Swansea Bay Online Learning Partnership

Part 2:
Teaching with ICT

a. Structuring Lessons

In the case study we are dealing with, the teacher has a fairly regular pattern to her sessions. She alternates "Theory" and " Practical" lessons, and in theory lessons, she does not usually plan for students to use ICT themselves, unless there is some spare time when she lets them continue with whatever they are working on in practical lessons. In an hour-long lesson, she tends to start with a teacher-led introduction to the session, outlining the area for coverage in the session, and questioning the pupils on what they already know about the topic. She then explains at the board the key points she wants them to understand and remember, and gives them a worksheet with supplementary notes and questions for them to answer for the rest of the lesson and homework.

You might not work in exactly this way, but you probably do have a pattern that you favour as a teacher. Characterise this pattern to yourself now, and consider how the use of ICT as a resource might fit into it.

The teacher wanted to get away from the theory/practical division: partly because it gave pupils the impression that the theory was nothing to do with their own application of IT; but mainly because pupils were poorly motivated for theory sessions and wasted time trying to persuade her to have a practical lesson every time. She thus devised a sequence of lessons, which combined the two approaches.

Case Study Lesson Structure

Lesson 1

Briefly explain the purpose of the topic to the whole class, and tell them how each stage of the work will be organised.
Arrange them in groups of four and regain their attention. Show slide 1, and question pupils on the meanings of key terminology. Move on to slide 2, which lists the questions you want pupils to discuss.
Nominate one person from each group to report back, and tell them they have ten minutes to brainstorm ideas. The reporter from each group should note down all suggestions and not allow arguments to take place.
After ten minutes, stop the groups and ask the group 1 reporter to list ideas concerning the first question. Type the main points arising onto slide 3 as brief notes, asking pupils whether they agree with the points and taking the opportunity to deal with any misconceptions about the matters concerned. Ask group 2 whether they had any different points, add appropriate ones to the slide, and so on through all groups rapidly.
Repeat for the second question, entering the responses on slide 4.
Briefly show and comment on slides 5 and 6, with model answers on, whilst distributing copies on paper.
Explain the next task: to explore the issue of "hacking" in more depth and produce a report. Show slide 7 whilst distributing suitable textbooks. Explain arrangements for accessing the CD, and inform pupils that the work is to be completed for homework.

Questions for Consideration

Why do you think the teacher decided to use a CD-ROM and textbooks as a resource for this research, rather than the WWW?
What are the disadvantages of textbooks?
What other sources might you consider?

Lesson 2

Explain the purpose of the lesson, and briefly review the idea of hacking. Ask three pupils to read their reports and give praise for their work/effort.
Summarise the key points given in the reports, and discuss any suggestions were wrong. Ask whether there are any other points, which have not been mentioned, prompting them to ensure that all the main points are covered. Make sure you discuss the matter of how to find out that unauthorised access has been gained - often computer crime occurs without anyone knowing.
Show the question on slide 8, and prompt pupils for responses using the subheadings listed on the slide. Type up brief points, and save these to print and give out as notes later.
Now group pupils in threes, and explain the next task, showing slide 9 and asking for a report back.
Type up brief notes of pupils' responses on slide 9, emphasising the key points and challenging any misconceptions. In particular, make sure they can distinguish the problem referred to as a 'virus' from the problem referred to as a 'bug'. Then reveal slide 10 and distribute notes.
Give out homework with exam-style questions. Explain the mark allocation - one mark for mentioning a point, two for explaining it properly. Set a deadline for completion.

Point for Consideration

Consider the use of WWW sites as an alternative approach to the study of viruses.

Lesson 3

Briefly explain the purpose of this lesson in terms of personal data and the issue of privacy. Ask the class to explain what is personal data and give examples of it. Ask for non-examples as well, if none have already come up, in order to clarify the concept. Pick on one or two examples, and ask what could happen if the data was available to just anyone.
Explain why an act was needed in the 80s, and ask pupils to think of rules about personal data storage, transfer and access, which they think should be enforced.
Split the class in to threes, and allocate a computer to each group. Briefly demonstrate how to load up PowerPoint (or similar presentation program, or hypertext authoring program), and how to create a basic slide.
After 10 minutes, ask each group to show their presentation briefly to the rest of the class, either on their own monitor or on a large display if available. As points are displayed, prompt pupils to consider which are feasible and justifiable.
Settle the whole class and show slide 11, explaining the purpose of each point, with brief examples. Distribute copies.

Question for Consideration

Do you think it would be realistic for pupils to study this aspect purely by using the websites for the DPA and DPR for their own research?

Lesson 4

Explain the purpose of this final lesson and what will be expected during the lesson.
Briefly review the Data Protection Act from last time, questioning pupils on what is says, who it affects, why we have it, and what its principles are.
Ask whether the same principles should apply to every case of personal data storage. Where would this create difficulties? Prompt for possible exemptions by giving examples of data which pupils might think should not be accessible to the subjects - such as medical records, criminal records - or should not need registering - such as contact details of club members.
Show slide 12, and emphasise key points about exemptions using slides 13, 14 and 15.
Distribute the Case Study question sheet - which can be downloaded below - and explain that they are going to find out about a particular use of the DPA from the web.
Organise pupils to access the WWW and give them the URL to type in: www.open.gov.uk/dpr/lbpr.htm
Give them about 20 minutes to write in their answers to the case study questions, collect in the papers and quickly discuss possible answers to the questions.
Give out the exam-style questions on the DPA for homework, and set appropriate deadline.

How do I download Word documents and other files?

	Data Protection Case Study Worksheet
	Data Protection Presentation