What Can I Do Now?

After looking at the blog of Darren Kuropatwa and sifting through some of his presentations it is pretty easy to see the passion he has for ICT literacy and technology in the classroom. Going through some of the presentations on the blog was a good chance to get some ideas and valuable information about ICT in the classroom. The point that I noticed to be the most intriguing was having students create and publish.

When using technology in the classroom it is not good enough to just display images on a smartboard or show presentations from powerpoint to the students hoping to engage them in a lesson. In order for the students to become engaged in a lesson and reap the rewards from technology they need to actively use the tools provided to them. As a teacher when creating a lesson it is important to have the students involved in their learning. The only way that the children are going to learn how to use technology is to become hands on with it. Have students create presentations on powerpoint or make notes on Prezi to show the class. Give students options and let them create podcasts or post videos online. Having students create things online using all of the tools available engages them in not only the content they are learning but also the world of ICT.

Another point I took from the blog and presentations posted by Darren is making the point to publish children's work. It is not good enough to have a student go to all the work of creating something online and having no one see it except them and the teacher. Students will enjoy sharing their work for people to see so they can get feedback from people not only in their community but from all over the world. Let students publish projects and look at other projects from different parts of the world and compare what they have done.

Technology in education is only good if we use it. The only way for students to gain ICT literacy is if they actively participate online. The best way to do this and have it connect to curriculum content is to have them create. Making students active participants in the online world is a good way to engage them in lessons we just have to make sure that we are making them accountable for their digital footprint and helping them to become responsible digital citizens.