Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

EDU5TEC Task 2: ICT Tool with Numeracy Focus

1. Introduction
The lesson analysed is the use of technology in teaching Year 2 students about calendars and
seasons. After initial activities to recover prior knowledge about weeks, months and seasons,
students worked on computers individually to create a poster of pictures representing each of the
four seasons. The context for this lesson is a Year 2 group of 5 within a multi age class (Prep/Year
1/Year 2) in a small rural school in Queensland.
2. Planning Considerations
The lesson developed to incorporate ICT had to be operational within the resources of the
school. The digital infrastructure available at the school and surrounds (the Lockyer Valley) is
limited, with the school having a limited Wi-Fi network, and families at the school have limited
access at home. Access within the region is via satellite, which is limited and expensive.
Technology resources within the school are also limited, with a bank of 12 computer stations in
one classroom. While the school does have 12 iPads with the intention for these to be used as
learning devices in class, they cannot all access the Wi-Fi network at the same time, and basic
education applications (such as Mathletics) cannot be downloaded onto the devices.
In light of this, a back to basics approach was needed (Cuban, Kirkpatrick, & Peck, 2001),
and indeed did more to improve the digital literacies and skills of the students, than had I been
able to access more advanced internet-based technologies.
3. Reflection on students use of the tool
Student engagement with the task
When used effectively, technology can play a role in stimulating curiosity and interest and in
facilitating and sustaining purposeful engagement (Arnone, Small, Chauncey, & McKenna, 2011).
. Within this lesson, students were immediately engaged with the task of creating posters using
PPT and clipart to show their understanding of the seasons.
Proponents of technology integration have often associated it with pedagogical change
towards constructivist models (Scott, Cole, & Engel, 1992). In this lesson, students had varying
levels of competence using the computers some students had problems logging onto the system
whereas others were able to move ahead quickly. Students who were more competent were able to
help their peers overcome problems, and this lead to powerful learning opportunities between
students (Becker, 2000).

Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

Figure 1: Students working at the computers

Scaffolding learning
Arnone et al. (2011) concur that while curiosity can be a powerful motivator of behaviour, it
does not automatically progress to a well-developed, individual interest, and a level of
engagement that leads to desired outcomes of greater learning and mastery. As such, the lesson
needed to be especially well thought out in terms of how to give instructions to the group while
they are working on the computers and may not be looking at me. The set up of the computers in
the room is not well designed for instruction, and this put additional pressure on my ability to use
voice and explanations as the key tools in lieu of demonstration. Additionally, the focus of the
lesson was on learning the seasons and this needed to be reinforced while they were using the
technology. For example, many of the pictures on clipart are American, showing winter with
Christmas themes. This allowed us to discuss that in the Northern Hemisphere the seasons are
opposite to ours.

Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

Deciding what to teach

Importantly, a key element of this lesson that worked well was to demonstrate that technology
is a resource and not an end in itself; technologies are tools students use to create knowledge. A
key aspect of technology that I noticed in my middle years placement was that while Year 6
students were able to use technology, this was very superficial and masked their understanding
of the basic processes of technology that will form lifelong skills. By not having access to
internet-based applications, I was forced to consider what was really important in teaching
students technology within a numeracy lesson. In doing so, this Year 2 group were able to learn
how to open a file, cut and paste pictures, use clipart, save files and print. These are fundamental
skills that will allow them to pursue more sophisticated techniques later.
4. What I would change for the next lesson?
Progress to a student centric approach
As Bennett, Maton, and Kervin (2008) note the dawning of a completely new medium of
communication means that teachers are no longer the sole expert knower in the classroom; many
students are more confident and more knowledgeable than their teacher in using and applying new
technologies (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing, & Le Cornu, 2015). This will challenge the traditional
identity of the teacher as the transmitter of important information. In this case, the lesson was
centred around the students completing a task on the computers based on explicit teaching
instructions from me. The next phase of learning would be to reinforce this knowledge by
allowing students to repeat the steps on their own, and give them the ability to create their own
projects within a broader scope.
Rethink the computer space
Whilst the computer set up in the classroom is far from
ideally designed, within these constraints there were
key changes I would make for the next lesson. The
students chose their own seats, and while the area is
small, some sat away from the main set of computers
making it difficult to walk around quickly to check on
progress. In the next lesson I would seat the children at
the central bank of computers so that I could stand in
the middle of the area and be able to scan their
monitors with little movement.
In this case it is important to note that while the class is multi-age, only the Year 2 group
participated in this lesson. Had the lesson included the Prep and Year 1 students, the lesson would
need to be fundamentally revised to account for an even greater range of computer skills. In the
current computer setup, teaching a whole-class activity would be challenging, to the point where I
would need to carefully consider the benefits of whole-class instruction against the time required
to teach in smaller group settings.

Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

5. Analysis of students work in regards to the learning intention and success

criteria
In terms of the lesson plan the students achieved the learning outcomes in understanding
months of the year and exploring the meaning of the seasons. In this regard, the numeracy
requirement was easily met, yet as I discovered at the start of the lesson, the student had a
sufficiently high level of prior knowledge in this area meaning that the content was not new or
complex. The work samples below illustrate that the students understood the task and associated
each season with the correct image.
Figure 2: Examples of student work

In terms of my goals for the technology skills, my first concern when preparing this lesson
was that the students would regard the use of technology as boring compared to what I imagined
all Year 2 students must engage with at home. Having said that, I was also determined to teach the
students some basic, and useful, technology skills that would form a foundation for later learning
and overcome the problem of technology illiteracy that I have observed in older students. In this
regard, the student work illustrates that they were able to complete the task and with little
confusion or difficulty. While there were times when some students helped other students, no one
was off task or unable to progress.

Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

6. Conclusions
A key challenge as a graduate teacher in the classroom is embedding mutli-literacies within
the curriculum to enhance the development of 21st century skills that students will need when they
leave the education system. When ICT is used, it is key that they are not simplistically adapted to
teacher-centred instruction. Rather, there is a need to substantially modifying lessons and
classrooms to encourage greater independence, initiative and curiosity on the part of students, and
to draw on sources of information beyond teacher and textbook.
There is little doubt that societys main ambition for childrens use of the digital technologies
centres on its potential benefits for education (Livingstone, 2012). However, these ambitions for
tomorrows student are not reflected in the realities of education in the rural context, where
services that are considered essential are inefficient, expensive and restricted. The resource
implications of new technologies has complex sociocultural effects, and this case illustrates the
fact that technological changes can be expensive and equal access to them is by no means
guaranteed (Levin, Richardson, & Arafeh, 2002).
7. References
Arnone, M. P., Small, R. V., Chauncey, S. A., & McKenna, H. P. (2011). Curiosity, interest and
engagement in technology-pervasive learning environments: a new research agenda.
Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(2), 181-198.
Becker, H. J. (2000). Findings from the teaching, learning, and computing survey. education
policy analysis archives, 8, 51.
Bennett, S., Maton, K., & Kervin, L. (2008). The digital natives debate: A critical review of the
evidence. British journal of educational technology, 39(5), 775-786.
Cuban, L., Kirkpatrick, H., & Peck, C. (2001). High access and low use of technologies in high
school classrooms: Explaining an apparent paradox. American Educational Research
Journal, 38(4), 813-834.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2015). Teaching: Challenges and Dilemmas
(5th ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage.
Levin, D., Richardson, J., & Arafeh, S. (2002). Digital Disconnect: Students' Perceptions and
Experiences with the Internet and Education. Paper presented at the World Conference
on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications.
Livingstone, S. (2012). Critical reflections on the benefits of ICT in education. Oxford review of
education, 38(1), 9-24.
Scott, T., Cole, M., & Engel, M. (1992). Computers and education: A cultural constructivist
perspective. Review of research in education, 191-251.

Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

Appendix Lesson Plan

Year 2 Maths Using and Exploring Calendars

Australian
Curriculum Links

Name and order months and seasons (ACMMG040)

Lesson Outcomes

Today students will:

Use a calendar to identify the date and determine the number of days in
each month (ACMMG041)

Name and order months of the year

Identify months in each season
Explore and compare examples of calendars used by Indigenous people
Prepare a poster, using PPT an clipart to illustrate the four seasons
with images.
Duration

1 lesson (45 mins)

Warm up

Remind students of days of the week and months of the year and the
seasons.

(5-10mins)

Questions on assumed knowledge:

How many days in the week?
What is the first day of the week?
What is the order for the rest of the days in the week?
How many months in a year?
What is the order of the months?
How many days are there in each month?
Activity 1 Videos

From C2C lesson resources:

Watch video on calendars to recap and solidify knowledge.
Watch the video on months and seasons.
Video on Indigenous calendars.

Activity 2
Computer work

Tell students that they are going to do their own research on the seasons.
They will be using PPT and clipart to look for images that best represent
each of the seasons. E.g. snow for winter.
Move to the computer area and ensure that all students are logged on and
open PPT before starting instructions.
They will then be saving that picture to the PPT worksheet. At the end of the
activity they will have created a picture board of the 4 seasons in PPT.
After they have finished their work, students can print out their page and
display it on the pin board and show to the rest of the class after lunch.

Debra da Silva

SID #18252191

Wrap up

Students are to take their printed poster and hang it on the class art wall.
After lunch students can show their work to the rest of the class and explain
what they did and why they chose the pictures that they did.

Differentiation

1. Check for understanding through questioning in discussions, especially

during the warm up activity.
2. Not all students are able to log on to the computers and may need
assistance. Ask students that have logged on to help those that need
extra help.
3. Work slowly through sequential instructions one at a time to assist
students with slower processing and working memory issues.
4. Seat students in a pre-determined order so that those who are more
proficient on the computers are seated next to those that need
additional help. Encourage those students to look on with the person
next to them if they need additional help. Scan for those students and be
ready to slow down the process so that no one gets lost.

Resources

Queensland Curriculum to Classroom (C2C) Year 2 Maths Unit 6 Lesson

11.
Classroom computers x 5
Access to PowerPoint on each computer
Access to a colour printer (school office).

Assessment

Check on progress while students are progressing through the task.

Make a mental note of the students that may require more help in a follow
up lesson.