ICT Training for Teachers

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Introduction

Module 1

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Task 1
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Introduction

Computers are increasingly becoming essential to our everyday lives.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is now an established part of the primary and secondary curriculum. The Government has committed funding for resources for schools and training for teachers in order to harness ICT to enhance teaching and learning.

ICT in the National Curriculum (NC) is both a subject in its own right and is integrated into other NC subjects. The NC programmes of study for each subject identify how ICT can be used to enhance teaching and learning in that subject. ICT teachers will need to be able both to teach ICT and to understand how ICT can enhance teaching and learning in other subjects. In most cases, of course, these will be subjects that are not part of the secondary ICT teacher's own subject specialism.

  • There are different models for the teaching of ICT, which fall into three main categories:
    1. ICT taught separately from other subjects
    2. ICT integrated into subject teaching
    3. A mixture of separate ICT lessons and integrated ICT.

     

    Most schools operate a mixture of separate ICT lessons and integrated ICT, as experience has shown that pupils make better progress when they are taught ICT in focused lessons and then given additional opportunities in subject lessons to develop their ICT skills further (Ofsted, 2001, ICT in Schools Report).

    The BECTa 1998 schemes of work, which were published in "Delivering and assessing IT through the curriculum", offer teachers ideas for teaching ICT as a separate subject and integrated into other subjects. You might find a copy of this booklet in your school. The QCA have of course produced their own schemes of work which also support a variety of approaches for the delivery of ICT.

    The National Curriculum 2000 suggests that pupils should acquire knowledge, skills and understanding in four key aspects. These are:

    • Finding things out
    • Developing ideas and making things happen
    • Exchanging and sharing information
    • Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses

     

    The NC programmes of study outline how these aspects of ICT can be developed through working with a range of information, exploring with ICT tools and investigating and comparing different uses of ICT. Pupils will therefore need to be taught, in ICT focused lessons, to use a range of software packages and peripherals. These include:

    • Word processing and desk top publishing packages
    • Spreadsheets and databases
    • Hypermedia
    • Datalogging equipment, Logo and floor turtles
    • Internet and e-mail
    • Digital cameras and scanners

     

    Once pupils have been taught to use the above software packages and peripherals, the school ICT scheme of work should provide lots of opportunities for pupils to develop further their ICT skills in the context of other school subjects.

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     Activity

     

    Task 1

     

    1. Write a rationale for the model of teaching ICT chosen by your school.
    2. Audit and list the resources available in your school for the teaching of ICT.

    Click on the links below for information to support your curriculum audit.

    • There is masses of information on the ITC area of the Virtual Teacher Centre, and on the ICT Curriculum pages, and you could spend a long time exploring these pages! Becta still has some technical information sheets on its own site.
    • An interactive on-line writing frame to help you create an ICT policy. This is part of the Senior Managers pages on the Becta site. This site is worth exploring further, but for now you could go straight to the ICT Development Tools and follow the instructions.
    • If you want to explore the wealth of support available on the Internet, have a look in the Virtual Teacher Centre: there are many further ideas and useful links on the main home pages.

    You should also familiarise yourself with the ideas in the QCA ICT Schemes of Work as well!

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