How ICT can Enhance Student Learning

Introduction

The Australian Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) has a developed a well founded understanding and acknowledgement of the changing needs of Australian education.
MCEETYA publishes research and national reports on Australian schooling. Evident through studies, MCEETYA identifies that there are rapid and continuing advances in information and communication technologies along with the need for young people to be highly skilled in the use of ICT. Some schools currently employ technologies in learning; however it is widely understood that there is a need to increase their effectiveness significantly over the next decade, as ICT is changing the ways people share, use, develop and process information and technology.  (MCEETYA National Report 2008).

Benefits of ICT integration in Teaching and Learning

Through my study of research and sources, in particular ACER, EDNA and Deakin University, it is apparent there are key areas in which ICT integration directly and positively affects classroom teaching and learning outcomes, resulting in numerous benefits to participating students. These include:

·         Saves time. Students can work either together or independently, either way contributing to the success of their group overall.

·         Develops oral and written communication and social interaction skills.

·         Allows for interactions with students outside their class, school, city, state and even country.

·         Prepares young students for upper grades and the technology tools they will be encountering there.

·         Allows for students who are unable to attend school to keep up with their peers.

·         Share ideas.

·         Increases student motivation.

·         Encourages different perspectives views.

·         Aids in metacognitive and evaluative thinking skill development.

·         Significantly assists learning for students with disabilities

·         Develops higher level, critical-thinking skills thanks to use of problem-solving approaches.

·         Encourages student responsibility for learning.

·         Establishes a sense of learning community.

·         Creates a more positive attitude about learning.

·         Promotes innovation in teaching and classroom techniques.

·         Enhances self management skills.

·         Develops skill building and practice. Common skills which often require a great deal of practice can be developed through these tools, and made less tedious through these collaborative learning activities in and out of class.

·         Develops social skills.

Implications for students
When students work collaboratively in small groups, ICT can be used effectively to support talk and improve discussion (Higgins, 2003). ICT can help support inclusive practice through the use of portable computers and communication aids for students with special educational needs. Whole-class teaching using an interactive whiteboard enables all students to participate in addition students gain fairer access to computers when teachers apply specific routines to manage computer allocation (Hudson-Davies and Notman, 2001).

Factors for effective use of ICT in the classroom
Deployment of ICT equipment in computer suites and classroom clusters enables teachers to access them easily and integrate them effectively (Fabry and Higgs, 1997; Manternach-Wigans, et al., 1999; Pisapia, 1994). Grouping for differentiated activities is more effective if learners have mixed experience of ICT, as experienced learners support the less confident; this also helps less focused learners. Interactive whiteboards can be used more effectively where they are fixed in one place (Cogill, 2003). Wireless laptops reduce many of the organizational difficulties for teachers using ICT in classrooms and across school, owing to their flexibility, convenience, simplicity, low profile, speed, ease of movement and strategic deployment (McKenzie, 2001).

Conclusion
It would be wise to bear in mind an important point raised in many of these studies: that is the rapid pace of change (in ICT) makes it difficult to evaluate technological innovations effectively and disseminate the information quickly.
Steve Higgins of Newcastle University UK draws attention to this fact in his Research Paper entitled: ‘Does ICT Improve Learning and Teaching in Schools?’
He finds considerable agreement amongst the academic studies conducted and the submissions from practicing educators regarding the positive effects on students’ learning by incorporating ICT in the classroom.
Nonetheless, many concur that merely providing the equipment does not of itself result in benefits. Mr Higgins also highlights researchers’ agreement that is the way that the ICT equipment and resources are used by teachers and students that makes the difference.
As an educator, that final comment is highly significant.

REFERENCES

2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians

BECTA, 2003. What the research says about barriers to the use of ICT in teaching.

http://www.becta.org.uk/page_documents/ research/wtrs_barriersinteach.pdf

COGILL, J., (2003).The use of interactive whiteboards in the primary school: effects on pedagogy. In: ICT research bursaries: a compendium of research reports DfES/Becta. pp. 52-55. http://www.becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/bursaries_report.pdf

MCKENZIE, J., (2001).‘The unwired classroom: wireless computers come of age’.  From Now On, 10 (4). http://www.fno.org/jan01/wireless.html

PISAPIA, J. (1994). Teaching with technology: roles and styles. Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC), Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. http://www.soe.vcu.edu/merc/briefs/brief5.htm

‘Does ICT Improve Learning and Teaching in Schools?’ - Professional User Review of the UK research undertaken for ‘BERA’ (British Educational Research Association), Steve Higgins of Newcastle University, UK