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Information and Communication Technology
How do I teach key skills ICT?
What resources do you need?
What are the minimum requirements for the delivery of key skill ICT?
You will need regular access to some computers. You do not need one computer
per student, nor do you need all the computers arranged around the edge
of the room so that all you can see is the back of students' heads. One
of the best ways of learning is by discussion and sharing.
You do not need to hold all ICT lessons in a computer suite. Students
need time to think about the wider issues and implications of using IT,
eg comparing systems, copyright, confidentiality, and health and safety;
and these can be taught without access to computers. Indeed, these topics
and lessons may be better suited to a more traditional learning environment.
What software is available?
You will need access to software packages for word-processing,
databases and spreadsheets. You will also find it helpful
to have access to a graphics package, but this is not essential.
The key skill units are not specific about which software
packages should be used. Students can develop their skills
and generate portfolio evidence in a wide variety of contexts
and using a range of software and hardware.
You will need:
- Computers
- Printers
- Internet access
- E-mail access
- A scanner (this is not essential but will be useful)
You will need to know:
- what is networked and what isnt
- what operating system is being used
- what software packages are on which machines
- log on and password arrangements
- file-management arrangements (so that you can troubleshoot when required)
Getting started
Before you meet the students
You will need to answer some basic questions about the students
before you meet them.
What other courses are the students taking?
The more you can relate the ICT lessons to students' other subjects,
the more interested and cooperative they will be and the faster they will
learn.
What is the target level for the group?
Is there an expectation that they will all achieve at least a minimum
level? (eg the government benchmark of Level 2 for all 19 year olds),
or is the group made up of learners with individual goals?
Have the students already had any formal ICT instruction?
Most students will have had some previous experience with
ICT. They might already have obtained formal qualifications
in ICT, or developed some skills. However, each new subject
and situation demands that new ICT skills be learned and others
refined.
The aims of the first few lessons are:
- to gauge where your students are in relation to the ICT
key skills levels
- to identify their goals in using and applying ICT key
skill
- to gather enough information to enable you to plan how
to help them to achieve their goal
- to explore with the students what key skills are and how
they support achievement in other areas
- to gain students interest and confidence in the subject
by undertaking a task that is fun, relevant and motivating.
Warning: too many ICT courses crash in the first few
lessons by taking a dry and / or theoretical and / or teacher-centred
approach. Make sure that your first few lessons are student-centred, active
and practical.
Initial assessment
When you first meet the students you will need to find out what they
can do in ICT, and what they think they can do. (The mis-match between
these can be very great!). You may wish to use a self-assessment checklist
with your students.
The first practical tasks
When your students have completed the self-assessment, you
can ask them to complete a simple task. This should relate
very clearly to students other courses and show how ICT skills
can contribute to their wider studies. You may have a mixed
group covering a range of subjects and courses, so you will
need a range of tasks to ensure that every student is doing
something relevant. If students perceive this first task as
irrelevant, many will very quickly lose interest in ICT.
View examples of suitable tasks (PDF 8kb)
Teaching and Learning Word-processing
Example
of a lesson outline using a differentiated task for word processing (PDF 6kb)
Formatting (PDF 346kb)
- Position a drawing object in relation to page, text,
or other anchor
- Create linked text boxes to continue a story elsewhere
in the document
- Typing and inserting text
- Lists and bullets
- Short cuts for Word
- Text wrap
Mail
merge (PDF 411kb)
Managing documents
Teaching and Learning spreadsheets
Teaching and Learning databases
Candidates do not have to provide evidence in their
portfolio that they can create their own databases. In practice, database
design is a complex and skilled activity, best done by experts, but there
is a risk that candidates will be left thinking it is simple and anybody
can do it.
Encouraging candidates to design simple databases may help
them to learn and understand the basic principles and concepts
of databases, and how they work. The test at Level 3 may require
this understanding.
- All candidates, including those at Level 1, are required
to search for and select data, including the use of wild
cards. View Internet searches (PDF 13kb)
- At Levels 2 and 3, they have to use multiple criteria
in their searches.
It is highly unlikely that a database created by a candidate
will be large or complex enough for it to be used to satisfy
this requirement. View suggested introductory lesson on databases
(PDF 23kb)
Teaching
and Learning Databases Levels 1, 2 and 3 (PDF 1.6mb)
Teaching and learning underpinning knowledge for ICT
We tend to assume that today's students are more familiar with the internet
than we are. This is not always true; many students have little or no
formal training in search techniques and assessing the value and relevance
of material found. Most would benefit from a discussion about plagiarism!
www.vts.rdn.ac.uk
provides an online teaching package for delivering this important range
of skills. Material is linked to students' main subject areas and includes
a list of recommended sites for future research.
View Lesson plan on searching the internet (PDF 8kb)
View more information on searching (PDF 13kb)
Teaching and learning
automated routines
Automated routines help ICT users work more efficiently by
making it possible to consolidate a number of
separate instructions into a single command. They are not
explicitly mentioned in the ICT units until Level
3.
Examples of automated routines in spreadsheets and databases
Validation
A validation cell or database entry field will check data
entry to make sure that it is within an acceptable
range.
Look up lists and look up tables
For example:
- when a user wants to enter data, they simply select the item required
from a list.
- when a user wants to add an item to an invoice, they enter the reference
number and the rest of the
information is entered automatically.
View 'look up and match' (PDF 40kb)
Examples of automated routines in word-processing
Templates and styles
Styles can be used and modified to produce standard layouts
for documents such as letters, memos, reports, invoices, itineraries and maps. Such layouts might
include, for example, headings, paragraph spacing and fonts.
Templates can be used and modified to ensure that users
work in specific layouts. For example, a template might include a standard page layout, a common set
of styles, and basic headers, footers and titles or logos.
View 'Templates and styles' (PDF 167kb)
Mail merge
Mail merging can be used to individualise a standard letter
for distributing to multiple addresses.
View 'Mail merge' (PDF 411kb)
Macros
Macros are a common form of automated routine, available
in a variety of applications. Generally, it is easy to create and save macros from the keyboard, though the
most complex macros require the user to enter and edit code via a programming interface.
View 'You are going to write a simple macro' (PDF 317kb)
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