ICT in the Primary School

From Pedagogy to Practice

Gary Beauchamp

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781317861287
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This invaluable new text on ICT offers support, guidance and inspiration to anyone training to teach or currently teaching in primary schools, as well as those studying Education Studies at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

The book encourages teachers - and pupils - to realise the potential of the full range of ICT resources. It provides primary teachers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to plan, teach and assess their own ICT lessons, as well as to use ICT creatively across the whole curriculum.

This is not a how to guide or collection of lesson plans, but instead balances research-based theory with everyday experiences, challenging you to understand teaching methods and how they translates into a range of suitable teaching strategies for the whole class, small group or individual using ICT.

CHAPTER 1

What is ICT in the Primary School?: Tools and Techniques

In this chapter we will examine the key reasons for why we should use ICT in the primary school to allow pupils and teachers to work together in learning experiences. We will then examine the unique features of ICT and capabilities of ICT and how these can be used in lessons.

Introduction

It was a relatively short time ago that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) took its place in the curriculum of the primary school. As well as becoming a subject in the curriculum, however, ICT in the primary school has assumed a life of its own as a ‘complex tool which can be used by teachers and by pupils in teaching and learning’. (Higgins, 2001, p164) As part of this development, teachers have had to develop practical ICT skills both during their training and throughout their career. As hardware and software develop, the skills required also change and any book which deals with specific hardware resources or software packages is often out of date very quickly. What changes less quickly, and is arguably more important, is the pedagogic thinking which underpins the use of both hardware and software by both pupils and teachers. This book is primarily concerned with the latter and is not intended to equip you with practical ICT skills, but to allow you to critically explore the fundamental principles behind how ICT can be used in developing effective teaching and learning in early years (EY) settings and primary schools. This exploration will be based upon evidence from research and practical experience gained in a wide range of learning settings. Although part of this exploration will help address some Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) standards, the main intention is to examine how ICT can be used as an effective pedagogic tool at any point in your career.

The introduction of technology, such as the interactive whiteboard (IWB), into the classroom, as well as technological advances allowing personal computers (PCs) and other mobile devices to become faster, smaller and easier to use, has been rapid. As John and Sutherland (2005, p406) point out, ‘in recent years the emergence of new digital technologies has offered up the possibility of extending and deepening classroom learning in ways hitherto unimagined’. These possibilities have ensured that opportunities and challenges have presented themselves to teacher and pupils in equal measure. One of the most important advances has been in the increased availability and speed of access to the internet, which, together with other advances in mobile and other technologies, has enabled the development of e-learning opportunities. Definitions of e-learning vary and Mayes and de Freitas (2007, p13) go so far as to suggest that ‘there are really no models of e-learning per se – only e-enhancements of existing models of learning’. In this book we will examine a range of such enhancements but, given the pervasive(and contested) nature of e-learning, we will adopt Holmes and Gardner’s (2006, p14) simple definition as ‘online access to learning resources, anywhere and anytime’.

Alongside technical developments, there have been changes in thinking about education in general terms, specifically in the early years and more generally in the role pupils play in their own learning. In 2009, the ‘Rose Review’ (DCSF, 2009, p9) concluded that ‘primary children relish learning independently and co-operatively’. Although the report itself was ultimately rejected, research evidence examined below will show that such an approach remains beneficial. In this context, the roles of teachers and learners have evolved to reflect greater autonomy for pupils and a more facilitating role for teachers. In other words, education is not something that is done to children, but is something that is done with them as active partners who are able to influence the course of the lesson.

Many advocates of ICT in education would share this view and adopt a socio-cultural perspective in which learning is situated and socially constructed. (Vygotsky, 1978) Beauchamp and Kennewell (2010) suggest that the classroom is an ecology of resources, defined by Luckin (2008, p451) as ‘a set of inter-related resource elements, including people and objects, the interactions between which provide a particular context’. This perspective will be considered in more detail in Chapter 2, but at this stage it is important to note that a key part of a socio-cultural perspective is the assertion that ‘tools’, both ‘technical’ and ‘cognitive’, play a central role in mediating human action. Although language remains the most important cultural tool, other tools can include paper, books, pens and, of course, ICT resources. It is the ability of ICT to provide a range of tools (such as the IWB, digital camera or mobile phone) in one place that makes it such an important means of mediating learning. However, as Wertsch (1991, p. 119 cited in Gillen et al., 2008) points out it is ‘only by being part of action [that] mediational means come into being and play their role. They have no magical power in and of themselves’. In other words, the ICT tool(s) need to actively involved in achieving both activity and outcomes in lessons; just using them is not enough. It is also important that all people are involved in their use. If we return to the idea that learning is socially constructed, we see the importance of everyone in the classroom using ICT to construct (and even deconstruct) knowledge and understanding. A belief that pupils should assume some responsibility for, and control over, their learning, would also apply to the use of the relevant ‘tools’. As part of this process, ICT has evolved from being a subject that was taught by teachers to learners, or a resource or tool ‘owned’ by the teacher, to become a shared resource/tool for learning and teaching by both. Such a change requires teachers to examine both their pedagogic beliefs and classroom practice, especially how they plan and use ICT in learning.

This change in ‘ownership’ of ICT and its implications will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 2, but before this I want you to imagine arriving at school (early of course!) and finding the classroom projector bulb has blown and the internet connection is not working. Worst still, you have forgotten your memory device with all your resources for lessons on. Could you still teach effective lessons? The answer, of course, is yes which poses the question: do we really need ICT in the primary school and early years settings? It may seem somewhat strange to start a book about ICT by asking this fundamental question, but in addressing it we begin to identify why we should use ICT, how and when it should be used, and who should use it to best improve learning and teaching. In this first chapter, we will begin with looking at why we really do need ICT.

Why use ICT?

Potential for positive impact on learning

The first, and perhaps most important, reason for using ICT is that it can have a positive effect on attainment. Cox et al., (2003, p3) undertook a comprehensive review of research and concluded that ‘evidence from the literature shows the positive effects of specific uses of ICT on pupils’ attainment in almost all the National Curriculum subjects’. This claim is, however, immediately qualified by stating that ‘there is a strong relationship between the ways in which ICT has been used and pupils’ attainment. This suggests that the crucial component in the appropriate selection and use of ICT within education is the teacher and his or her pedagogical approaches.’ Although this does not take account of the impact of pupils’ input into the process, it does underline the need for teachers to be aware of the full range of ICT’s capabilities from which they can select the most appropriate uses. Indeed, it is important to realise that just using ICT does not mean it will have a positive impact. As Somekh and Davies (1999, p153) conclude, ‘computers, of themselves, are not transforming’. In the years since, it seems probable that the same applies to the wider range of ICT resources now available. In a broader sense, this is supported by John and Sutherland (2005, p406), who assert that ‘in reality, learning is always distributed in some form between the technology, the learner and the context and there is nothing inherent in technology that automatically guarantees learning’. This theme is developed by Cox et al., (2003, p4) who contend that many studies ‘show that insufficient understanding of the scope of an ICT resource leads to inappropriate or superficial uses in the curriculum’. Thus to ensure effective use in learning and teaching, teachers must have a fully developed understanding of the features of ICT before they decide how and when to apply them or when to allow pupils to use them.

Unique features of ICT

ICT can offer a range of unique features to teachers and learners which are not available using other means. Although the range of ICT equipment is wide, the following general features are strengths of ICT:

• Speed: making processes happen more quickly than other methods.

• Automation: making previously tedious or effortful processes happen automatically (other than changing the form of representation).

• Capacity: the storage and retrieval of large amounts of material.

• Range: access to materials in different forms and from a wider range of sources than otherwise possible.

• Provisionality: the facility to change content, and change back if necessary.

• Interactivity: the ability to respond to user input repeatedly.

(Kennewell and Beauchamp, 2007)

It is worth considering each of these factors in turn and examining how they may apply to specific hardware and software. As already stated, this book is not a ‘how to’ guide to hardware and software, so any examples will be generic. They will also primarily relate to teacher use of ICT, but later chapters will consider the importance of allowing pupils to use ICT as a tool for learning.

Speed

ICT can make things happen very fast. Whilst this may be useful at times, for example to gain attention or add pace to a lesson, it should be used with care. As a teacher, it is very useful to be able to move quickly through a prepared series of images, or examples from texts, to present an idea in a variety of contexts or different forms of presentation. For the learner, however, this may not always be beneficial. Although ICT allows things to happen quickly, the teacher remains central to the control of this speed, guided by the needs of the learners. The analogy of an accelerator pedal in a car is useful. No driver would keep their foot on of the accelerator without being aware of the conditions around them, any more than a teacher would present information to learners without being aware of the needs and reactions of their pupils. Speed as a feature applies to all ICT devices, but an example in this case would be the interactive whiteboard (IWB). This allows teachers, and indeed pupils in a synergistic classroom (Beauchamp, 2004), to move from slide to slide, image to image or between programs very quickly. The dual nature of ICT as a resource for teachers and pupils will be considered in detail in later chapters, but here we need to note the importance of the teacher in ensuring that speed is not used at the expense of understanding, whoever is using the ICT.

Automation

At the same time, however, this speedy movement through prepared resources (such as a PowerPoint or other file) demonstrates the feature of automation. Before the advent of ICT resources, such as the interactive whiteboard (IWB), teachers would have to produce text in real time (often with their back to the class) or to try and illustrate an example with a poster or a drawing. Automation allows teachers to produce whole pages of text or complicated diagrams at the touch of a screen or mouse. The benefits of automation may perhaps be better recognised when something goes wrong with the computer or projectors in the classroom and you have to return to writing things on a traditional black/whiteboard or using handheld posters instead of high quality graphics on the IWB!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

A class teacher has prepared a PowerPoint for their class. This has taken a long time as it includes text, images and even a short movie. Half way through the lesson the teacher realises that the first few slides have provoked so much discussion that there is little chance of getting through all the rest of the presentation as originally planned – including some good pictures and the movie. Due to the speed and automation features of ICT, the teacher knows that it is possible to get through all the slides. Should the teacher use these features to finish the slideshow? What are the possible implications of doing so?

Capacity

Automation would be of limited use without the ability to store large amounts of information. There have been rapid advances in recent years ago in the ability to the store and retrieve information quickly. Another important recent development is that storage devices have become both smaller and cheaper. It is now possible to save and access a range of data, even large video files, from very small Storage Devices or networks (both wired and wireless). Many of these networks can be accessed from any classroom in a school, thus enabling the easy sharing and re-use of resources, or even from outside of school for teachers to work at home in preparing work. In recent times these networks have also become virtual and do not always need a wired connection, for example, through ‘Cloud computing’ – more to follow later. This enables files to be uploaded or even programs to be accessed, from anywhere with an internet connection – for example a teacher from home or on a trip away from a school. In addition to networks, the development of Web 2.0 technology has created other means of storing and, more importantly, adding new content so that pupils can become contributors as well as consumers. In reality, teachers are limited only by their imagination in choosing and using effectively a wide variety of content for lessons.

Range

Not only is there now a wide variety of media that can be accessed easily, but this media can be found in a wide variety of sources or created from scratch using an increasingly wide range of programs – see ‘Multimodality’ below. Whilst reading a big book with a class remains an important part of teaching, it is now possible to project large images of the page on to a screen using a visualiser, or a scan of the page on the IWB, to...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 – What is ICT in the Primary School?: Tools and Techniques
• Chapter 2 – ICT in the Primary classroom: How, When and Who
• Chapter 3 – ICT and the Child: Theories of Learning
• Chapter 4 – ICT and the Teacher: Pupils, Planning and Inclusion
• Chapter 5 – ICT in the Early Years
• Chapter 6 – ICT and English in Key Stage 1 and 2
• Chapter 7 – ICT and Mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2
• Chapter 8 – ICT in Cross Curricular Teaching at Key Stages 1 and 2
• Chapter 9 – Postscript: The Future
• Index