Effective ICT within the English Learning Area

ICT and teacher effectiveness

This use of ICT in the learning area has several positive impacts on teachers' effectiveness. Using Grouputer teachers can easily monitor the quality of group work as the system stores student responses and input. Furthermore by observing group input Teachers can provide instant supportive reinforcement and feedback. The system is customisable, versatile and adaptive with specialist software to define tasks and develop focus as applicable to the learning area or project. Teachers work as facilitators of knowledge by guiding students interaction and helping students to apply, extend and develop concepts or opinions collaboratively and positively. Furthermore assessment is made simpler by availibility of printouts of student group input. The interconnection of referencing material enabling teachers to help guide students in researching ideas without having to leave the group area. ICT resources are more efficiently utilised as more than 1 or 2 students are working on the processor at a time. Using Grouputer provides students with a student-centred learning enviroment wherein the students engage and construct knowledge while teachers facilitate, the students themselves work to create and solve the tasks associated with staging a play. The teacher simply supports student development through providing and maintaining focus and offering support. Students have instant access to resources and ideas creating a more focused task based enviroment allowing learners to reflect on tasks, ideas and information collaboratively. Grouputer provides teachers with a powerful ICT tool that enables the development and assessment of group processing skills collaboratively with the teacher offering support and providing focus.