c. Selecting ICT Resources

The teacher in the case study is completely at home with the skills behind most of the options we have looked at above, though he has limited knowledge of PowerPoint and is likely to be shown things by pupils as much as the other way around. He has used videos, already has some word processed materials, he has seen some good sites on the World Wide Web, and he knows how to use a CD-ROM.

You may not be in the same positions as he is, so we shall look at the options in the context of your school and your experience. Think about the following points as they apply to you:

Use discussion only, and not use any ICT (or other technology) at all.
I have a bit of a problem with this (I would say that, wouldn't I?) in as much as my own experience of working with this area of work is that it is both hugely enjoyable - on its own, without technology - and very challenging for young people. Especially in terms of the objectives set for this case study, there is such a wealth of material available from the World Wide Web and CD-ROM, and so much you can do with the technology to get access to lively and detailed information, that I really would want to get the most out of the syllabus, the technology and the pupils by combining some of the options.

Use a word processor package to create worksheets on the area of work.
Here the question is one of how much the pupils will learn, retain and organise if the teacher spends his time on creating learning and testing resources using a word processor, and how much they would have done so anyway. My own view is that it need not take much time to create high quality learning resources that integrate text, graphics and other stimuli - flow charts and tables, for example, that illustrate processes and products. It also seems likely that the time spent on creating high quality resources of the sort the teacher wants is likely to be returned in the adaptability and re-usability of the resources.

Use some video material, for example broadcast television programmes, or contemporary print publications.
This isn't strictly an ICT option, but it would be if it were done in conjunction with the word-processed worksheets or some work on the World Wide Web looking at other materials. The best thing about it is that looking at video and published material provides a range of stimuli to the learner - especially our younger learners with high levels of 'teleliteracy' - about real-world issues and options in the world of Drama.

Use the World Wide Web to gather resources.
The way the supplementary resource provided with this case study has been made is by visiting web sites and copying some of the images from them into Word documents. Because the method has been to use Soap stars to provide a sense of immediacy, familiarity and some fun to the process, the images will become dated quite quickly. This is where the up-dating nature of the information held on the web is useful. It is also possible that when using the resources for other purposes and across other areas of the curriculum - story-boarding, for example - it will be necessary to keep adding to the sum of resources by periodically up-dating from the web.

Have pupils present their findings through a PowerPoint classroom presentation, and/or send this presentation to other schools/organisations for sharing and discussion.
However pupils formulate ideas, you can have them use a word processor, e-mail or PowerPoint not only to express and exchange the ideas but also to provide the modeling and controlling element of the work. The supplementary resource that comes with this case study provides an example of casting using a simple table in word. The cast is generated by taking characters from soaps and re-modeling (re-casting) them into A Midsummer Night's Dream. The pictures are put into the table alongside the character and an explanation to formalise the process. Pupils (or you) can do this same thing with the same (or other) characters into other plays using the Word table, or you could use PowerPoint slides for each character, or even put them into a spreadsheet. The important point is that when you are doing this you are using the capacity of the ICT to manage text and graphics in a way that enables you to present new models and amend them with ease.

Now that you've looked at my ideas about the options available, you need to make your own choices. The teacher in the case study has decided to use all options including PowerPoint, and to combine two or more in particular sessions over a two-week period. You need to plan to do something of this sort. On the next page, make a copy and fill out the summary to help you get focus on what you will do. I've put in some suggestions - you can use these as you like. Think of some uses of your own, and make a short note on what you will have to do to make it work, what you expect the benefit to be to your pupils, and what difficulties you expect to encounter when you do it in the classroom.

Resources Selected for Work on Character Casting