Science and ICT intertwined
Luciano Maiani, General Director of Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN/European Organization for Nuclear Research), once said that when it comes to education, everyone agrees education is needed for development and that ICTs are needed in the learning process. He added that all information technology we see now is made possible by the basics of science.
Provided that scientific information and disseminating software are made available for free, the networking infrastructure be globally established, and there are trained persons who can efficiently use the equipment, then the possibilities are endless.
Different tools. ICT becomes a challenge to teachers and students of Science alike, in that there are so many scientific tools available because of it. Examples are data logging systems, databases, spreadsheets, graphing tools, modeling environments, multimedia software for simulation, virtual experiments, information systems, publishing and presentation tools, digital recording equipment, and computer projection technology. There are even computer-controlled microscopes now for the minutest specimens!
Despite the challenge, these tools enhance science learning by quickly providing information, and letting people share it to others with the same speed and efficiency as well.
In cases of field research, a wider scope is reached with inter-school links, providing access to experiences and knowledge. Learning becomes collaborative and shared.
The role of the science teacher. Receiving foreign donations and grants of ICT does not mean one’s science teaching has been transformed already. The teacher plays an extremely important role in putting ICT-supported learning in the best light possible.
How can this be done?
- By using ICT in appropriate “adds value” learning activities to the framework of the lesson.
- By considering how students will perceive ICT and building on one’s own experiences as a teacher to look at the bottom line: increasing students’ motivation to learn.
- By organizing a structured activity but still allowing students to be responsible for their work, to be able to choose and to actively participate.
- By identifying the underlying concepts, issues and relationships with each and every ICT-enabled activity, and discussing and analyzing the results afterwards.
- By knowing the full capability of ICT to stimulate whole class interactive teaching and using it fully for this goal.
In the Philippines, public high schools have many limitations or challenges to be surpassed. Lack of technological experience among students and most especially teachers, limited access to reliable resources, and a content-filled curriculum that does not seemingly require the use of technology are but a few.
But there is always hope for ICT in the Philippines, and the powerful potential for science learning can still be unleashed. It’s simply a matter of determination and will to better teach the future of the country.
Sources:
Maiani, Luciano. “Role of Science in the Information Society.” Retrieved November 5, 2008 from
http://rsis.web.cern.ch/rsis/Links/speech.html
Osborne, Jonathon. “Science education and the role of ICT.” Retrieved November 5, 2008 from
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/literature-reviews/Literature-Review380
(Published 17 November 2008, Smart Communications, Inc.)
