Using ICT effectively

Tablet computers are increasingly popular in classrooms. They can be loaded with interactive software and using headphones, children can use them in pairs or individually.

An example of this can be found in a project in Kenya called Elimu, where children have access to tablet computers. You will watch a video about this in the following activity.

Activity 3.2: An example of using ICT in Kenya

As you watch the following video from 0:50 to 8.20 minutes (or read a summary [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   of it, or the explanation below), think about the following questions and note your responses in your notebook:

  • What opportunities do the tablets offer for children? How can using ICT help make teaching and learning more interactive?
  • What opportunities do they bring for teachers? What are the key pedagogical and classroom management skills that teachers working in this way would have to learn?
  • What do you think is the most important skill for teachers?
  • What could you do with the resources available to you in your institution? (Do you have a laptop? A projector? Access to a computer lab?)
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

The school in the Elimu video that you just watched was part of a pilot study that provided them with tablets, but activities such as group research, sharing resources for project work, collecting class data, accessing websites and taking and sharing photographs can be done with minimal digital resources. Children may move at different rates through digital learning materials such as those on the Elimu tablets, but this also creates opportunities for peer-teaching, peer support and peer-review.

Using ICT in the classroom

Adapting TESSA OER by embedding ICT