MOOC ICT in primary education – Week 5

This week’s subject is related to implementation issues of, and how to overcome the challenges of, ICT in primary education.

It is very interesting to see that the « World of Darwin » example given dates from ~1999! One could think 2015 is still too early to know about the benefits and issues with using ICT in primary education, but this example illustrates there are more than 15 years of experience in some places. I especially note how important the rules are, but also the expectation on quality (content and format), even with young children.

In another setting, rules were defined to limit the negative aspects:

• Have a Code of conduct signed by children + teacher
• Have the students tell the teacher when inappropriate content shows up
• Allow no game in class (except some free time)
• Provide rules for Internet search: children have to know about the extension meaning (.edu, .gov), read « About », get information in 5 words with the source (to avoid copy-paste), and check the 5 questions from medialit.org

Videos about TESSA (in Sub-Saharian Africa) and for children with SEN (Special Education Needs) bring strong examples of the added-value that ICT can provide in education.