Why use information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom?

Mike Licht

It is difficult to imagine a contemporary classroom that does not incorporate the use of ICT to support learning.

The Australian Curriculum requires students to develop ICT capability  and the Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that students need to be skilled in its use.  ICT is ubiquitous in students lives and it follows that access to ICT in the classroom is essential for learning. Students may know how to use technology (most would use it everyday) but do they know how to use it effectively for learning? It is part of our job as educators to support our students in their use of ICT to support their learning and, at the same time, guide them in a supportive environment in how to develop their digital literacy skills.

There are many reasons why teachers should embrace the use of ICT in the classroom. Some of these include:

• it provides almost immediate access to current information that would be difficult/time consuming to find in other ways eg artistic collections, audio/video archives, digital copies of primary source material
• enables the user to create products that would not be possible without it
• provides scope for students to learn and present work in a variety of ways that suits their learning preferences.
• enables synchronous/asynchronous collaboration with peers as well as others from local and global communities
• enables students to contribute ideas, thoughts and questions digitally who may be reluctant to do so in open class lesson/discussion
• enables learning anywhere and anytime
• assists students with various needs to complete tasks that would be prohibitive without it
• provides opportunities for students to share their learning with a real audience eg blogging
• engages students who may otherwise not wish to participate in a task

There are also times when ICT should probably not be used in the classroom. Some of these include:

• when it takes longer than without
• using for the sake of it
• when it can inhibit big picture view - the development of ideas - when you want to see how ideas develop, not just the finished product where editing has removed early drafts/ideas
• when it detracts from face to face communication in situations when it is necessary
• when it does not advance student learning
• when there is a reliance on it to complete basic tasks that should be done without it eg adding simple numbers
• when there is too much information presented for a child to deal with
• when it is used as a time filler or for drill of concepts already learned

The critical factor is to ensure a balance of learning with and without ICT. It is important for teachers to be discerning in their promotion and use of ICT to ensure that its use does, in fact, contribute to deeper learning whilst applying safe and ethical practices.

Flickr: San José Library

Whilst some schools may struggle with access to ICT due to financial constraints, others such as The Waldorf School of the peninsula choose not to use ICT in the primary classroom. It does not use technology in primary school and only allows some use in the high school curriculum “in ways that enhance the learning process, by using it as a tool, rather than replace the role of the teacher”.  I’m not sure how they imagine an ICT-rich classroom looks in most schools, but am confident that there would not be many schools, if any, who would agree that their use of ICT replaces the teacher. Conversely, most teachers would argue that the teacher is critical in helping students navigate the plethora of information at their fingertips as well as guiding their students in digital citizenship whilst encouraging them to use the tools at their disposal to create knowledge and communicate their learning.

What is Digital Literacy?

Digital literacy is the ability to efficiently and effectively select and use a variety of digital technologies to locate, understand, synthesise, evaluate, create and communicate information whilst applying social and ethical protocols in order to protect and respect self, others and property.