VELS and ICT in English

ICT provides a rich and flexible learner-centred environment in which students can experiment and take risks when developing new understanding.

The advantages of using ICT in the classroom are that it allows students to have more freedom in expressing their ideas and understanding in a creative and meaningful way. Students are able to use a wide variety of resources to inform and facilitate their own learning such as search engines like Google, and Wikipedia, which students are able to use to find information that is appropriate for their level of understanding and ability.

“The English and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) domains are interwoven in the curriculum. Students can create their own texts in English using the range of ICT tools and data types to visualise their thinking, locate, select and process information and data, and communicate their ideas and information to their audience in various ways.”

In English students are able to use ICT to have a deeper understanding and higher engagement with the topic or text as they can interact more closely with the information through a variety of formats from reading information to watching videos and YouTube clips, creating their own videos or multimedia projects. This requires students to consider the information and how they can express or imagine the topic in a new and creative way. Through this exploration of text using ICT students are able to experiment with different viewpoints and ways of expression.

Students are able to use ICT to make their thinking visible, through the sequencing and production of learning activities that are required in using ICT such as when making a video on an issue students must first do research, then create a storyboard than film and edit the images and sound before producing a whole finished project. This allows students to have a structure to scaffold them while giving them the flexibility of the topic, style and tone of the project and they are able to set their own pace. Students can also modify this work to suit their skill level. ICT allows the student to take charge and drive their own learning. This is because students can decide what types of information they will use and how they will implement that information. This is helpful in differentiating students learning, as they know what is appropriate for them and ICT allows them to work at their level and pace.

Learning and Teaching with Prezi

The first time I saw a Prezi was in my uni Psychology class. In groups we were presenting some work and I like most others had just used the standard powerpoint. Prezi looked so cool and exciting and made my powerpoint look like it was from the stone ages. So we all quized this prezi- maker for the details on how to make one ourselves. Prezi I found was free for students- something I thought would be so helpful if students could make them too- and really easy to make. So I made a prezi for my first class at my new placment. The students were excited- they too had never seen this cool new learning tool. I was careful however to not fall into the trap of powerpoint of just reading the slides and hoping that the students just took it all in... boring! So I included questions that students had to answer, clips from youtube that students had to find key points and included allongside this prezi an activity to get the students out of their seats and using the knowledge they had just learnt. Overall it was a success. My mentor has told me that in his teaching of this class there is death by powerpoint. Whatever technology you use it should be used to engage and facilitate student's learning. My mentor has learnt himself how to use prezi... but I fear that this is merely putting one, slightly more advanced presentation in for another and needs to be used to greater advantage. I do not know what the answer is yet but I shall keep exploring.