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Ten tips about planning the use of educational technology
By Terry Freedman
Tue, 12 Feb 2008, 00:01

Using educational technology effectively usually requires some planning. Here are ten suggestions.

1. Plan to use the computers as an integral part of the work, not a bolt-on activity that bears no relation to the curriculum.

2. A corollary of this is that it is not good practice, generally speaking, to regard the technology, eg computers, merely as a means of rewarding pupils who have completed their work, or as something to use when they have finished their “real” work. However…

3. …It is quite legitimate to fill 10 minutes at the end of a lesson with a computer-based activity designed to reinforce the work the pupil has or will be doing, or which can be seen to be a valuable activity in its own right.

For example, suppose a pupil has finished her work, and there are just 10 minutes left of the lesson. Rather than start her off on the next piece of work, or allow her to do nothing, you might ask her to load up a quiz related to the work, start up a typing program that will help her to improve her keyboarding skills (there are some good game-type programs around) or to do some work-related research on the internet. Clearly, it’s a good idea to have a bank of resources, eg useful websites and suggested activity lists, to use in this kind of way.

4. Go through your scheme of work, and identify areas where computers could be used to good effect. Look at the whole year, not just this month, because you may need to...

5. ...Book the computer room, computer equipment or software, or technician time, well in advance.

6. Try to avoid reinventing the wheel. Try to get together with colleagues, or find resources on the internet.

7. You do not need to know everything about computers in order to use them effectively, but it is important that you are competent and confident in the skills that you will need when you come to use the computers. Therefore, look for courses and other professional development opportunities that may help you.

There may be courses run “in-house” by the ICT Co-ordinator, courses run by the Local Authority’s Advisory team, local colleges or other organisations. Find out the procedure for booking yourself on courses.

Keeping in touch with colleagues, and the educational “gossip”, via blogs and sites like Twitter is essential.

8. Check whether the pupils will have the requisite skills in time. Will they know how to use the software in the way you want then to? Check with the ICT Co-ordinator. Will you have to build in the use of the computer room for a pre-lesson lesson on the basic skills required?

9. Plan for all your classes, or all the teaching groups in your department if you are in a secondary school, to use the computers in the curriculum.

This may entail different classes doing the same topic at different times, or classes using the computers for different topics.

Part of the planning will focus on booking the resources and identifying suitable training courses for colleagues.

10. Try to use computers in a meaningful way to enhance your subject, using your national or district curriculum guidelines. Bear in mind that many schemes of work are organised into categories or areas.

© Terry Freedman Tue, 12 Feb 2008