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 resources used in the case study. In the case of the World Wide Web and the CD-ROM Encyclopædia used, 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 that the following range of questions be applied to any ICT based learning resources:

1. 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?
2. How easy is it for pupils to 'see through' the resource to the subject specific learning I want them to experience?
3. How technically and practically robust and stable is the resource when being used repeatedly under different circumstances and by different learners?
4. How generally applicable is the resource-content, and can I adapt it once I am familiar with the resource?
5. 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