When to Use ICT??
October 4, 2006 by Graham Davidson
I was recently doing some graph work with my new S1 Science class (S1 Graphs.doc), and it sparked some thoughts on the use of ICT to do this.
They can use Microsoft Excel to produce the graphs using the data that I supplied, and indeed, most of the pupils are very, very good at this.
On the other hand, if they are asked to draw the graphs on graph paper using “old fashioned tools” such as rulers, pencils, colour pencils, pens, rubbers, etc.., they were very, very poor at it.
So what does this tell us?
It suggested to me a number of things:
1. Most of them are very confident when it comes to using spreadsheets to draw graphs.
2. They are not used to the discipline of sitting with a piece of paper and having to use a ruler to draw lines, measure accurately, label the axes of graphs, put the proper scales on the axes and plot the points or draw the bars accurately. And yet most of them will be required to do this in whatever “Science” exam they take at Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 or 2, and so on. In fact, it is a fair bet that it won’t just be in a Science exam.
3. Perhaps we are going over the top at times in trying to incorporate ICT into our lessons and we should be standing back a bit and thinking about it.
I am definitely NOT saying that we should NOT be using ICT in lessons, but perhaps it is time to stop and think where exactly we are going with this, what we are teaching the pupils and why we are teaching it. There is a time and a place for ICT, but there is also a time and a place for the good “old fashioned tools”.
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Hi Graham
This is something which has been talked about for a long time in Technical education circles.
Do you need to know the ‘technical drawing’ skills to create designs today.
Designers have been using CAD now for a long time but do you need to know 2 dimensional drawing to express 3 dimensional shapes? Or is it better to know how draw shapes in 3 dimensions using CAD packages?
I think foundations are an important part of learning.
Understanding of where the skill came from helps the understand of the skill itself, so long as the skill relates to what your trying to express.
In your case I would say the answer is yes, it is better to know where the graph cpmes from but in the case of technical drawing then I would say then no. The technical drawing is their to represent what can now be drawn better using 3D CAD
Ian
Hi Graham I agree some times there is no substitute for getting back to basics. But if using I.T to produce graphs is helping them to understand what the graph is for. Try using I.T to teach the concepts behind using graphs. have a look at this http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/nq/ics/ofdl/numeracy/int2/menu.htm
Stewart