1. WEEK 8 Using ICT skills to enhance student engagement and literacy
Key ideas
1. The place of Information and Communication Technologies in Literacy
Learning.
2. Using transformations to achieve 21st century learning.
Activities to focus your thinking
Think about the ways that ICT has been used within your focus week
observations.
1. What literacy practices (speaking, writing, reading) did you see
involving multi-literacies that included ICT?
2. How often did the technology used improve student engagement?
3. Consider how you use Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook and other
social networking tools. What would be the arguments to support their
inclusion in your classroom?
Required Reading from Pedagogies in Practice textbook
Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of
classroom practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. pp82-110, pp111-137; pp138-
164.
Additional Reading
Cummins, J., Brown, K., & Sayers, D. (2006). Literacy, technology, and diversity:
Teaching for success in changing times. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Hagevik, R., & Stubbs, H. (2011). Five steps to success: Implementing geospatial
technologies in the science classroom. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 5(1),
34-53.
Henderson R. (2008). Digital literacies, multiliteracies and multimodality. Literacy
Learning: the Middle Years. 16 (2) p.11-15
Kurz, T. (2011). Discovering features of web-based algebraic tools via data analysis to
support technology integration in mathematics education. Journal of Curriculum and
Instruction, 5(1), 85-100.
The NSW Curriculum Support Website: Teaching Literacy in (your subject area) in
Year 7 Document.
URLs
Digital Literacy Portal www.ictliteracy.info
1

2. Week 8 TUTORIAL ACTIVITIES: Using ICT skills to enhance student engagement and literacy
Activity One (10 minutes)
(a) Read the following instructions for the activity so that you know what is expected
of the students
Follow the instructions very carefully
1. Individually read the following sections of the document LOCATING A SETTLEMENT
a. Presentation of the problem
b. Background
2. Construct a group of three or four with each member having different skills that will support
achieving the best decision making for the group. List your groups members in the following space:
3. Collect an A3 copy of the map from the teacher’s desk.
4. Read Step One under the heading DIRECTIONS then
i. Identify the factions on board the ship
ii. Collect a copy of the advantages and disadvantages table from the front desk ( 1 per
group)
iii. Complete the table for all the sites labelled A to G that allows you to look at the
advantages and disadvantages of each site.
5. Make your decision and prepare a 3 minute presentation to present to the whole ship’s company.
6. Be prepared to be part of a larger group decision.
a. What issues are you willing to compromise?
b. What issues are you not willing to compromise on?
c. Have you developed the best arguments that you can for your choice of location?
(b) Using the Table One as a guide Construct 2 ICT literacy learning outcomes for
this activity
2

3. (c)
Table 1: Components of ICT Literacy
Proficiency Definition
Define Using digital tools to identify and represent an information need
Access Collecting and/or retrieving information in digital environments
Manage Using digital tools to apply an existing organizational or classification
scheme for information
Integrate Interpreting and representing information, such as by using digital tools
to synthesize, summarize, compare, and contrast information from
multiple sources
Evaluate Judging the degree to which digital information satisfies the needs of an
information problem, including determining authority, bias, and
timeliness of materials
Create Adapting, applying, designing, or constructing information in digital
environments
Communicate Disseminating information relevant to a particular audience in an
effective digital format
Source: Katz, I. R. & Macklin, A. S. (2011) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy:
Activity Two (80 minutes)
I. If you are in classroom that is online and only has ICT to work with how might you redesign this activity
for the 21st century using one or more of the ICT strategies suggested.
(You can also use others that you know of but are not presented below just check with your tutor).
You will need to present your ideas to the whole group outlining:
a. The ICT literacies that you would be applying
b. Continue to involve the problem solving and collaborative decision-making strategies
c. Develop communication methods that allow individuals to be part of groups even if they are in
remote spaces.
d.
(a) Creating a blog - Article One:
Ideas for using blogs in a social education context and an Australian learning tools project.
Design a blog using the wordpress platform at http://wordpress.com
(b) Creating a storyboard – Article Two:
Create a storyboard
(c) UCreate a laptop Wrap - Article Three:
Ucreate a laptop wrap (examples given for English and Maths Stage 5) http://tale.edu.au
(d) UCreate a short film – Article Four
Ucreate a short film – digital education revolution
3

4. Additional Activities for when the lights got out, the electricity shuts down and the
technology just won’t work.
Options
Activity Three
Carry out the task in Activity One allowing students to go through the problem-solving and decision-making
processes.
Activity Four
Discuss the following articles and issues arising from the lecture in terms of:
i. Pedagogy
ii. Technology
iii. Content
a. Article Five
Hunter, J. (2011) Connected learning in an Australian Technology program: a case study.
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 2(1) 66-73.
b. Article Six
Stories from a Digital Space
Activity Five: Article Seven
How could you use the schoolatoz, and www.tale.edu.au in dealing with
a. Digital citizenship
b. Facebook
c. Being Manipulated
4