terms.
Most History newsletter activities will be group activities. Within that group, different roles might be assumed by different students. These will includes:
The activity should be organise to recognise these different roles and what ICT skills would be needed to allow the students to complete them.
The process of creating a newsletter collectively might be split into a set of four tasks:
If you want to try to create your own newsletter then download the following document: History Newsletter (for a Word version click here - adapted from The IT Learning Exchange’s publication ‘Using Microsoft Publisher in the Classroom’. The resources used in this example are taken from Granada Learning’s ‘Global Conflict’ CD-ROM.)
PowerPoint. gives similar presentational opportunities to students and the same points would be made about the software being an assembler of bits and pieces created elsewhere (with the exception of text which can be entered straight on to each slide).This section will focus on Microsoft Publisher and PowerPoint. as two of the more popular presentational software packages used in education. Both share similar concepts in that they are primarily assemblers and presenters of information rather than creators. How and from where do we assemble?
There are also a number of activities using prepared PowerPoint. files in the Virtual Teachers' Centre. If you go to the ICT in the Curriculum section of Teaching and Learning, you should be able to get into the History section. Although the activities have been designed for Key Stage 2, they could serve as a useful introduction to the possible uses of PowerPoint., in this case presenting the role of Civil Defence during the air raids of the Second World War. The files use information on www.holnet.org.uk, a site dedicated to the history of London.
PowerPoint. has many positive arguments for its use by History teachers. These include the following: it
However the software needs to be used with caution. Staff will need to be aware of some of the negative aspects of PowerPoint. (what Australian educationalists have labelled 'Powerpointlessness') which limit the effectiveness of this software as a meaningful educational tool.
Possible examples of the use of PowerPoint. might include:
Task 5.1
- Download the a half-completed PowerPoint summary (click here).
If you have not used PowerPoint. before you may find it to be a useful introduction to adding your own text and pictures to a PowerPoint. template.
- When an air raid took place during the Second World War, it was the job of the Civil Defence to find where the bombs had dropped and deal with any damage and casualties. They called this 'an incident'. During the war, they made a training book to help new wardens. In the presentation there are a sequence of 7 photographs from that book, describing how the Civil Defence coped with an air raid.
The task is to add captions to the partially completed presentation to support teaching the history of the Second World War.
The end product of the activity should be a presentation of reasonable complexity which pupils can use to 'share and present' their understanding of the consequences of an air raid and the importance of the role of the Civil Defence in the Second World War.
Activity 