c. Selecting ICT Resources

The teacher in the case study is completely at home with the skills behind most of the options we have looked at earlier. You may not be in the same position as she is, so we shall look at the options in the context of your school and your experience. Think about the following points as they apply to you:

Not use any ICT (or other technology) at all.
The teacher standing in front of the class explaining the rules of algebra can never be replaced by an ICT option. A computer can never replicate the explanation of a point provided by a good teacher. The didactic approach will always have a part to play in any ICT programme. However, relying totally on this approach will result in students, who progress at different speeds, becoming irritated by the progress of the whole class. ICT provides opportunities for a great deal of classroom differentiation.

Often the slightly more alert student will outperform the struggling student, not on the basis of academic superiority, but on the latter's failure to understand the basics of the topic. This maybe due to a lack of concentration or even a medical condition (some medication restricts a person's ability to concentrate over time). Especially in terms of the objectives set for this case study, there is such a range of opportunities to facilitate student's learning using ICT that I would want to optimise the student's learning by combining some of the options.

Use textbooks and circulate around the room facilitating the students learning.
Although this is not strictly an ICT option it could be regarded as one if it was used in conjunction with word processed worksheets or helpsheets. The use of textbooks enables the student to progress at their own pace and enables the teacher to concentrate on student's who require greater assistance. This may minimise some of the deficiencies with the chalk and talk method, but may still fail to ignite the interest of the lower motivated student that more interactive media (CD-ROM, World Wide Web, and spreadsheets) may capture.

Use a word processor package to create worksheets for the topics, perhaps placing some prompts to guide the student through the skills they require to complete a task.
Here the question is one of how much the students will develop their skills if the teacher spends time on creating material using a word processor, and how much they would have done so anyway. The use of focused worksheets will obviously help to promote students' interest on the current topic, as well as providing a means of providing prompts on formulae conventions. It also seems likely that the time spent on creating high quality resources of the sort the teacher wants is likely to be returned in the adaptability and re-usability of the resources.

Use a spreadsheet package such as Excel or Lotus 123, to present the student with a range of questions and scenarios that the student is able to manipulate and receive instant feedback on.
This case study is aimed at Intermediate Level students or students who are studying for Level 2 Application of Number Key Skills. These are students who may be expected to have background knowledge of the subject and can therefore be expected to develop their range of numeracy skills. A spreadsheet such as Excel will enable students to face a variety of testing and scenarios. These students should benefit greatly from the range of scenarios that Excel will allow the teacher to provide. This case study includes a number of examples on how a spreadsheet may be used to assist the learner.

Use the World Wide Web to visit sites that carry out calculations.
Visit Web sites such as those listed below and discuss with students how the calculations are created:

www.dulux.com/calc

www.giardino.it/arte/index.htm

Resources Selected for Work on Carrying Out Calculations