KAPOUNOVA, Jana
Pedagogical Faculty of University of Ostrava, Dvorakova 7, 701 03 Ostrava, Jana.Kapounova@osu.cz
Abstract: The approach to information education of teachers differs widely: from very technical aspects trough acquirements of computer literacy to the claim on deeper study of informatics and medial literacy. In the present paper I want to open discussion about the information education of teachers especially in pedagogical faculties.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technology (ICT), information education, teacher education, medial literacy
Motto: The computer promises my students an endless supply of information, but what good will that do if they can't make sense of any of it? Technology promises to help my students express their ideas better, but what good is that if they don't have any ideas to express?
Lowell Monke
In various visions about an information society we can read:
Let's try to have a look at educational technology from the point of view of the above stated characteristics for the coming period.
Information background of a school
The provision of schools with all technology levels and connection to the Internet is really varied. The result is - different levels of preparedness of teachers and learners. When judging the students' abilities in obtaining necessary flexibility and certainty in the world of information it turns out that this ability closely correlates (among others) with the level of information setting of the school.
Information education in our schools in present days
For the time being a limited conception of information and communication technology (ICT) teaching prevails in our schools. In school educational programs, standards and curriculum, in consciousness of specialised people, in informatics trades in its limited conception - in science about handling computer technique different conceptions exist. Information is taken as the final article and teaching is concentrated on the problems of keeping and transforming information to the addressee's place. A whole range of questions connected with problems of information arise in the author's mind, form the thoughts into text, question of information compression and stating of information value in the scale of social knowledge is totally omitted in teaching. Teaching has ended up in a vicious circle due to a narrow conception of information science as applied to the problems connected with the knowledge of handling computer techniques. A group of exceptionally able students arises (often thanks to their parents' possibilities) who excel over other students and often even their teachers. As the school loses it's ability to lay stress to education of a balanced and versatile developed personality, the skills to handle information can become the only criterion for a person's quality. Advantages connected with these skills can lead to preferring these groups of population whose only priority is an easy access to the latest ICT.
Proposals for pedagogical research
What questions have to be answered if we want to integrate ICT into education. They are also possible to be conceived as tasks in pedagogical research. They are for example:
Task of school
From the ideas which are now available about information society we have this result: For every person, who will want to assert himself, life long education will be a necessity. The task of school should be preparation to this fact and to teach the person how to learn. The role of teachers must necessarily change. Their main task will not only be to provide students with specific information, as this task will be partially taken over by ICT. Their main aim will be to teach students how to work independently. They will not directly control their learning, but only stimulate, direct and check it. Changes in teacher-student relationships are expected. Teachers will have to educate themselves throughout their lives, sometimes even with help from their students.
ICT education - how to go on?
Both teachers and learners have to learn how to work with information.
Medial education
It is a set of activities leading to acquiring knowledge, which will form so called medial literacy. This means acquiring basic knowledge of how individual media work, especially so called mass-media - press, radio, TV, nowadays enlarged with new interactive media. If people are to be able to join in the information society, they must be able to evaluate the information which reach as them, whether it is press news (reports), commercial news (advertisements) or others (for example entertainment). More and more information is being transferred by electronic media in every branch so the question of this news interpretation will soon be of the same importance as reading is in the present curriculum.
Institutions preparing teachers have to answer to the demands of an information society and claims coming from schools, in this case the Pedagogical Faculty of the University of Ostrava.
A Department of Educational Technology was founded at our Faculty, it is a part of the Department of Technical Education. Its main pedagogical and scientific objective is to familiarise all our students - future teachers with information technology and to demonstrate how to integrate modern educational technology in instruction. Realisation of this aim was expressed in four root tasks:
A programme of these courses is concerned on user approach to personal computers. It is mainly intended for those students who have not mastered the computer technology in their previous education. Students will use computer systems for word processing, spreadsheet applications, browsing the Internet and utilise e-mail.
Students will apply computer technology for their personal and professional use. Educational technology involves classical didactical technology, computer technology, multimedia, communication technology, projection and others. Students have to learn how to access information and how to manage and present it.
Our objective is to train future teachers in the using of educational technology in instruction, in their profession and for personal need. Educational technology includes classical didactical technology (projectors, audio and video technology), computer technology, multimedia, communication technology, etc. The student has to learn how to search information and to handle with information in a creative way. The teacher's work with suitable databases and educational software is very important. Self-ruling work is emphasised: to prepare a lesson supported by modern technology.
These courses are intended for students who want to integrate modern technology into their subject together with their professional orientation as an information manager in school (primary or secondary). It includes information handling, database systems, information and communication technology and multimedia. Other topics for information technology management include computer technology and computer networks in schools, computer based instruction, evaluation and using of educational software, author systems and didactics of information technology.
The research work is focused on the using of multimedia in the primary and secondary teacher's preparation: How to integrate modern technology into instruction and help to increase pupil's interest about natural and technical science. The other interest is bound to the integration of modern technology in a subject called Technical education.
Study programmes are prepared for above mentioned levels of computer and technology literacy of future teachers: curricula, study materials, etc. Their principles consist in practical manipulation with computers and technology. A good way may be the using of projects in teaching. Projects can help learners to get knowledge and skills and use technology in modern information education - learning by doing.
Computing Studies are usually reduced to General Purpose Packages in our schools, recently students use the Internet. But there are many themes from industrial and commercial applications that can enrich the curriculum of technical education, especially information technology. Usually the large field of computer applications in industry, business and in the service sector is omitted. Not every student has a computer at home, but s/he meets with different forms of electronics every day: microwave oven, digital measurement of blood pressure, credit cards, dash-board in a family car and other products intended for sport and entertainment.
Some themes for enrichment of the current curricula of a subject Technology in primary and secondary school:
It is not possible to learn each of above mentioned theme in details. But it is necessary to introduce new technology to the teacher and pupils. The knowledge may be very useful in practical everyday life, it can help in many troubleshooting situations: how to handle credit cards, how to handle medical aids or sport instruments, how to decide about one's own career.
Advanced technology and connectivity appear to have great learning potential. It is necessary to explore how computers may be used to support an instruction with a view of its improvement. Sophisticated use of computers in education can be realised only by qualified and skilled teachers. To prepare teachers to their new role in teaching is our very important task.