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 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.
Both
of these facts held true of the resource used in the case study.
In the case of the World Wide Web, the teacher expected it to
be easier to use than it was, and expected it to do more in terms
of providing focused learning than it did. It was only after the
first phase of its use that the teacher became critically aware
of the benefits and shortcomings of the resource as methods of
delivering information and sharing ideas. In the case of the use
of word-processor software to present materials, and especially
the integration of images into resources, it was easier to evaluate
resources because the teacher had created them herself.
As
a form of guide, I would suggest the following range of questions
be applied to any 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?
You
should apply these questions to all ICT based resources you use,
and especially in this case study the web sites and the use of
a CD-ROM. 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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