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 the 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. Secondly, 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.
The
teacher was pleased by the way that the database was used as a
means of interrogating the data. The speed at which the data was
analysed meant that the students did not spend a lot of time collecting
all the data together and counting responses. It also allowed
the students to quickly do a comparison of different questions;
such as how many 16 - 20 year olds regularly eat breakfast? The
speed at which these results were achieved meant that more time
could be given to analysing the data.
The
teacher was a little disappointed with the chart function and
selection of charts in Access. She found it easier for the students
to analyse the results in the database and then transfer the results
onto a spreadsheet if they wished to present their findings as
a chart.
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 students 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 to MS Access and MS Excel. 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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