Volume 1, Number 2

Spring 2001

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Information Technology & the Curriculum:

Unlock the World of Learning

 

Unlocking the world of learning requires a convergence of technology, information, curriculum, standards, and assessment. The key is to set a direction that assists teachers in connecting curriculum areas with information technology knowledge and skills. This involves helping teachers identify where in their teaching students need to access, process, and communicate information. Then, providing teachers with the technology resources and tools they need to build these connections. This session will help teachers see the link between information technology and the curriculum.

 

Technology in education is in transition. In the early 1990s people were getting technology. In the late 1990s people were focused on the technology itself. Today the goal is making technology transparent.

 

Let's take the example of a Grade 2 class. Students are learning to compare the life cycles of animals with similar life cycles. There are many activities that could help students reach this goal including reading books and raising live butterflies and bees. Learners might also explore websites that contain the life cycle of the bee made by students. They could also explore another site that contains photos of bees at various stages and explore the life cycle of the butterfly. Then, students could use Appleworks to draw picture of the life cycle of the bee and Inspiration to compare the bee to the butterfly. While learning about science, students are also accessing, processing, and communicating information using technology.

 

Explore the following areas of information technology:

• Set a Direction
• Accessing Information
• Processing Information
• Communicating Information