CC-BY, Unsplash
The current society, in the situation of the ongoing progressive reduction of livelihood resources, should give even more importance to the knowledge of ICT and basics of programming, the initial knowledge of which is acquired during the school years through the subject of “Informatics”. It should be taken into consideration that, without technological equipment of software management applied in any field of modern production; it is not possible to ensure low cost and high quality, which determines the demand for products, and therefore, the appropriate organisation of the enterprise and the provision of the necessary living standards. Computers save our time.
The development of the computer industry led to the development of new technologies for the creation, storage and transfer of data between several computers. The common name of this group of technologies is Information Technology (IT). It is not necessary to have in-depth technical knowledge to work with a computer. Almost anyone can learn to use a computer. It is only necessary to have patience and will.
Through technology, it is possible to remove the obstacles that students and teachers face around the world. Powerful software and the Internet are changing the way we acquire knowledge. Innovative ways of teaching and learning are also transforming the way lessons are conducted in the classroom. Moreover, technologies make new demands on students. In addition to basic competences, they should have collaboration, communication and information management skills, and they should have access to all learning aids that enable the use of these skills.[1]
Traditional ways of organizing the educational process do not justify themselves. The individual forms (develops) his knowledge by actively participating in the cognitive process. This mental process also requires that the student cooperate with others. Through group work, students have the opportunity to search for solutions to real problems in real-life situations, using different forms and methods.
Constructive pedagogy requires special learning conditions that will enable students to cooperate and help each other. There are differences between students, the causes of which are the difference in prior knowledge, depending on the fact of the family the given student comes from (his vocabulary, value system, knowledge) and on differences in cognitive abilities – perception, attention span, memory, learning style, interests. The differences mentioned above make it inevitable for teachers to adopt new approaches in teaching methodology and to include new methods in their work.[1]
Classrooms equipped with personal computers are much more suitable for modern learning methods, even if several students share one computer. When introducing a new topic, it is convenient to create groups of students of different abilities, because students who are familiar with computers help others find the tool being demonstrated quickly. When reinforcing a topic, it is convenient to form groups of students of similar abilities. In this case, students who study well after finishing their work, help others, cooperate with their requests.
At the same time, each student in the group has his own responsibility, one monitors the time, another monitors that all items are completed and the third monitors that all students learn the requirements of the task. During the practical work, one student works at each computer and is given a task, usually consisting of ten points, while the others perform other tasks: solve a crossword on the given topic, or restore a text or picture divided into several parts. The assessment is done with a pre-presented rubric:
|
Very poor |
Poor | Average | Good | Very good |
|
Did not complete any of the points 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are not fully done | Points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are not fully done | Points 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 are not fully done |
Point 10 is completed |
| 1-2 points | 3-4 points | 5-6 points | 7-8 points |
9-10 points |
Quizzes are very suitable for thematic works and can be compiled with various software: MSACCESS (figure 3), Microsoft Office Excel (figure 1), Microsoft Office Word (figure 2) or Microsoft Office PowerPoint. However, prior knowledge is needed to prepare a test with these programs. Whereas with the MyTestX program, every teacher can prepare a test (figure 4). Here you can choose the type of test, sequence of questions, sequence of answers, time and evaluation. The student sees his mistake and grade and all the details are recorded on the teacher’s computer. With this program, it is very convenient to prepare mid-term tests using pre-compiled tests.
Figure 1. CC-BY, provided by author
Figure 2. CC-BY, provided by author
Figure 3. CC-BY, provided by author
Figure 4. CC-BY, provided by author
The use of video lessons is very effective. By recording the program of the new topic with the help of HyperCam3 program, it is presented to the students on computers connected to each other through a local network or on a screen through a projector. It is more pleasant for students to hear their teacher’s voice than to watch lessons on a ready-made disc. In addition, in this way the teacher is freed from presenting the same material in several classes. The lesson plan is made on the computer with the Word program and the lessons are completed with the Excel program. If necessary, a hint is copied from the lesson plan and it is attached as a comment (section in figure 5).
Figure 5. CC-BY, provided by author
Students’ marks are posted directly on the emis.am website. The teacher can make entries in the class record book after the class, and no paperwork is done during the class process: students’ assignments and results are stored on the computer in a folder for each class.
References
- “Informatics” Standards and programs of public high school, A. Darbasyan, 2009
About the author
Anahit Baghdasaryan has actively participated in various national and international seminars and trainings dedicated to the application of information technologies in teaching and learning processes. She has made various online lessons and quizzes on IT topics available for all teachers in Armenia. In 2023 she has successfully completed the course of Exploring Nature based solutions in your classroom organized by European Schoolnet Academy. In the same year she participated in the STEM Discovery Campaign. Moreover Anahit presented a successful report in the Make it Open Schooling Competition 2023 and has been appointed as Scientix Ambassador until 2024 by European Schoolnet.
From 2015-2018 Anahit has been awarded the status of Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator.
In 2010 Anahit has won the grand prize in the Microsoft Innovative Experts organized by RA Ministry of Education and Microsoft and in 2011 participated at the Partners in Learning European Forum in Moscow.
Tags: cognitive process, cooperation, Excel, ICT, Informatics, Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, teamwork, technology, Word
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