Activity 3- Planning for ICT's in your school

A swot analysis is useful in enabling you to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that exist within your organisation so that proper planning and forecasting as well as staff auditing can be conducted to ensure that all systems are in place for the smooth integration of ICT into the school's curriculum. It is therefore important that schools make use of this vital tool when planning for ICT integration so they can get a better picture of what they have and where they need to go.

Activity 2:Policies and ICT

It is imperative that schools have ICT vision and policies so that all stakeholders can be aware of their roles and responsibilities where ICT integration in schools is concerned. Despite precautions at school, open access to the Internet has become an integral part of many children’s lives. A growing danger is presented by the ease of uploading material to the Web. There are some social networking sites which allow children to set up an account and create a web page in minutes. Information given by users is not checked and there are very limited safeguards. Children are being told (often by teenagers) to look at their sites and can end up in dangerous situations. Therefore, it is our responsibility as custodians of these students to ensure that they use ICT tools in a safe and responsible manner.

Vision: The vision is for all students and teachers to acquire the highest quality training, skills and knowledge in using ICTs across all areas of the school’s curriculum so they can be productive and lifelong learners and feel safe when using ICT.

In ten years’ time, I visualize teaching and learning with ICT

J  ICT is fully incorporated into school’s Curriculum

J  Student’s individual ICT capability and understanding are developed

J  Students know how to stay safe online or there is an e-

safety policy

J  Enhanced teaching and learning in other areas of the curriculum by cross curricular use of ICT

J  ICT is used as a tool for learning and investigation

J  Students are confident and capable of using IT throughout their education, home and further work life.

J  Teachers and students’ interests in new technologies are stimulated.

J  Improved communication between school and parents, corporate citizens, donors and other social groups.

J  Access to qualified and competent technical support.

J  Students are assessed in multiple ways.

Module 10 : Activity 1-Where is your school in this world of technology?

Schools have differing views about ICT integration; hence the reason for the different levels of ICT integration that were observed from different schools. Several factors have hindered some schools from advancing their ICT programmes. These including lack of training, reluctance on the part of teachers to use ICT in teaching and learning as well as lack of infrastructure and resources. My school is currently in the emerging stage of ICT integration and I am optimistic that in the not too distant future, we will be in the applying stage once we get our ICT vision created and all stakeholders come on board. 

Seasons Greetings

Hi All,
Happy to know that we are nearing the end of this module. Seasons greetings.

Activity 10: Flipped Classroom

In flipped classroom teachers assign pre-class homework consisting of brief, recorded lectures and presentations, digital readings with collaborative annotation capabilities, and discussion board participation. This frees up classroom time to promote active learning through collaborative, project-based learning using simple display and sharing tools. The flipped classrooms open the doors for teachers to communicate and guide their student's learning instead of being the end-all-be-all of the content. When students are given the opportunity to self-drive their basic learning, they can create stronger connections to the information.

All teachers should be cautious when deciding to use the flipped classroom. Lectures can be disengaging, but at the same time, the lecturer can use props and different ways of speaking in short periods of time to engage the audience. 

Activity 9: Cellphones in the Classroom

Cellphones, like other devices have their pros and cons

Pros

•          Cell Phones Can Help Students Be More Organize
•          Alleviates Strain on the school's network.
•          It Speeds Up Information Retrieval
•          Allows Us to Teach students Digital Responsibility and Citizenship
•      It sets a Model for Effective Change and Innovation

Cons

•    They lead to disruptions in class
•  Possible cheating on tests
•  Texting may affect spelling and writing in the classroom setting because of language used
•  Gang rivalry and  after school fights

I think that issues such as theft of phones and students not having compatible phones will have to be ironed out before  before using cellphones in the classroom. The following could also be followed:

·  Upon entry and departure of class  ensure cell phones are turned off and stored in your backpack.

·  On days when not using cell phones for learning ensure they are set to silent.

·  Only use phones for learning purposes related to classwork.

· If you notice someone in the class using their cell phone inappropriately, remind them to use proper cell phone etiquette.

·  Strong crisis communication plan must be in place for dealing with issues such as cellphone theft.

Activity 8:Managing online communication and collaboration

The use of social networks in the classroom is quite prevalent in today’s society. Such powerful technologies have their dangers and society is still struggling to react adequately to the issues raised. pupils are way ahead of us with social networking, instant messaging, text and mobile use, although many young people lack an appreciation of online dangers and of the consequences of their actions.

E-Safety encompasses not only Internet technologies but also electronic communications such as mobile phones and wireless technology. It highlights the need to educate children and young people about the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information technology. It provides safeguards and raises awareness to enable users to control their online experiences.

The Internet is an open communications channel. The World Wide Web, e-mail, blogs and social networking all transmit information using the Internet’s communication infrastructure internationally at low cost. Anyone can send messages, discuss ideas and publish material with little restriction. These features of the Internet make it an invaluable resource used by millions of people every day.

Much of the material on the Internet is published for an adult audience and some is unsuitable for pupils. In addition, there is information on weapons, crime and racism access to which would be more restricted elsewhere. Pupils must also learn that publishing personal information could compromise their security and that of others.