ICT and learning

ICT and learning

1. Online tutorials - features

   • Use ICT for learning
   • Contain content to instruct students
   • Simultations allow students to see what happens in different situation
   • Animations help students understand how things work
   • Advantages
     • Flexibility as to where and when students learn
     • Materials make use of multimedia
     • Materials can be accessed with lots of devices
     • Student can work at their own pace
     • Keeps students interested and motivates the variety of the activity
   • Disadvantages
     • the software is often complex and uses a lot of animations and graphics which makes is expensive
     • The students often need the interaction of their classmates in order to learn
     • Can present an opportunity for students to have a break rather than work on the online tutorial
     • It is hard for teachers to gauge progress using some of the packages

2. Online assessment

   • Exams and tests performed on the computer
   • The computer marks you work and gives you your results
   • Disadvantages
     • Danger of hackers accessing the system and changing marks
     • Reliance on equipment that may go wrong
     • Only suitable for certain types of assessment as it would be hard to get a computer to mark an essay
   • Advantages
     • The results are obtained immediately
     • You can analyse what you did well and where you need to target your revision
     • Frees up teacher time, no marking time

3. Virtual learning systems (VLE)

   • Student assessments
   • Allow teachers to add their own content
   • Allows teachers and students to communicate with eachother
   • Disadvantages
     • The software is expensive
     • There is a danger of hackers alternating reports
     • Staff need a lot of training to use them
   • Advantages
     • Students can access the VLE using any portable device
     • Learning can take place at any time- the student is not restricted to learning only in lessons
     • Students an assess themselves at any time - this makes them fall more responsible for their own learning and progress