Some educators are highly enthusiastic about using digital technologies to accelerate learning, while others consider them to be mere distractions that fail to live up to their promise. This lack of agreement might explain the slow uptake of ICT in schools across the country and the globe. There are other factors at work as well, including the obvious economic ones. Parental expectations and assumptions regarding the use of smartphones and computers, the 'gaming' approach to learning, and their own educational experiences may place pressure on schools to stick to a 'tried and tested' format.

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The Australian curriculum and reporting authority (ACARA) has gotten behind ICT as not only a tool for learning but also a necessary skill-set for the future. ICT is covered in the Australian Curriculum as two learning areas (Design and Technology and Digital Technologies) and as a General Capability that cuts across all subjects. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) in its Professional Standards for Teachers (2.6), requires graduate teachers to "Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students." and further increases that requirement for higher levels. Therefore, as teachers, we must familiarise ourselves with both the use of ICT in general and as a pedagogical resource.

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There are many ways that ICT can be used to complement learning:

• Numerous tools can connect students with peers and mentors around the world. Collaborative Projects can be undertaken alongside other schools.

• An interesting video can be used to engage students with a topic or serve as a jumping off point for some inquiry based learning.

• Various Apps are available that can help organise teaching management and grading, connect schools with parents/carers, and help students to organise their own goals.

• Virtual Tours can replace an otherwise prohibitive field-trip.

• PowerPoint or Prezi presentations can liven up an otherwise dry piece of direct instruction, or be used as a form of assessment that some students will find better suited to them than a formal essay.

• The list goes on, but the key ideas are that it improves student engagement, assists parent-teacher communication, and caters to a more diverse classroom than traditional media alone.

 

By bringing outside resources into the classroom via the internet, students can better develop the so-called '21st Century Skills'. The 4 Cs (or 6 Cs) can be stimulated with wider net-based inquiry. There is room for greater collaboration, various forms of communication, and critical and creative thinking in regards to more areas. This brings with it some greater responsibility too. Teachers must pay attention to aspects of online communication such as the students' privacy, online safety, cyber-bullying, and the credibility of online sources. But here too is an opportunity to develop their awareness and critical thinking skills, along with an armoury of coping strategies and a mindset of seeking assistance when it is needed.

 

In conclusion, ICT is here to stay as a part of our educational environment. It is not a catch-all solution, but part of many resources that teachers and learners might draw upon.

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Look here for an example of a pair of lesson plans incorporating ICT in an English poetry class.