Integrating Information Technology into School Curriculum - Essay Example

Issues and Challenges in Integrating Information Technology into the Curriculum There is no question that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools has a significant effect on student performance. Numerous studies have been conducted to correlate the effect of ICT use to the performance of students. According to a research based on the effect of technology in schools, "[e]ducational technology has demonstrated a significant positive effect on achievement for all major subject areas, in pre-school through higher education and for regular education and special needs student"' (SIIA, 2000). However, there are also studies, which indicate that despite the growing data supporting the benefits of ICT in the classroom, these technologies have only been marginally used mainly because teachers are apprehensive in using them (Robertson, et.al. 2004). As a result, ICT and its capability in improving student performance have been marginal as well. How then, should these new technologies be implemented by teachers in order to successfully integrate them into the curriculum As this essay will argue, the successful integration of information technology into the curriculum requires a paradigm shift from the teachers perspective, together with their acquisition of the technical skills required to use ICT, and a good support system from the school to create a contextually relevant environment that will make teachers more receptive in using new technologies and encourage learning from students. Education and Technology: A Paradigm Shift As Jonassen, Peck, and Wilson (2003) claim, ICT today is not simply a medium where information is transferred, but a tool that students learn with, assisting the learning process itself. At the very least, one could infer that ICT is changing the nature of education today - from the school, to its curriculum, each facet of education is being revised to cope with the fast development in ICT in an effort to effectively integrate such new technologies (Williams and Price, 12). However, it is imperative to note that the implementation of ICT is just a single aspect within the larger context of school reform. Thus, it is important to understand that school reform today, insofar as ICT is concerned, places emphasis not just on quantifiable outcomes, such as an increase in the amount of ACT available in schools, but on the quality of learning experiences for students - the degree that ICT enriches students' learning experiences (Godfrey, 2001, p.15). Unfortunately, most teachers do not fully comprehend such relationship between ICT and education. According to a study conducted in Australian schools, the purpose of ICT in the curriculum continues to be ill defined and poorly understood by teachers (Fifoot, 2000). An implication of such is that ICT causes frustration among teachers, which eventually forces them to abandon it altogether. If not, they just end up using it ineffectively, as a tool to substitute typewriters and calculators, for example. Using ICT in such ways do not only waste valuable investments made for the improvement of learning, but it can also have negative effects in the student's learning process because it leaves them incapable of integrating ICT effectively in their daily lives as well. Teachers, therefore, need to know how to use technology to successful use it in the classroom. However, it is imperative to differentiate between knowing how to use technology for its sake from knowing how to use technology for the sake of improving student learning (Fishman, et. al, 2001). As Tiene and Ingram (2001, p.xv), puts it, teachers "need to expand their awareness of ... educational technologies [and] the critical issues associated with the effective utilization of these technologies." Aside from understanding ICT implementation within the context of school reform, it is also imperative to understand the changes and trends surrounding ICT and school reform. Grabe and Grabe (2004, pp.35-39) outlined this shift in terms of changes in student and teacher roles, curriculum characteristics, social characteristics, assessment, and possible use of the internet. First, in terms of curriculum characteristics, changes are being implemented to move school curriculums from fragmented disciplines and focus on technical learning to multidisciplinary themes focused on improving the student's ability to learn. Second, in terms of social characteristics, the trend is that from an authoritative teacher controlled environment, to that of a collaborative and participative one - a move from speaker-listeners to moderator-participants. Third, in terms of assessment, the move is that from standardized tests towards assessment of the students' ability to apply what they learn. Fourth, the internet and other ICT tools are now viewed less as a source of information to be absorbed and more as an outlet for original work. And last, in terms of the roles students and teachers play, students are encouraged create their own knowledge as opposed to simply absorbing what teachers feed to them, while teachers are encouraged to be less as presenters of information and more as guides for student learning. Thus, in order to successfully integrate ICT into the curriculum, the aforementioned trends must be changed through what Godfrey (2001, p. 14) calls a need to shift towards new paradigms for learning. One model that can encapsulate these trends is Scheffler and Logan's (1999) Interactive Model where students and teacher collaboratively apply knowledge to "authentic situations". Based on this model, students do not learn by simply listening to lectures, but through questioning and investigating, critical thinking, and applying knowledge through problem solving. Jonassen, Peck, and Wilson (2003), on the other hand, complement such model through their process-oriented approach, which calls for assessing not only the end-results of a learning activity, but also the manner at which students learn. Consequently, students are seen not simply as vessels that hold information, but as "processors of information" (Grabe & Grabe, 2004, p. 39). This is an important facet of education today because it delegates to teachers the task of creating the appropriate environment that will support students to become better processors of information. An example of a model that incorporates characteristics of an Interactive Model and a Process-Oriented Approach is that of constructivism. According to Jonassen and colleagues (2003), constructivism can be understood based on the following principles: (1) that knowledge is constructed by the individual learner and not transmitted from an outside source, (2) that knowledge is the result of activities that are made personally relevant to the student, and (3) that knowledge, being constructed by the individual learner through personal experiences, can only be shared through discourse and never totally experienced by others. Thus, if knowledge is created accordingly, the only way teachers can create an environment to foster such learning is through developing "authentic responses" from students within a "socially embedded" community (Robertson, et. al. 2004). Thus, technology cannot simply be used as a method to transfer information; instead it should be the medium through which the students learn such information and increase cognition - they become mind tools that facilitate critical thinking (Jonassen, 2000). Teachers and ICT With respect to constructivist learning, "a lesson is effective not in the way it is presented (lecture or multimedia), but in the clarity of its objectives, organization of materials, relevance, and opportunities for practice" (Tienne and Ingram, 2001). Thus, for effective learning to occur with the use of ICT teachers must be able to integrate them into the curriculum through a course's objective and organization by making ICT relevant and creating opportunities for students to make use of them. With this regard, it does not matter as much if the ICT tools available are abundant and new, at least not as much as the way teachers will use them. According to Valdez and his colleagues, "[t]he success or failure of technology is more dependent on human and contextual factors than on hardware or software" (Valdez, et. al, 1999). Hence, at the core of this integration process is the teacher. As schools update and upgrade their ICT infrastructure, teachers, with their multiple roles, are given the additional task of properly implementing these tools and putting them to effective use. Needless to say, "a whole generation of teachers needs to learn new tools, new approaches, and new skill." (Tapscott, 1999. p.11). Furthermore, for effective learning to occur there is need for authentic pedagogy, one that values the learner's own knowledge, experiences and outcomes (Robertson, et. al. 2004). Implementing a new pedagogy, however, requires skill, creativity, and time, among others. Thus, it requires good professional support from schools and a professional development program that addresses not only training in terms of technical skills but also training, which addresses skills involving the use of computer-based tools to support learning based on the context at which these can be used in the classroom. As Godfrey argues, professional development must address the following questions: "What new skills and attitudes do teachers need in order to empower them to integrate computer-based tools effectively into the learning environment" (2) "What support structures offer teachers the opportunities to make the necessary pedagogical changes" and (3) "What school cultures are most supportive of teacher change" (Godfrey, 2001, p. 17) Implicit within the aforementioned questions is the need for professional development to be flexible, such that teachers will be allowed to choose among a set of alternatives the most appropriate for the subject being taught. Among these alternatives, Jonassen et. al (2003) enumerate ways that teachers can use technologies to support the construction of knowledge. These include using knowledge as: (1) a medium for exploring knowledge and solving real problems, (2) a means of collaboration and communication, and (3) a tool to assist students in sharing their own knowledge construction. In addition, since teachers need to create a learning environment that takes into consideration the authentic experiences, professional development must be able to train teachers how to promote their own methodological and attitudinal changes through participation at their own volition (Godfrey, 2001, p.14). Such form of school support and professional development, however, will require an extensive revision of the budget allocation with regard to ICT. According to Williams and Price (2000), only 1 percent of the total budget allocated for ICT is designated to professional development. This poses a critical problem in the future because unless it is addressed, schools will end up with a large amount of unused technologies gathering dust in the classroom. Implementing ICT in the Curriculum Given the need to view education and technology through the constructivist model, Jonassen and colleagues (2003) proposed a two-fold process to integrate technology within the curriculum. This involves (1) teachers giving up their monopoly over authority and control over the classroom to take the role of facilitator and co-learner, and (2) handing over the responsibility for learning to the students, allowing them to become active learners and processors of information. With regard to this two-fold process, ICT can therefore be integrated within a social studies curriculum, for example, through the following means: First, as a tool for discussion and discourse, teachers can make use of discussion boards and email to improve the communication between teacher and students, and among students themselves. With this regard, teachers can use the boards to post questions or problems that students can solve during their own time. They can also use this to solicit feedback and conduct surveys from students regarding the class and regarding topics that students may deem important for further understanding of the topic using anonymous forms. From the part of the students, this can encourage them to ask questions and solicit a more active participation in class because students who may be apprehensive inside the classroom may be more relaxed and confident online. This also allows students more opportunities to share their learning experiences with others, while at the same time helping develop effective communication among students, given that communicating in discussion boards and through emails requires effective writing and composing skills. In addition, discussion boards can also be used to encourage informal debates among students. Teachers can post one topic each week, which students will debate upon. Student's learning can be assessed based on the eloquence, persuasiveness, the relevance of the arguments and rebuttals, and the etiquette of the messages in the discussion board at the end of the week. This task will teach students how to analyze and dissect statements, formulate arguments, express their views and opinions eloquently, while at the same time learning proper online decorum. Another way that ICT can be integrated is through giving students group projects that require the use of ICT such as creating a website about a particular topic, which they must maintain throughout the year. Students can then be assessed based on the website's sophistication in terms of the graphics, layout and the way it was presented, the number of hits received, the content, and usefulness of the website with relation to the topic they aim to discuss. This will not only train students how to use website building software, but it will also train them in research, writing, and conceptualization, while at the same time educating them about the topic they researched on. Lastly, students can also be assigned to make a digital presentation in the classroom regarding a particular topic. They can make use of different forms of medium such as video, print, aural, and even a combination them. With regard to the presentation, they can be assessed based on the relevance of the medium used with regard to the presentation, their eloquence in public speaking, and the content of the report. Thus, through this exercise, they can learn not only the topic they are reporting about, but it will also develop their skills in organization, research and analysis, and public speaking, and at the same time boost their confidence and self-esteem. Conclusion ICT is therefore a very useful tool that teachers can use to improve student learning. It is important, however, that teachers understand the place of ICT within the larger context of school reform and realize that ICT is more than a tool to make calculating grades or filing easier, but a tool that can actually improve student performance - the goal of school reform. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that the implementation of ICT in schools have altered the nature of education today creating a trend away from the traditional structures and shifts in terms of student and teacher roles, curriculum characteristics, social characteristics, assessment, and the use of technologies. These shifts, in turn, calls upon teachers to approach learning through an interactive and process-oriented approach. One such approach is through constructivism, which encourages "authentic learning" rooted from the needs and experiences of students and teachers alike. However, in order approach teaching using the aforementioned models, there is a need to change pedagogies, increase and improve school support, and craft a professional development program that takes trains teachers not only in the technical skills needed to use ICT, but within the context that ICT can be used in the classroom. References Fifoot, B. (2000). The new task of the computer-able teacher. Journal of the QLD Society for Information Technology in Education., 75,18-19. Fishman, B., Soloway, E., Marx, R. & Blumenfeld, P. (2001). "Creating Scalable and Systemic Technology Innovations for Urban Education." Paper presented at AERA 2001, Seattle, WA, in the Symposium "Going to Scale and Sustaining Educational Reform Initiatives: District, Regional, and Longitudinal Perspectives on the Reculturing Process." Godfrey, C. (2001). Computers in Schools: Changing Pedagogies. Journal of the Australian Council for Computers in Education, 16(2), 14-17. Grabe, M. & Grabe, C. (2004). Integrating technology for meaningful learning. 4th edn. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Hawley, W. D., & Rosenholtz, S. (1984). Good schools: A synthesis of research on how schools influence student achievement. Peabody Journal of Education, 4(Special Issue), 1-178. Jonassen, D. H. (2000). Computers as mindtools for schools: Engaging critical thinking. 2nd edn. New Jersey: Merrill. Jonassen, D., Peck, K. & Wilson, B. (2003). Learning with technology: A constructivist perspective.2nd edn. New Jersey: Merrill. Ofsted. (2002). ICT in Schools - Effect of Government Initiatives, Progress Report, April 2002 http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/public/docs02/ictinschools.pdf Robertson, M., Fluck, A, Webb, I. & Loechel B. (2004). Classroom computer climate, teacher reflections and 're-envisioning' pedagogy in Australian schools. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 20(3), 351-370. Scheffler, F.L. & Logan, J.P. (9991). Computer technology in schools: What teachers should know and be able to do. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 31 (3), 305- 321. Software and Information Industry Association - SIIA. (2000). Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools. Research Report, US research. Tapscott, D. (1999). Educating the net generation. Educational Leadership, 56(5), 7. Tiene, D. & Ingram, A. (2001). Exploring current issues in educational technology. Boston: McGraw Hill. Valdez, McNabb et al., 1999 Computer-based technology and learning, http://www.ncrel.org/tplan/cbtl/execsum.htm Williams, M. & Price, K. (2000). Background Paper: The Context of Information Technology. Journal of the Australian Council for Computers in Education, 14(2), 8-12. Read More