Today computers in schools are both a focus of
study in themselves (technology education) and a support for learning and
teaching (educational technology). Both computer literacy and using computers
as part of educational technology are important. However, reforms of schooling are
not about being ‘technocentric’, particularly through the use of computers. School
reforms are about concepts such as the need for students to develop higher
order thinking skills and the failure of current schooling methodologies to
provide the opportunity.
It is widely believed that knowledge is constructed out of personal sets of meanings or conceptual frameworks based on experiences encountered in relevant environments. The knowledge frameworks of students (prior knowledge) and of the knowledge domains relevant to the learning activities must be considered in the integration of ICT.
Desired cognitive abilities of students :
Knowledge : The learner must recall information .
Comprehension : The learner understands what is being
communicated by using it.
Application : The learner uses abstractions (e.g. ideas) in
particular and concrete situations.
Analysis : The learner can break down a communication into
its constituent elements or parts.
Synthesis : The learner puts together elements or parts to
form a whole.
Evaluation : The learner makes judgments about the value of
material or methods for a given purpose.
It is widely believed that knowledge is constructed out of personal sets of meanings or conceptual frameworks based on experiences encountered in relevant environments. The knowledge frameworks of students (prior knowledge) and of the knowledge domains relevant to the learning activities must be considered in the integration of ICT.
Rationale for ICT integration in classrooms :
- Schools and classrooms must be learner centred.
- To provide a knowledge-centred classroom environment, attention must be given to what is taught (information, subject matter), why it is taught (understanding), and what competence or mastery looks like.
- Formative assessments – ongoing assessments designed to make students’ thinking visible to both teachers and students are essential. They permit the teacher to grasp the students’ preconceptions, understand where the students are in the “developmental corridor” from informal to formal thinking, and design instruction accordingly. In the assessment-centred classroom environment, formative assessments help both teachers and students monitor progress.
- Learning is influenced in fundamental ways by the context in which it takes place.
