Five Ways
(with apologies to St. Thomas Aquinas!)
There are five main ways in which we can use ICT to improve the way we work and the way our students perform:
- Preparing Lesson Materials
On the right is Wes Morriston, Philosophy of Religion Professor at the University of Colorado. We've never met and he doesn't know me, but his website was indispensable in helping me teach one of my A-level papers. Cheers, Wes!
Many teachers already use WP or DTP programmes in order to present information to their students in the form of work sheets of various kinds. Teachers can also obtain information and ideas from the Internet and use them in these documents.
In the Classroom
Student learning can be enhanced by using computers to access information on or off-line - from the Internet, CD Roms or other programmes. Students can use the technology in presenting their work in a more effective way using word-processing, desk-top publishing, spreadsheets, or powerpoint presentations, among other. If lessons are prepared properly, then it can be fun too!
Click the picture to visit Woodford's 'sister' school in Kentucky, USA.
 
Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of ICT is that we shouldn't need to print things out as much as we used to. Some can still feel wedded to the hard copy, but think about whether you really need to print something out - we should just send it electronically, or at least only print out the really necessary text by pasting it into a word processing document.
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- Professional Development
Through the Internet we can keep up to date with our subject and engage in discussion with other 'RE' professionals - from fellow teachers and religious leaders to researchers or university professors all over the world.
There are discussion groups, message boards, and literally millions of pages to broaden and deepen our understanding.
"I'd have to say that this is the most valuable new teaching technique I have discovered in a long time."
Wes Morriston, Colorado University
- Administration
Computers can be used to improve the way we store information about our students - from simple class lists and recording of marks to performing calculations on results. Such operations allow us to analyse student performance and present it in a coherent, 'user-friendly' manner for students, parents and our colleagues.
- Communication
The advent of the internet has meant that communication between staff, students, experts, and other agencies is greatly enhanced. The number of students who e-mail me with questions or ask for advice increases every term. I communicate via the ICQ network with a colleague in a special school quite regularly which helps to broaden my outlook on RE. It's much easier to e-mail a mark scheme, for example, to a colleague, rather than reading it out over the 'phone.
One of the most interesting contacts I've made is with a school of the same name as Woodford's in Kentucky USA. I had an interesting chat about cultural differences, and the teaching of religion in American schools, with a Biology teacher. Because I'd put my school's webpage on the internet, WCHS in Kentucky spotted it and e-mailed me - and I feel I've yet to fully exploit the full potential of the contact.
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