b.
Evaluating the Resources Used
It
is easier and more flexible to apply an evaluation to resources
than it is to apply one to lessons. You will have in mind what
you want resources to do, and the resources themselves often tell
you something about what you can expect of them. However, there
is danger in both of these positions.
Firstly,
you should always be aware of how individual and subjective your
own expectations of ICT based learning resources are likely to
be. Second, you should be aware that ICT resources are often 'sold'
as doing more than they can really be expected to do in a real
classroom situation.
Both
of these facts would hold true of the resources, materials and
equipment mentioned in this case study. In the case of the use
of 'Help' and tutorial programmes, we as teachers generally expect
this to be easier to do than it is, and expect more information
to come back in a more user-friendly format. It is only when the
'Help' files start being used, and when pupils make their own
forays into 'Help' and tutorials, that their usefulness can be
gauged.
As
a form of guide, I would suggest the following range of questions
be applied to ICT based learning resources:
- How
much resource-specific learning do I as a teacher have to do
to make the resource work in the classroom, and is it worth
it in terms of time and effort spent and saved?
- How
easy is it for pupils to 'see through' the resource to the subject
specific learning I want them to experience?
- How
technically and practically robust and stable is the resource
when being used repeatedly under different circumstances and
by different learners?
- How
generally applicable is the resource-content, and can I adapt
it once I am familiar with the resource?
- How
well does the resource integrate with other resources and teaching
methodologies I use as a matter of course?
You
should apply these questions to all ICT based resources you use,
and especially in this case study the use of really subject-specific
resources, materials and equipment. As you become more familiar
with asking the questions, you will of course become more effective
in your use of resources, and they will in turn begin to pay you
back more quickly for the effort you put into them.
 c.
Adapting the Resources for Different Learners or Work
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