Part 3:
Evaluating the Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning
a.
Evaluating the Lessons
As
in the other case studies in the series, it was fairly simple
to see the differences between a traditionally run lesson and
the lessons run using ICT. The lessons using a database were often
evaluated as stand-alone sessions, because this was the way the
teacher was able to run them. Where individuals, pairs and groups
were working on different things, and where the course of the
lessons demanded some fragmentation of the class, it was more
difficult to judge.
It
was also more difficult to judge effectiveness where technological
problems arose, such as computers not working as they should,
insufficient access to the Internet, network problems or software
not properly installed.
You
will need a framework in which to evaluate the lessons run using
ICT, and again the best way to approach this is to use your own
or your school's evaluation framework, paying particular attention
only to the differences between lessons with and without the use
of technology.
The
main emphasis must be on the learning rather than the 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
|
