By Michael Hilkemeijer
Welcome to my page where you will learn all you need to know about ICT integration in teaching and learning.
Integrating ICT in education is an instructional choice by you the teacher and it involves collaboration and deliberate planning in addition to always having you as the teacher to participate. The integration of ICT in education is when you as the classroom teachers use ICT to introduce, reinforce, extend, enrich, assess, and remediate student mastery of curricular targets.
Effective ICT integration in education cannot be achieved without you and it certainly won’t occur if you just send your students to the computer lab to learn ICT skills while you do something else.
What is ICT integration?
The ultimate aim in developing children’s ICT capability is to make ICT transparent – the children become so focused on using ICT as a tool to achieve other outcomes that they hardly notice that they are using ICT itself.
That is ICT integration in education!
I am going to take you on a learning journey where ICT integration in teaching and learning begins in the foundations. You can jump to the online workshop for teachers of your choice where be able to apply examples of ICT integration lesson plans in meaningful ways.
Integrating ICT in Early Childhood Education
ICT integration in teaching and learning is essential and it should begin in early childhood education. Preschool children should be finding out and identifying the use of ICT in their everyday lives, and they should also be using desktop computers and programmable toys.
An important reason for integrating technology in the preschool classroom is the recognition of young children that ICT resources are tools that are designed for a specific purpose.
Planning to integrate ICT in the classroom is very useful in ensuring that this occurs as it enables children to view ICT as a tool to support and enhance teaching and learning. The integration of ict in teaching and learning throughout all the early learning goals will allow the quality of what is being taught and learned to be further developed along with the learning process being enhanced.
To demonstrate how ICT integration can transform teaching and learning in the early childhood learning environment, I have developed a number of online training for early childhood educators in the form of early childhood education resources that encourage you to apply the educational theory learned.
My first example about integrating ICT in early childhood education involves applying ICT pedagogy integration in language learning plans with the help of ICT activities for preschoolers that you will find embedded as part of your CPD in our early childhood education resource - ‘Technology and Language Development’. There are also ICT activities for kindergarten too.
Watch this video for an ICT integration teaching example....
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How to integrate ICT in the Science classroom?
The role of ICT in science education has grown in prominence over the years with the introduction of STEM activities in primary education.
There are many ways in which ICT can support science education in a more general way, with the use of templates.
For example, scaffolding is a form of writing that it can structure scientific thoughts and develop skills of planning and enquiry.
Planning the use of ICT in teaching science today would, therefore, involve identifying the sorts of activities where ICT can support and enhance the learning of science.
Learn to Structure your ICT in Primary Science lesson plan here!!
Through our primary teaching resource, we support the practice of integrating ICT in science teaching with examples of ICT in science that enable students to construct knowledge with, as opposed to learning from.
For example, content-free software such as word processors enables students to assume control over their own learning. Children of all ages can use this to assist in sequencing and sorting information.
Graphics software allows students to produce images, and this is very important as science work at all levels requires illustration to aid communication.
While spreadsheets and databases can be integrated to collect, predict and explore data such as recording plant growth.
Constructivist pedagogy such as this is supported by ICT integrated lesson plans for primary science education in this particular primary teaching resource.
These are just a few examples of integrating ICT in science teaching that we support you with so it is worth becoming a member of our ICT in Education Teacher Academy (ICT Professional Development for teachers) for just $5.99 per month.
Download our integrating ICT in science teaching pdf for just $10.
How to integrate ICT in teaching maths?
Another example of ICT integration in teaching and learning is in using ICT in maths primary. The benefits of ICT in maths teaching includes that of creating interaction amongst students along with increasing their motivation. However, this is more generally common amongst students when integrating ICT in other contexts as well.
Other benefits of ICT in teaching maths include:
- Enabling access or the ability to create stimulating resources.
- To distribute or display them attractively.
- To capture the interest of students.
- To gain access to computer-based activities.
- To open the door to contexts.
ICT can be integrated into most parts of the lesson; however, it is the central part of the lesson which lends itself most to the integration of appropriate ICT.
As a participant in our primary teaching resource titled ‘How to integrate ICT in teaching maths?’ you will learn through the integration of ICT in teaching and learning primary mathematics ICT integration examples such as generating arithmetic and geometric sequences rapidly with a spreadsheet, using digital cameras to help children make links between abstract ideas that they learn in the classroom and the world around them, integrating ICT in the classroom like graphics software to support mathematical modelling activities.
Throughout this particular primary teaching resource, you will be supported in your efforts to integrate ICT in the classroom with our ICT based lesson plan in maths. As a result, you will learn to develop questions that exploit the ICT learning opportunities alongside the mathematical learning opportunities.
You can also buy these in bulk from our resource page too, but why not gain 10 hours of CPD while implementing them in the classroom today.
Here is an example of how to integrate ICT in teaching maths through a case study example in the Australian Curriculum.
| Lesson Overview |
| Year 3 students will complete a traffic survey. They will be organised into six groups of five accompanied by a responsible adult. Each group will spend 20 minutes recording the traffic on a nearby road. In the first lesson, I will describe the to class the place and the purpose of talk. A discussion will occur about how the traffic flow might be observed and then recorded. |
| Learning needs of the children |
| Grouping/Timing |
| Resources |
| Theoretical Context |
| National Curriculum context |
| Australian Curriculum Year 3 Statistics and Probability (data representation and interpretation) - Collect data, organise into categories and create displays using lists, tables, picture graphs and simple column graphs, with and without the use of digital technologies (ACMSP069 ) |
| Scheme of work |
| Statistics and probability unit of work. |
| Teacher Learning needs |
|
What concepts do you need to revise and review before teaching the children? |
| Organisational memory joggers |
| Learning objectives/intentions |
| Differentiation |
| Assessment opportunities |
| Key Questions |
|
Examples include:
|
| Lesson Format |
|
Introduction - what key concepts or skills will be introduced? Recording data in a spreadsheet for example. Producing a tally chart etc. Practical session - This is the development of the lesson through focused activities such as engaging in the 'hands-on' activity of recording traffic at a nearby traffic light. Plenary - Discuss with the children carefully about having different categories, or fields, to allow them to record different vehicles and to ensure that they are doing the activity properly, and that they are doing the same thing as other groups so that comparisons can be made.
|
| Evaluating the lesson |
Such an example represents an effective way to integrate ICT in teaching maths and enables the development of student ICT capability alongside supporting very important concepts in mathematics.
Download your bundle of ICT based lesson plan in maths here.
ICT professional development for teachers
How to use ICT in teaching English?
Studies into the extent to which ICT was used effectively to support the development of literacy in primary education have indicated that this has to a large extent depended on the teacher’s own personal capabilities in ICT and in literacy.
Where teacher skills have been lacking in ICT there was sometimes only a haphazard development of ICT capabilities and skills.
The most effective lessons which supported the development of literacy through an ICT integrated lesson plan for English made effective use of the provisionality inherent in ICT.
Using ICT in English lessons may involve ICT integration teaching examples such as:
- Using word processors to edit and structure writing in such a way that will develop both English and ICT capabilities.
- The design of logos using graphics software is a powerful example of ICT integration in teaching and learning to support work on interpreting methods of communication.
- If your students are to engage critically with information then they need a range of opportunities through which to explore the issues of selection and presentation of data. Graphing programs can help achieve this.
- It is important that pictures that the students use genuinely complement and enrich the text. Through the use of digital cameras, this can be achieved.
Through our primary teaching resources, we explore more strategies and examples of using ICT in English lessons as each of the following resources has an embedded ICT integrated lesson plan for English.
Learn how to use ICT in teaching English through the following primary teaching resources:
Year 1 Literacy with ICT integrated lesson plan instructional workshop - $460 Aud (Lifetime access for CPD)
Year 2 Literacy with ICT integrated lesson plan instructional workshop – As above
Year 3 Literacy with ICT integrated lesson plan instructional workshop.- As above
Year 4 Literacy with ICT integrated lesson plan instructional workshop. – As above
Year 5 Literacy with ICT integrated lesson plan instructional workshop. – As above
You can your FREE sample lesson plan in English with ICT integration by clicking here!
Then purchase your bundle of ICT integrated lesson plan for English HERE!
5 Steps to Integrate ICT in Education
The significance of how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning success was driven home for me personally one day when I read information about past ICT tools in teaching and learning.
If you can remember those days back in school when television was around. Many of my old school teachers used it a lot for learning experiences. What has happened since then is that we have all become too familiar with TV as a result of it being an ever-present part of our lives. It no longer exists as a learning medium.
Today, as ICT keeps permeating out lives, it too is in danger of losing its power as a learning medium. You cannot simply expose children to it as learning will not sufficiently occur.
You will learn in the following paragraphs the best practices on how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning today and I encourage you to apply these principles as you do so. Such strategies for integrating ICT into classroom learning can found in our advanced course in more detail and can be applied with support from the theories learned in the course.
Here is how to integrate ICT in the classroom.
Step 1. Develop an appreciation of where the children are
This is all to do with the methods of observation and assessment that you choose to use. The integration of ICT is about making ICT transparent in meaningful and purpose driven contexts. Its components are practical and so observation is ideal as the main form of assessment. However, you need to use different strategies for each component of ICT capability.
An idea would be to conduct a pre-lesson with ICT where you list all the ICT techniques that you expect your students to already know. Monitor these throughout the lesson and record what you observe. Then plan your lesson accordingly.
Step 2. Plan and seek to develop all components of ICT capability
ICT capability is constituted of 5 components and just the one aspect that many teachers are familiar with that is just teaching ICT skills. You need to develop all components in meaningful, subject-related activities.
Step 3. Embed ICT in the meaningful and purpose-driven context
I know that I have mentioned this before, however, this is the whole crux of it. Understanding how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning means that you are on-board with embedding it throughout your curriculum. It is an instructional choice that includes collaboration and deliberate planning.
So you need to make sound instructional decisions by creating ICT activities in your curriculum. To take this example further, I will use the Australian Curriculum to broaden your understanding. It recognises ICT capability as a 21st century skill or what is known as a general capability as something that can be integrated in key learning areas. As such teachers are encouraged to use a range of ICT tools, strategies and resources to support the teaching and learning of ICT capability.
This brings me to the next step.
Step 4. Select the appropriate ICT tools
There are so many out there and as teachers both you and I know that we are under pressure from the society and our government to try new things. However, you can have the latest and greatest tech and yet be unsuccessful in integrating it.
So what is the solution?
I believe firstly that it is about imagining the potential of the available technology for learning with the context that it will be taught. This is something that we can all do.
Secondly, not all ICT tools and resources that are out there develops ICT capability and as ICT capability is best developed in meaningful contexts, it is actually integrating ICT in education. So you need to select the appropriate ICT tools.
Most of these you already know and have in your learning environment. They involve the capability to allow students to develop higher order thinking skills (through a high volume of decision-making on behalf of the students), challenges them intellectually and just so happen to be content-free or generic.
In many of our advanced online pd courses for teachers we discuss in detail what they are and the best strategies for each.
Moving on… this works well for you as a teacher as time is never on your side and so why go out looking for next big technological development to come around and solve your ICT integration problems?
Step 5. Practice formative assessment strategies throughout the year
Already I mentioned how valuable this is as observation is your best choice for assessment. You need to use different strategies for each component.
Finally, if you want to effectively integrate ICT in education it is important that you have a good understanding of the ICT concepts and their relation to other areas of the curriculum. There are close relationships between ICT capability and knowledge, skills and understanding in other subjects and it is not helpful to see their development in isolation.
If you follow these steps then you are on the road to leading your students to 21st century skills that they can continue to build on in their lives past school. There are many ideas out there as to how to integrate ICT in teaching and learning, but sticking to these fundamentals is vital for your success as a teacher in a technology-rich. And remember that you set a good example to your colleagues in relation to integrating ICT in education even if you have just one ICT tool at your disposal.
How can you be positive about ICT Integration in the Classroom?
One of the many challenges that primary teachers face in particularly is the planning of ICT activities that develop ICT capability for students. Another term for ICT capability is ICT integration and here is why.
Understanding ICT integration in Education
To understand what is ICT integration in education you need to also understand ICT capability. Its ultimate aim is to make technology ‘transparent’ in its use. This means that the children become so focused on using ICT as a tool to achieve other outcomes that they hardly notice that they are using ICT at all.
The transparent use of ICT in subject learning, therefore, ultimately defines what ICT integration in education is as ICT capability is best developed in meaningful, subject-related contexts.
Additionally, integrating ICT in education goes beyond this for a good reason. With the increasing pressure on you as a teacher to effectively integrate ICT in your teaching practices you most likely have been searching or have been bombarded with a range ICT tools and resources from your government and educational suppliers.
Here is what you need to know though.
Do you need the latest technology to successfully integrate?
ICT integration in education is not about waiting for the next big technological development to solve your ICT integration problems. Don’t get me wrong here, I believe that we need to keep progressing as educators with the new and emerging technologies. What is ICT integration in teaching and learning to me is imagining the potential of the available technology for learning within the context that it will be taught.
Effective ICT integration in education does not need a high budget to get started. What it does need is for you to have a strong will and a critical approach to your own pedagogical experience, perception of modern knowledge about the role of ECE, your courage and need to innovate. Furthermore, it requires your own curiosity to explore the potential of ICT to support learning.
You can begin the productive process of ICT integration in education and the development of ICT capability if you are a strong-minded principal or teacher even if your school or classroom has one single programmable toy or one digital camera or one computer.
What is considered a high level of ICT integration?
Several years ago, studies were conducted in the UK on schools and students that were considered to be highly capable in ICT. If you are effectively integrating ICT in education your students should be developing their ICT capability and achieving the following:
- Use ICT to support their learning in all subjects – a significant way to develop ICT capability.
- Use common ICT tools.
- Take responsibility for their own learning, developing strategies to help them learn how to use unfamiliar ICT tools and work collaboratively.
- Use current hardware and software and understand its potential and limitations.
- Understand that using ICT can affect social processes.
(Crawford, 2011)
What is your biggest hurdle as a teacher?
Teacher education in ICT integration in education has been proven to be one of the biggest barriers today. This is something that I solely agree on. While there are many other challenges integrating ICT in school education that can contribute to its lack of user education is the answer to all of them.
It is important that you receive appropriate support and training in high impact teaching strategies in ICT integration in education. Teacher competence in ICT is a key element in the effective integration of ICT in education and successful online professional development for teachers using technology in the classroom will focus on:
- Understanding ICT in education;
- Curriculum and assessment;
- Pedagogy;
- Application of digital skills;
- Organisation and administration;
- Teacher professional learning.
This is a lifelong process for you as a teacher – to continue to build your capacity as a teacher, as an ICT integrator in education. In the pedagogical knowledge that you will acquire in our online workshops, you will build your ability to effectively integrate in ICT in education.
Through our online ICT professional development for teachers using technology in the classroom the key takeaways that you will learn in relation to ICT integration in education include:
- Establishing a starting point for their ICT capability learning journey;
- Planning for effective ICT integration in education;
- Strategies for overcoming challenges integrating ICT in education;
- Facilitating learning progression through ICT integration in education;
- Making sound instructional decisions to do with evidence based ICT teaching strategies.
Start with my five top strategies to integrate ICT in education today.
How to Integrate ICT in the Classroom?
One of the many questions that I get asked is how I can help you integrate ICT in the classroom?
So this article is for those who want to integrate ICT in the classroom.
Many people who visit my website for help ask this question either because they are a pre-service student teacher or an in-service teacher.
So how can I help you?
Firstly, congratulations on taking the first step to reach out to seek help. Taking this initiative is the best start for you.
Our website has all that you need to know about technology integration in the classroom and the best ICT teaching strategies that will make an impact on learning and effectively help you to learn how to integrate ICT in the classroom today.
Step 1.
If you want to continue to learn from us then I recommend that you subscribe to our weekly newsletter. You will get all the latest posts plus to help you begin your professional learning journey, you will gain access to our free online workshop for teachers where I will deliver the expertise that you need in order to get started successfully in your classroom.
Step 2. Learn from our FREE online workshop
Go through and learn from my free online workshop for teachers how to successfully integrate ICT in the classroom by applying what you have learned. This is the only way to learn and it is how all my 60 + online technology professional development for teachers is designed.
Step 3. Become a member of the Academy
I highly recommend that you do this as many people these days cannot afford to join an online workshop as a stand-alone PD.
Let me put this way!
$460 Aud = 1 full course
OR
$5.99 AUD per month (Founding Members rate available until 30th December) = ALL online pd for teachers!
This is the best option for many people.
Gain Access to 80 + technology professional development for teachers now!
Further ways to integrate ICT in the classroom
Technology integration is not using or waiting for the next big technological development to solve your problems.
If this is your frame of mind…. Then it needs to end.
Technology integration in the classroom is about imagining the potential of the available technology for learning within the context.
You can successfully integrate technology in the classroom by finding an area of the curriculum that your students typically have problems learning, picking one device such as a computer that generally comes with generic software like a word processor, and work any ways in which it can be integrated to support student learning outcomes in a transparent way.
However, this requires you to become familiar with the technology itself. You must remember that it is NOT the technology that is significant, but the way it is integrated.
In other words, the ICT teaching strategies that are employed. Technology integration in the classroom is an instructional choice that always requires careful consideration in planning.
You must consider in your planning the current level of ICT capability of the students in the classroom and decide whether you will develop ICT capability or just use technology as an ‘add-on’ to the curriculum.
Having a clearly defined purpose for the task will help sharpen your focus as a teacher when you intervene. Being familiar with a program will you identify the circumstances when students are ready to move on to a new feature or to use the software for a more demanding purpose (Bennett, 1997).
It also means more than just knowing how to use a program for a variety of reasons. What it does mean for you, if you want to learn how to integrate ICT in the classroom, is to reflect on the processes it helps the student to carry out and the ICT techniques with which particular effects can be achieved.
Consider how you will introduce the program to the students along with the ideas that you need to be clear about before you get the students to start using the ICT in the classroom to achieve the learning outcome that you set for them.
Don’t forget to think ahead about any difficulties that the students may encounter so that you can meet them head-on.
My final advice on technology integration in the classroom is that it is more important for you to be knowledgeable about one program that your students will use than to have an acquaintance with a large number.
It is also better for students to work with a small number of versatile programs and progressively develop ICT capabilities and confidence in these through carefully structured activities than to try to learn how to use a large number of programs superficially.
Become a member of my Academy now and gain instant to ALL 60 + online technology professional development for teachers in Early childhood Education and Primary Education for just $5.99 Aud now and learn successfully how to integrate ICT in the classroom today.
Lesson Plans with ICT integration PDFs
So far you have learned the foundations of the successful integration of ICT in meaningful contexts. Now it is time to put theory into practice by applying ICT integrated lesson plans.
I have put together an example of ICT integrated lesson plan that will help you achieve exactly what you need.
Starting with a number of ICT integrated lesson plan for English. You will notice that can get an ICT integrated lesson plan sample for FREE when you visit my resource page. This is for every year level up to Year 5.
Then there are three ways in that you can choose from...
- Options 1. Choose the complete bundle of ICT integrated lesson plans.
- Option 2. Buy the book from which the ICT integrated lesson plans for English came from. This includes teaching and assessment strategies. This is ideal for those who rather read for CPD hours.
- Option 3. Apply the ICT integrated lesson plans in the course of the literacy course for teachers. You will be able to add valuable CPD hours (up to 10 hours) by the completion of the workshop.
There is a lesson plan with ICT integration pdf so you can download them when you desire. See the prices on the resource page.
Each lesson plan using ICT tools will not only motivate students but help to increase their attainment levels.
Now if you want a sample lesson plan in science with ICT integration – stay tuned for this – as I am working on them and you will have some soon.
You can begin by reading my ebook based on my online workshop for teachers in primary school.
Become a Founding Member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy now!
80 + Professional Development for Technology Integration in the Classroom
