Our views

Conculsions

We are all aware of the practice of defining the users needs and requirements when developing software or a web site but how often do you hear reference being made to the actual environment in which the software will be used as a factor of development.

To ignore such environmental factors in the area of education is and has been detrimental to the effectiveness of the software. Tonight, our group aims to highlight what, in our opinion, are the environmental factors that should be taken into consideration by software developers.

Our Views:

The above links will bring you to each of our individual presentations each with its own unique look at our choosen topic and interesting links and activities on related topics. Please feel free to have a look at this presentations and draw your own conclusions. As for our group the following are some of our common conclusions which were reached during the development of our peer teaching presentation.

In this presentation, we have set about describing and clarifying the context in which ICT is used in learning. Even though many of the same principals can be seen across the different sectors of the education system, at each stage at the approaches, attitudes and needs of the cliental vary.

1. Motivation in educational terms is a very complex area and one should seek to extract from each theory that which is seen by yourself to be relevant to your area.

2. Children at Primary level possess an intrinsic exuberance and eagerness to participate in their own learning, and we should try to harness these through a collaborative approach to education.

3. Children's potential for complex and authentic interaction, as evidenced though play, may validate the advantages associated with a collaborative approach to education.

4. The physical & intellectual environments that exist in the Primary school are not yet perfect for the development of IT, and much has still to be done, especially in the area of Teacher upskilling.

5. A constructivist approach to utilising IT in the Primary school would support the notion of children "creating" much of their own learning through engaging with "creative" software.

6. The aims, objectives and learning outcomes of the courseware must be clearly and concisely specified.

7. An attempt should be made to tailor software as much as possible to suit the individual needs of the student.

8. The student needs to be actively involved in developing/discovering the learning involved rather that sitting receptively absorbing information.

9. As part of a lesson a teacher can circulate through the classroom or at least maintain eye contact with students, computers do not have this personal contact and much therefore use its other facilities to provide stimulus variation to maintain attentiveness.

10. Lessons should always be purposeful, stimulating and engaging, presented in a clear and coherent manner.

11. It is vital to build on students' intrinsic motivation and this can be achieved by relating material to students' experience and give students with choices where possible. Providing a mechanism that would allow the student reflect on their progress and success could be helpful in reaffirming and encouraging students.

12. Developing self-esteem, self-confidence and autonomy should be an important feature of forming material for adolescents and young adults.