ICT at Work

Education – how ICT helps

Without ICTWith ICT BlackboardInteractive whiteboard Lunch moneySmart card to pay for lunch AbacusCalculator Hand bellElectronic bell Paper registerHandheld register Key to unlock classroomSwipe card to enter class Handwritten letterElectronic conversation LibrarySearch engine

Finding things out All subjects in schools expect students to be able to find information for themselves. Schools have always had libraries for students to research things in, but in modern classrooms the Internet is also used a lot. You can: search for sites which match key words follow a path to find information, e.g. computers, software, companies use learning and revision sites written specially for students.

We love the net! Advantages of using the Internet include: information can be kept up to date, reflecting news as it happens there is a huge amount of information available multimedia – sound, animation and video can be used to explain things search engines help you to find what you want.

Yes, but………….. Which of the 13 million sites do I want? with so much information, it can be hard to find exactly the piece you need Disadvantages of using the Internet, however, include: a lot of the information will be too detailed or specialized for your needs anyone can post information on the web, so some of it may not be accurate or reliable you may come across unpleasant web sites when looking for other things it is very easy to copy work and pretend it’s your own – this is called plagiarism.

Hooray for the library! Good things about the library: the material in there is likely to be at the right level for students the books and other materials will have been chosen with school subjects in mind the Dewey Decimal system helps you to find things because it arranges books by subject many libraries have a computerized catalogue that you can search on key words there is a librarian to help you.

Library or Internet? Deciding which is the best place to find information will always depend on what you’re looking for.

Parlez vous Internet? Students of foreign languages can make good use of computers: links can be made with schools abroad so that students can use and video conferencing to practise their language skills But be careful – sites that offer to translate for you are often unreliable. computerized learning packages use sound so that you can hear words and learn their pronunciation, playing the resource as often as you need to. foreign web sites will let you read about things that interest you in another language.

Computerized learning Lots of resources are developed to be delivered through computers: materials can be used by a single student, or by a whole class by using a digital projector or interactive whiteboard multimedia animations and sound can explain things, make them more interesting and suit different ways of learning you can interact and do things rather than just look you can learn at any age, wherever you happen to be and at any time that suits you. Image by kind permission of Evesham Technology.

Life-long learning Most people continue to learn throughout their adult life, either for work or for pleasure: changing technologies mean that employees need to be retrained people looking for work or changing jobs often find they need to learn new skills retired people sometimes find they have time to learn about things they always wanted to know. Computers can help adults learn at a time that is convenient and fits around the other things they have to do.

Distance learning Not all learning is done in a school classroom: some children live in isolated areas, and cannot get to school adults may have responsibilities that mean they can only learn at unusual times illness or disability may make it hard to get to a classroom Distance learning or E-learning means that students can study using their computer, send assignments to the teacher by , discuss things online, and even take computer-based exams.

Special needs – hardware Technology can help students with special needs. For example: A pupil with severe learning difficulties likes music. Pressing a touch screen or large button on a computer makes music play and figures dance across the screen. The girl gets a reward (the music) and her co-ordination improves.

Special needs – software A student with dyspraxia finds it very hard to form the letters when writing, and easily loses the thread of his ideas. Using voice recognition software he can speak the words into the computer and then use the keyboard to correct any mistakes. Software can also assist teaching students with special needs. For example:

Who would use what?

Summary ICT has had a great impact on education. Both the library and the Internet can be used to find information. Students of foreign languages can use and video conferencing to practise their language skills. Interactive whiteboards and digital projectors allow students and teachers to interact with resources. E-Learning or distance learning allows students to study using their computer, send assignments to the teacher by , discuss things online, and even take computer- based exams. Touch screens and voice recognition software can help students with special needs.