Information and communication technology in schools

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can support learning in a number of ways. It can facilitate communication, increase access to information, provide greater access to learning for students with special educational needs, model and simulate a range of scientific phenomena, and generally motivate students, develop problem solving capabilities and aid deeper understanding. For students with special educational needs, the computer can provide access to learning in new ways and which for many were previously inaccessible. However for all this to happen teachers need to be aware of the potential of ICT for learning and experienced in the use of the technology for teaching. The idea that teachers are fountains of knowledge and that children are empty vessels waiting to be filled with the knowledge and wisdom of their teacher is untenable in the information age. The amount of knowledge available and the breadth and depth of it are far beyond the realms of most teachers, as is their control of learners' access to it. The teacher's role within an ICT-rich environment must necessarily change to help students learn in the best way they can by recognising different learners' needs, and support students in to making choices about how and where they access new knowledge. To ensure that teachers use the technology in appropriate ways, the different roles a computer can play in the classroom need to be considered together with how the teacher develops teaching strategies that support each role. Older technologies also have a part to play in the ICT environment: we need to remain mindful of the relative merits of all resources and to consider their appropriateness in different situations. DFID: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/imfundo/KnowledgeBank-paper-4.pdf