Lesson 5

State-of-the-Art ET
Application Practices
More recent ET education practice
Recent changes have also occurred in
the area of pedagogical theory and
practice. It is now accepted that the
contribution of the computer to
pedagogy makes up for “good
instruction.” Owing to the development,
teachers must therefore acquire or
improve on their computer skills, as well
as their “computers-in-the-classroom”
skills.
 The following trends should also be
recognized by educators:
- Through school or training center
computer courses, present-day students
have become computer literate. They send
e-mail, prepare computer encoded class
reports, even make power-point
presentation sometimes to the surprise of
their media tradition-bound teachers.
 Following the call for developing critical
thinking among students, teachers have
deemphasized rote learning and have spent
more time in methods to allow students to
comprehend/internalize lessons.
 Shifting focus from lower-level traditional
learning outcomes, student
assessment/examinations have included
measurement of higher level learning
outcomes such as creative and critical
thinking skills.
 Recent teaching-learning models (such as
constructivism and social constructivism)
have paved the way for instructional
approaches in which students rely less on
teachers as information-givers, and
instead more on their efforts to acquire
information, build their own knowledge,
and solve problems.
Obstacles to IT pedagogical practice
Especially for educators living in
developing or peasant economies, objections
are likely to be heard such as that the use of
computer is time-consuming and expensive.
Besides there is also the danger of a
technology-centered classroom along the
fear that computers may soon replace
teachers.
 Virtue is in moderation and so, there is
truly a need for teachers to balance their
time for the preparation and application of
instructional tools. Through wise technical
advice, schools can also acquire the most
appropriate computer hardware and
software.
 At the same time, training should
ensure that the use of ET is fitted to
learning objectives. In addition, teachers
should acquire computer skills for so that
they can serve as models in integrating
educational technology in the teaching-
learning process.
Figure 1 – SYSTEMATIC INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING PROCESS
 Following modern trends in technology-
related education, schools should now foster a
student-centered learning environment,
wherein students are given leeway to use
computer information sources in their
assignments, repots and presentations in
written, visual or dramatic forms.
Reflect on these statements
- the use of computer is time-consuming
and expensive. 10 pts
- there is also the danger of a technology-
centered classroom along the fear that
computers may soon replace teachers.
10 pts
END