Part 3:
Evaluating the Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning
a.
Evaluating the Lessons
In
most of the case studies in the series, it is fairly simple to
see the differences between a traditionally run lesson and lessons
run using ICT. Lessons using the World Wide Web and spreadsheets
can be evaluated sometimes as stand-alone sessions, because this
is the way that teachers are able to run them. Where individuals,
pairs and groups are working on different things, and where the
course of the lessons demands some fragmentation of the class,
it is more difficult to judge. It is also more difficult to judge
effectiveness where technological problems arise, such as computers
not working as they should, the World Wide Web access slowing
down dramatically, or other programmes not functioning fully.
In
the case of the sorts of lessons we are talking about in this
case study, I would suggest returning to the four options to see
how extensive your use of ICT in Design and Technology is. The
idea here is that the more you are doing in the fourth option,
the more integrated is the relationship between using ICT to do
a job, learning how to do the job with it and learning through
ICT.
You
will need a framework within which to evaluate the lessons run
using ICT, and the best way to approach this is to use your own
or your school's evaluation framework, paying particular attention
to the differences between lessons with and without the use of
the technology. The main point is that evaluation is based on
learning rather than on technology, and that your own ability
to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning experience is paramount.
For
this reason, and because it is possible that you will be evaluating
work with ICT that is new to you, I suggest that you do the following:
- Apply
your usual formal or informal method of lesson evaluation to
the lessons where you used ICT in a way you hadn't before.
- Discuss
this set of evaluations - ideally two or three in the first
instance - with your mentor.
- Determine
from the evaluations and the discussions where you would do
things differently in the future, both with the same lessons
and with lessons where the subject matter or the technological
response to the subject matter are common.
 b.
Evaluating the Resources Used
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