b.
Evaluating the Resources Used
In
the Case Study, the teacher decided to use Excel for this work.
It is worth considering:
-
Was it the right tool for the activity and the learners?
- What
other factors need to be considered - eg. will use of this particular
tool at an early stage help with more complex work later?
- Was
it used in the most appropriate way - eg. should a more open
task have been set, and pupils given the opportunity to view
and change the formulas?
- Should
the menus/tools have been customised to cut out options that
were not to be used, and thus simplify the screen?
The
teacher decided to create a model and protect it so that pupils
could not alter it, accidentally or deliberately. There are further
issues here:
-
Did this restrict their exploration too much?
- Was
the layout as helpful as it could have been?
- Would
it have helped to have just one cell for each variable, and
make pupils record their trials and results on paper?
- Was
the model too complex? Could a simpler model have been used
first? (See the spreadsheet BALL for an example with two variables,
together with a worksheet which leads the learners through the
process of working systematically on trial and improvement).
- Should
a commercial product have been purchased, instead of the teacher
spending time creating this model?
Questions
for Consideration
In
addition, here are some general questions, which can be applied
to most 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?
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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