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. Second, 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. Your use of the resource in this case is,
in fact, an opportunity for you to have input into its future
format. You can feedback to your mentor on what worked and what
didn't work, and this will be passed on to the author of the CD-ROM
for changes to be made in future versions.
Both
of these facts held true of the resources used in the case study.
In the case of the World Wide Web and the CD, the teacher expected
them to be easier to use than they were, and expected them to
do more in terms of providing focused learning than they did.
It was only after the first phase of their use that the teacher
became critically aware of the benefits and shortcomings of the
resources 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 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 CD. 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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