Current Trends in ICT
Australian schools are some of the most advantaged schools in the world, having first hand access to new and exciting technology. Students will no longer be staring blankly at the teacher in front of the blackboard while he/she talks at them, instead they will be engaged and interacting with the lesson content. The 21st century offers students an array of innovative resources that can aid the teacher in establishing an effective and productive classroom dynamic. The most influential current trend in ICT is the implementation of the Interactive White Board (IWB). Even though IWBs may take a bit of ‘getting use to’, these boards offer students a whole new classroom experience that is modern, collaborative and engaging.
Gage (2006) strongly articulates the importance of the teacher becoming familiar and competent with the software and equipment in order to effectively utilise an IWB. She comments on the importance of ensuring the lesson is well structured and paced and the students have a clear understanding of the relevance. Furthermore, each lesson needs to be supported by high-quality content and the teacher should have clear expectations of the students (Gage, 2006). As this technology is so new and generally foreign to long-serving teachers, I feel that it is extremely important that proper tuition on the IWB is provided before it is implemented in the classroom. Without this, the students will becoming frustrated and disengaged.
Kent (2007) reiterated Gage’s point that the IWB will not be of any educational benefit, unless it is used effectively and for the purpose it was intended. When this is achieved, teachers can promote higher order thinking for deep understanding, lead substantive conversations and present knowledge as problematic, open to multiple interpretations (Kent, 2007). Furthermore, ICTs can be used to promote social support, promote quality performance criteria and promote self regulation. This final point is my favourite, Kent (2006) notes the effectiveness of communicating classroom behaviour to a class through a webcam photo displayed on the IWB. An image of the students themselves behaving correctly, is likely to encourage them to continue to sit quietly and attentively.
I myself am a visual learner, along with thousands of other students. IWBs cater for learners like myself by integrating colour, pictures, graphs, mind maps and so much more. Kinesthetic learning are too provided for, with the integration of videos, animation, touch to move activities and audio (Tolley, N.D).
Another fantastic tool that IWBs and other current ICT resources offer is the use of digital Concept Maps. As a student, I have always utilised hand drawn concept maps to summarise, organize, research and evaluate what I have learnt in class. The teacher can create the starting point of a concept map and students can brainstorm to fill the branches, creating a one page visual masterpiece. This allows the teacher to better evaluate complex sections of the curriculum and identify any misconceptions in the lesson content (Simon, 2009). There are many different types of online concept map making tools that can be incorporated within the classroom including Popplet, bubbl.us, IHMC CmapTools, mind42 and mindmeister just to name a few.
Below is a short animated clip demonstrating some possible activities that IWB's can bring to the classroom - promoting student engagement and class discussion.
Smart Technologies, 2010
In my view, a productive and rich classroom environment is one where students are motivated to learn and are engaged with the content; allowing the teacher to competently convey the new information from the curriculum in a meaningful and productive way. Traditional teaching methods are by no means wrong, however there are many new methods and tools readily available to assist teachers in the classroom. Effective use of an IWB will allow students to become confident in using new technology, which will be of huge benefit when they enter the work force and are expected to be competent with digital software. Lastly, but definitely not least, IWBs make learning and teaching enjoyable! A very important element of any successful classroom :)
"ICT are at the core of learning and teaching in the 21st century. Queensland's future depends on how successfully we integrate ICT in the curriculum and daily learning and teaching"
(Finger et al., 2007)
References:
- Finger, G., Russell, G., Jamieson-Proctor, R., Russell, R. (2007). Transforming learning with ICT: Making it happen. NSW: Pearson.
- Gage, J. (2006). How to use an interactive whiteboard really effectively in your secondary classroom. London: David Fulton Publishers
- Kent, P. (2007, November). Promoting intellectual quality with an IWB. Teacher professional development course notes. Latrobe University, Melbourne.
- Simon, J. (2010). Curriculum changes using concept maps. Accounting education: an international journal, 19, 301-307
- Tolley, R.J. (ND). Notes on the use of IWBs in schools. Available:
http://www.maximise-ict.co.uk/IWBs.pdf - Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLdHbtuCIyY