Tools/ICTTools

ICT tools – what achieves your objectives?

Think about what you want your students to get out of ICT.

Just a few years back, the software tools you used were stored on your computer but today you can find similar tools online. The tools offer the added value of giving your work an audience, getting feedback, sharing and improving it. Somewhere in the process, you can imagine that learning does happen. There is surely a resource in this list that will help you achieve your objectives. Several will chime with some teachers and not others. So do experiment with these tools, and even return here to share your finding. Ideas that achieve gains are welcome. Of all the words we’ve available to describe these tools, you ought notice that some are entirely absent. The words are enjoyable, cool, innovative and new way to learn.

We've provided a little guidance on how you might use some tools, or tagged them with ideas on how they may work. At times you might let students choose their own tools. ICT is often not about what the tool can do, but what you do with the tool. For example, Google Drive enable you to share files but you could get students using it to engage in shared real time research. It then becomes a sophisticated tool to collaborate with. Weigh up a focused use, besides a 'hope for the best' use. Don't weigh up quality with hardware and features. A key question is what achieves teaching objectives.