Teaching ICT
The most common way of delivering ICT in schools is where the teacher is the central expert delivering and demonstrating the knowledge and content of the lesson The teacher introduces the lesson, demonstrates the content to be learned then moves around the room helping and assisting students to most effectively acquire that knowledge.
This
method is a tried and trusted method so it obviously has some effect.
However, it also has major repercussions on learning. Firstly, it often
holds back the advanced users of ICT, some of whom probably know as much
if not more than the teacher. Secondly, the teacher only has one pair
of hands. Teaching ICT usually involves learning a complex series of instructions,
so students can get stuck very quickly and do so very frequently. The
poor teacher then has to sort everyone's problems out and rush around
the room like an idiot. The stress involved is quite simply terrible and
the students can get bored or annoyed rapidly.
One method I use is to employ a different structure to the learning environment. Instead of all of the emphasis being placed on the teacher as expert, I try to build a co-operative learning environment where everyone learns from each other.
I have a whiteboard or large piece of paper in the room called a HELP board. I then tell the students that if they are stuck they are to write the problem on the board/paper. They can announce (if they wish) that they have a problem to their peers. They are NOT to shout out or ask the teacher for help but they are allowed to move around the room to seek help.
The teacher is out of bounds. I then tell the students that they must regularly check the HELP board to see who is stuck and/or who needs help. I often ask the more able students to take more control of the help board and to share their experience with others.
What
I then do as the teacher is to solve bigger, more complex problems the
group might have, such as working with SEN students or MAT students or
(as is usual) fixing bugs and software problems.
This really does work. And it transforms the ICT experience. Students get a buzz out of helping each other, it creates a great learning atmosphere and it removes the burden away from the teacher.
This is also great for delivering new content. Instead of the teacher being expected to be the fountain of all wisdom (which is rarely the case) when I am beginning a new learning module, lets say in Photoshop for example. I will form a circle around the board/screen and say: Who can demonstrate to the group how to do this already? or Are there any students who know how to do these skills before we begin the task?
I would then ask these students to show and demonstrate their knowledge. They might then be asked to work in the role of the teacher, helping others to learn these skills, before they are given additional, higher-level tasks to complete.
What this does is to remove the emphasis (in the students eyes) from the teacher being the provider of all of the learning, to the learning being a shared and common experience. You might then seat students in such a way that re-enforces this learning tier. So you might say to the group: All those students who think that they know this already and can be left to start the task sit here and so on and so on until you have a geographical layout of ability.
Ultimately, the purpose of these methods is to create a shared learning environment where knowledge and expertise are transferred as a group rather than from an individual expert. You should never be afraid of saying: I don't know how to do that. You should always encourage students to share their expertise and never be afraid of letting THEM take over.
Lastly, you can extend the help board idea to other things such as; a discovery board where students write down thing that they have discovered. This is great for research tasks, where students can write down a good website that they have found or a piece of information.
Equipment you might need for teaching Art using ICT
If your school cannot afford to buy software then why not download some FREE software from http://sourceforge.net/ Source Forge is the worlds largest provider of free Open Source Software. You can download just about anything you like for any purpose for free. Whilst it isn't always as good as Pro Software, it is never the less an excellent FREE alternative. Download Free versions of Microsoft Office type software such as Word, Photo software, Film Making Software, Audio Software, etc.
Peripherals to have in the classroom are:
A PC Microphone
A Graphic tablet
Alphasmart's - These are small, portable typewriters, great for evaluations.
A classroom PC
Projector/Whiteboard
Good Software to have is:
Audacity Audio (free from Sourceforge)
Corel Draw or Corel paint but you can get similar FREE draw and paint software from Sourceforge
Adobe Photoshop (or Elements) or other Photo Manipulation Software.
A Design layout package (such as Microsoft Publisher)
