What the resource is:
This Teachers TV programme is one in a series aimed at addressing “the real issues facing teachers using ICT in the classroom”. It is designed to provide practical advice for non ICT-specialist primary or secondary teachers rather than to engage with an extended or deeper-level discussion of the approaches suggested. The programme synopsis explains that it provides “some great advice on using both the internet and podcasting effectively in the classroom”, describing this further in the video as a “masterclass on how to make the best use of the free resource which is the internet itself”, namely the creation of webquests, and a “drop-in” on a music class using podcasting as a revision aid. The programme therefore provides a brief introduction to two different though worthwhile technologies. In addition a number of teachers provide their “top-tips for effective ICT use in schools". The tips include the suggestion that it is, “important to make time from your classroom duties to go to the BETT Show” and that you should get children to turn off their computer screens whilst you are talking to them. The tips may perhaps be best seen as links between programme elements.
The material comprises a broadcast along with a series of linked documents which are designed to supplement and extend the usefulness of the video content.
The aims of the resource:
The programme is designed to introduce novice ICT users to two rather different ICT resources, webquests and audio casting. For those who have never encountered webquests before they have been defined as, "an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. Webquests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation." (Dodge, 1997)The supplementary materials provide extra support, extension resources and associated research findings to underpin the use of these resources in secondary classrooms.
Key findings or focus:The 14 minute broadcast, available also as a video download to subscribers, provides an introduction into the use of webquests in geography and podcasting in music and MFL. In addition to the actual broadcast, links are provided to further materials in the form of downloadable documents. The first is a hardcopy of the subtitles used in the broadcast. A two-page document provides a simple set of instructions for the creation of a webquest using the software featured in the programme, Publisher. The instructions are of a direct “how-to” nature. They do not aim to provide any deeper discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of webquests or of the underlying pedagogy; for this the viewer would need to look further. In addition a brief list of additional software is provided, together with links to two sites specifically related to podcasting. “Podamatic is the hosting service used in the broadcast and “Podcasting News” is an extensive site providing a “one stop shop for all things podcasting.” The latter is a particularly useful as it links to a range of essential materials including alternate hosting services, free software, including the ubiquitous audio-editing software “audacity”, tutorial help groups and much more. As such this is a useful starting point for anyone wanting to start work in this area but be warned, this will be a time-consuming process.
The final resource is a document providing links to the research used to underscore the usefulness of the broadcast. However, rather than specific evidence to amplify the use of webquests and podcasting, the links are to generic research. Amongst these are the NFER report on effective ICT use in the classroom, the BECTA research portal and a report on the DfES 2004 conference into the development of a broad and rich curriculum. Whilst these are important documents to consider, their inclusion highlights the gap in the material. What is required is something that stands between the simple pragmatic and the generic. If webquests and audiocasts are a useful approach and an important development, and they are, busy professional teachers need a succinct critique of the issues standing between those two extremes.
The quality, authority and credibility of the resource:
The broadcasts provide brief examples of the ICT resources in use. Whilst they do not provide any real depth or critical discussion, they do nevertheless give three specific examples, each marked by enthusiastic and positive engagement with the technology.
The implications for ITE tutors/mentors:
The nature of the materials make them most useful in the early stages of ICT implementation, and may also be useful as starting points for a more developed critical use. The use of webquests, for example, are proposed as a means of overcoming the complexity of internet searching. The important question of how students might be aided in developing these vital skills is not addressed by the broadcast.
The link to the additional podcast resources are of particular use but make the programme’s assertion that "making one is as simple as writing an email" questionable. Effective ICT implementation use is never helped by overstating the advantages and simplicity of emerging technologies.
The relevance to ITE students:
Webquests are a known resource and have been used effectively to support and extend student learning in a range of subject contexts. Most powerfully they allow students to engage with complex materials, hone research skills and act as a focus for high quality learning. At other times they are limited to space-filling, low quality electronic worksheets. An acknowledgement of these issues would have strengthened the programme further. Podcasting of audio and video content has grown rapidly in recent years. The technology has made this a relatively straightforward task. More complex is the creation of high quality materials designed for specific contexts and audiences. A broadcast of this nature can do little more than act as a means of intriguing the viewer to find out more. In this it succeeds.
Reviewed by:
Peter Dorman