ICT in the Curriculum
Many teachers find this confusing but it's
really very simple. ICT the subject (often called "ICT Capability") is a
set of skills and knowledge that must be both taught and learned. ICT is also a transformational tool which
enhances and extends learning right across the curriculum. It has changed the
very nature of teaching and learning and moved the education agenda towards
collaboration, personalisation, independence and on-line learning. ICT has changed the face of education in many ways and the consequences are far reaching. Most profoundly, the role of the teacher is changing from instructor to facilitator and students are looking for a far more personalised approach to learning.
Read on below or go to next page previous page or see a film.
ICT is often referred to as a 'capability' - the ability to use new technology fluently. It doesn't just mean computers, it means any form of information and communications technology from a simple MP3 player to the entire Internet. ICT encompasses all of this and focuses on the educational uses. A very simple analogy would be to compare computers with pencils. To use a pencil, you have to master certain skills but once you have them you can use pencils in every subject. The purpose is not be become a 'pencil-master' but to be able to use this tool in your studies. ICT is infinitely more powerful than a pencil but the principle is the same - you have to master a set of skills but thereafter you can use it in all subjects. Computer studies, by the way, is a subject found in secondary schools and higher education. It involves understanding and designing computer systems and is quite a different thing from ICT in education. So ICT in schools falls into two parts:
There's one other aspect to ICT. In the case of children with special needs it can actually give access to the curriculum - something that was previously impossible. Sadly, many teachers are still using ICT in its most basic form - as a writing tool or a glorified encyclopaedia. Terms like 'word processing' and 'Internet research' sound very modern and it's easy to believe that real use of ICT is happening. But ICT offers so much more. Find out all about it on these pages. Write more . . . . . Next page (ICT, the
subject) |
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nformation
and Communications Technology is a National Curriculum subject but it's slightly
different from most of the other in that it has a split personality - it exists in the
curriculum in two distinct forms:
