As we move towards a digital era, where everything can be done with a few clicks on a mouse, it is important to develop computer and internet literacy among students. Information and communication technology (ICT) can be used as a powerful tool by the students in order to excel in their academics. The teachers can make use of ICT in many different ways. However, if it is used without proper planning, the learning of the students might be minimal, since students tend to get distracted by the devices used. Students are generally curious about electronic devices. Hence, they would explore the components on their own, and, along the process, they themselves would be able to utilise ICT without the need of any teacher intervention in order to solve their day-to-day problems.
What did I do?
In my class, the students were categorised into 5 groups. Each group chose a particular chapter in science. After each lesson, they were supposed to answer the questions given at the back of the book without my help, but with the help of the internet or the textbook. They were further required to present their answers to the rest of the class using MS Word or MS PowerPoint. Through this, the students were given a platform to explore and access the internet. I gave ample freedom to my students and intervened only when it was necessary. It is the duty of the teacher to design challenging tasks for the students so that they stay interested and engaged in the learning process.
The use of ICT in the classroom provoked some sort of interest in my students. Few of them started to search for answers to their queries, which were not there in the textbook. They started repeating this exercise after every lesson. They started using different modes of presentations to communicate their findings to the whole class. Once the students are interested, they keep themselves updated. The exposure that the students get through this activity is enormous. This kindles their imagination and encourage them to learn more.
Advantages of ICT:
Through ICT, new avenues will open up for students, whereby they can explore their skills. In order to present their findings effectively, the students have to structure their thoughts, think about the flow of ideas, and add visuals indicators, such as graphs, pie charts, etc., to make it easy to understand. The very task of presentation will make the students think about the aspects that they learn in class, which will help them to develop their communication skills.
Assignments can be given in which the students have to prepare a topic in groups and present it in the class through a presentation. These skills are important for the current generation of students, since the human race, as a whole, is moving towards the digital era, and computer knowledge is important in every aspect of life.
My reflective discoveries as a teacher:
This was a very simple exercise. I did not have to employ any activities, materials, experiments, or any other things, which would be expensive. Instead, I just relied on the resources provided by the school. However, it is through this simple exercise that my students were self-enabled to find the answers to their questions. They would not need to be dependent on the notes that I give in the class. This technique can be adopted in other subjects as well.
This exercise helped the students in relearning the concepts that were known or discussed in the classroom. It has reinforced their learning.
This assignment was given in groups. The students divided the work amongst themselves. Certain facets of their behaviour that were very different from before were the level of team spirit, effective communication, and high level of tolerance towards each other.
The students were supposed to present their assignments in MS Word or in MS PowerPoint. They were able to do these differently each time—provide borders, try different fonts and font sizes, etc. Through this assignment, the students were also able to acquire various computer skills.
Providing them with the necessary freedom and encouraging and exposing them to technology has left a remarkable impact among the students. Now, they always volunteer to do anything and everything that requires computers.
Since children love computers, it was quite effortless to make them use it for doing their assignments. They were quite excited about having a tech-geek computer experience. Employing ICT effectively in the classroom will make the students make use of ICT rather than depend on the teacher to find solutions for their day-to-day questions. The skills of presentation, information researching, etc. has helped them to keep themselves more or less updated with the current knowledge and flow of information.
Author: Vinayaka Murthy, Karaikal
Term: Term 3
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