Analysis

Analysis

ICT stands for information communication software. In education this means technologies such as email, search engines, smart boards, kindles and laptops. The introduction of such technologies has opened up a range of educational opportunities. However technology has also introduced a new set range of problems in our classrooms. Problems such as inequity of the technologies available at home and in the classroom can put some students at a disadvantage, as well as the obvious problem of the technical fluency (or lack of) of both the teachers and students.

Although it appears that teachers are making an attempt to keep up with modern ICT, they are still lagging behind in their technical skills. Teachers tend to favour low skilled forms of ICT such as word processor and PowerPoint’s, and do not access the higher skilled, and often better quality forms of technology.

Despite teachers’ lacking in ICT skills, it appears the inability to integrate ICT effectively into their classrooms that is the major problem teachers’ face in ICT. Teachers are given professional development in the area of technical skills, yet their pedagogy is left unattended to, so teachers with good technical skills are still unable to effectively integrate ICT into their classrooms to enhance student learning.

On the whole teachers are not using the technology available effectively to enhance student learning in their classrooms. It appears that teaching pedagogy has failed to evolve as technology has evolved. Technology is based around students centred and group participation styles of learning, whilst many teachers still remain teaching in a teacher centred style of learning. This means that the technology being used in classrooms (if any) is ineffective. Teaching pedagogy will need to change to accommodate the new forms of technology available in classrooms and will need to take on a student centred approach.

  

Although there is a large amount of technology available for our classrooms, and even in our classrooms, it appears that teachers are failing to include these technologies into their lessons. Teachers are remaining to teach in ‘traditional’ methods, with limited use of technology. The technology being used in classrooms is ineffective as teachers are remaining to teach in the ‘traditional’ teacher centred style learning, whilst technologies available are best used in student centred and group style learning. Schools and teachers will need to accept technology more widely into the classrooms, but for this to happen teachers must be willing to change the manner of which they teach. Unfortunately it does not appear as if this is the case across most classrooms.

ICT will change our classrooms in two main ways; technology will make information and educational experiences available that were previously unreachable and ICT will change the way future teachers teach and operate within their classrooms.

Technologies such as search engines and online books and articles will mean that future students will be able to access information faster and easier than past generations.

Smart boards married with other technologies such as virtual gaming and internet can mean that students will be able to take virtual excursions to places that previously were impossible.

New technologies work best in group and student centred learning styles. This means the role of the teacher as “the beacon of knowledge” as it has been in the past will have to change in order to accommodate student centred learning. Teachers will become more as mentors to the students, pointing students in the right direction and providing infrastructure for students to facilitate their own learning.