THE TEACHING FORCE

http://kiambanhs.blogspot.com/

May 8, 2009. Mayor Rom Falgui delivered his message to the campers of Kimba National High School, during the Culmination program of the Summer Reading Camp.

enablers of ICT integration

1. Resources:
This is the physical and electronic tools and materials available to the teacher in the classroom. A well resourced room or school is considerably higher up the ladder than a low decile school which has to fund raise for a new computer. The availability of tools like:

* Interactive whiteboards
* Classroom desktop computers
* Pods of laptops or one to one programs
* PDA’s, ipods and cellphones
* Educationally focused software
* Learning and content management systems
* Video and audio conferencing
* Media production facilities
. Skills
2.Skills, I consider fall into two categories; Technical and Pedagogical. Of the two, I believe that pedagogical skills are more important.
By Technical skills, I am referring to the ability to operate the resources provided to you. The ability as a 21st Century teacher to adapt, adopt and modify. The confidence and competence to teach and facilitate the use of these technologies.
The second category, pedagogical skills, is the more important of the two. Strengths in Pedagogy can and will make up for deficits in technical ability. The classroom teachers ability to use a variety of suitable pedagogical strategies is key to integration. The teacher who sees little value in the use of ICT’s, even if they have high technical ability, will always limit the level of integration. Where as the teacher with a understanding of21st Century pedagogies, who recognises that these technologies are enablers and motivators for our 21st Century learner, is able to use the learner’s own skills and abilities to enhance their learning and the integration of ICT.
Indeed, strengths in technical skills and pedagogy can also make up for short falls for the other two sides of the integration triangle. The classroom teacher, who manages their limited resources, structures their lessons to enable all students to access these limited resources; who by careful planning and management enables all of their charges to be involved, to have hands on time; who structures the learning to have higher order thinking skills – to create, evaluate and analyse – is I believe, a better integrator than those with all the resources who use the computers for word processing.
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Brilliant learning and ICT integration often comes out of classrooms with one computer, facilitated by a teacher with passion and vision. Imagine the outcomes possible for them with suitable resources and a supportive curriculum.
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3. Curriculum.
Does our curricula reflect 21st Century learning? Are our assessment models reflective of the world our students are in or will be in?
Alas, the answer more often than not is no. The New Zealand curriculum has recently been revised. This revision does start to reflect a new paradigm in teaching and learning, one that considers the world our students will graduate into, but it is still hamstrung by assessment models more suited to an older age of teaching.
Schools too, are not free from blame here. With in our unit planning do we truly integrate these technologies, these enablers of learning? Is it lip service or is it truly integration, expansion or refinement? Are we striving for integration or settling for infusion (See LOTI Scale)? What of cross curricula studies? Do we leverage the teaching of our peers, build on the skills and processes they teach reinforce, their teaching and they ours?
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An integrating curriculum (and drilling down into the integrating curriculum – subjects and unit plans), which support ICT integration are dynamic. The use of ICTs are mandatory and ubiquitous, inclusive and specific. The selection of tools and resources are curriculum driven. These units are constantly reviewed. Teachers and students contribute to the development and revision of the learning experience. They are student centric.Teachers encourage to use digital approaches
Teaching drives the technology rather than technology driving the teaching.
Staff are provided with time and support to review; time, tools and technology to experiment; opportunities to watch other practitioners and in turn be watched. Not in the “Crit Lesson” mode, rather in a supportive collegial manner. A former colleague of mine, Gary, came back to school and spend a morning with me. He came to my classes, observed me teaching and entered into the teaching and learning experience with my students. He also reflected with me on how he had approached similar tasks and actions. The conversation was open, frank, affirming and fun.
The curriculum must reflect the world our students will emerge into. Continuing to teach a 20th century curriculum into the 21st century, prepares our students for a world that no longer exists.
Thousand and Villas, Managing complex change applies here to. There must be clear vision – Goals and objectives, incentives and outcomes.
The measure of all three of these factors gives us the level of ICT integration in our classroom and in our school. If anyone factor is in deficit, then amount of integration (and our progression up the LOTI scale) is inhibited.

What is ICT Integration

Welcome everyone. This web blog is created to share ideas regarding ICT Integration inside our classrooms. I would also like everyone to share their best practices in ICT integration.

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