Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
• learnersbringinghomeworkinonmemorysticksmightintroduceviruses
andprohibiteddevicesintoschool/collegesystems
• seniormanagementbeingconcernedabouttheriskoflosingconfidential
data to mobile devices
• alackofskilledfacilitatorsdeterringlearnersincollaborativeenvironments
• learningenvironmentsthatarenotappropriateforcollaboration
• poordesignofe-resourcesforCPD
• poorunderstandingofonlinepedagogyreflectedinthedesign.
For some teachers searching the internet is a significant barrier to the up-take of dig-
ital technologies.
This group:
• resentthetimeittakestofindrelevantmaterialsinWeb-basedsearches
• aredisorientatedbytheirlackofknowledge.
School leaders making decisions about a school's policy for the use of technol-
ogy may find the information in Tables 6.2 and 6.3 helpful in guiding decisions. The
tables list the characteristics of effective technology-based tools and how they aid
communication within and beyond the institution.
Table 6.2
Characteristics of effective digital tools and resources used for communication
Characteristic
Example
effectiveness of any tools depends largely on the people who use
the tools
tools should facilitate collaboration between teachers and
learner for joint projects and support for inter-school/college
and inter-country projects such as wikis, professional
networking
online courses should expect and stimulate collaboration
Pedagogical
characteristics
Design characteristics
tools need to be flexible and able to be adapted for different
uses: e.g. tools should be able to be added to learning platforms
tools should be easy to use, cheap, free, accessible to all, receptive
to different formats such as Skype, mobile phones, wifi hotspots,
social networking, videoconferencing
software needs to be intuitive
Technical characteristics
tools need to be fit for purpose e.g. supporting asynchronous and
synchronous communication
time-saving efficiencies need to be apparent: e.g. group call
enables parents to receive messages on their mobiles; a service
alerting parents to events provides clear added value
tools should support wireless networking/cloud computing
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