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 above, though she has never used e-mail as part of the drafting process. She has used stimulus material from a variety of sources, she already has some word-processed materials, and she knows how to use the World Wide Web.

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:

Using course book only, and not using any ICT (or other technology) at all.
I have a bit of a problem with this (I would say that, wouldn't I?) in as much as my own experience of working with this kind of writing is that pupils can produce very flat mechanical work if not given a variety of stimuli to work from. Especially in terms of the objectives set for this case study, there is such a wealth of possibilities in what can be done with Internet and e-mail that I really would want to get the most out of the written communication, the technology and the pupils by combining some of the options.

Using a word processor package to create worksheets on the text, with product simulations in the worksheets.
Here the question is one of how much the pupils will learn, retain and organise if the teacher spends her time on creating learning and testing resources using a word processor, and how much they would have done so anyway. My own view is that a picture can paint a thousand words, or at least that a picture can give an extra stimulus to the otherwise uninspiring task. 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.

Using some video or print material as a stimulus for writing.
This isn't strictly an ICT option, but it would be if it were done in conjunction with the word-processed worksheets or some work using information from the World Wide Web. Combining worksheets, 'real life' print materials and the simulated materials on the Internet for this area would provide an even greater range of possibilities.

Using the World Wide Web to gather information of use in the writing exercise.
Have a look at the BBC's bitesize web site:

www.bbc.co.uk/education/gcsebitesize/spanish/index.shtml

Once you've had a chance to have a look at the site, you'll see that it gives you a reservoir of learning resources for the four skills of language learning. If you look closely at the writing section you'll see a typical exam question, a model answer, grammatical and lexical advice and other tasks to attempt.

Have pupils e-mail others with the draft versions of the letter to test its accuracy and validity.
When the pupils attempt the task, it would be possible to use e-mail to test the product in a quick and easy way and the pupils can give each other advice. E-mail can be accessed and acted upon at any time and individuals can provide simple or complex instructions as pupils develop their skills. It would also be possible, if a partnership was set up with Spain, to e-mail the task to pupils learning English in Spain.

Now that you've looked at my ideas about the options available, you need to make your own choices. The teacher in the case study has decided to use all options. On the next page, make a copy and fill out the summary to help you focus on what you will do. I've put in some suggestions - you can use these as you like. Think of some uses of your own, and make a short note on what you will have to do to make it work, what you expect the benefit to be to your pupils, and what difficulties you expect to encounter when you do it in the classroom.

Resources Selected for Work on The World Around Us