Frequently Asked Questions About Literacy with ICT

Many students are already very comfortable using information and communication technology. Do teachers really need to teach literacy with ICT?
Is the quality of student thinking being raised through use of ICT, or are students just moving from low level thinking using cheap paper and pencil to low level thinking using expensive word processors?
What is more important, commitment of school leaders or commitment of teachers to implementing Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum?
What is the first priority for implementing Literacy with ICT, professional learning for teachers, or buying more and better hardware?
How much hardware will we need to implement Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum, and where should it be placed?
How do we get school board members to provide support for implementation of Literacy with ICT?
How do we involve parents?
Parents are concerned about Internet content and safety. What steps should be put in place to allow students to exercise their critical thinking online, but to satisfy parents’ concerns at the same time?
How can school leaders inspire teachers to enhance teaching and improve student learning through literacy with ICT?
An effective way for teachers to learn is by watching and talking to other teachers. How can school leaders facilitate this process?
If teachers concentrate on developing learning experiences that follow the inquiry process, will the infusion of ICT follow?
Who do you recommend be part of my school’s implementation team for Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum?
As the school leader, should I worry about getting everyone on board?
Is it enough to plan for implementation of Literacy with ICT within my school or does planning also need to be done divisionally?
How do we share electronic portfolios with parents, especially parents who may not have access to computers and the Internet at home?
Should an electronic portfolio be kept over multiple years?

Many students are already very comfortable using information and communication technology. Do teachers really need to teach literacy with ICT?
The teacher’s role is not to ‘teach ICT’ but rather to facilitate learning, promote higher level critical and creative thinking, and assist students as they progress along the developmental continuum for Literacy with ICT. As citizens born into the digital age, students may find it relatively natural to acquire basic skill with technology, but many may not know how to apply ICT effectively and ethically to enhance their learning. Supportive teachers model effective and ethical use of ICT, assess students as they progress along the continuum, and provide opportunities for them to deepen their understanding and knowledge in curricular contexts.
Is the quality of student thinking being raised through use of ICT, or are students just moving from low level thinking using cheap paper and pencil to low level thinking using expensive word processors?
Thinking at higher levels is part of demonstrating literacy with ICT. Increased access to, and volume of, electronic information requires that all citizens in our global community develop skills to locate, evaluate, and synthesize relevant information. Using technology to record information or simply to seek large quantities of information does not "raise the cognitive bar". Students need to be challenged to become self-guided, active thinkers and learners. Teachers do this by ensuring that their teaching strategies require students to become engaged in learning at higher levels and in developing deeper understanding.
What is more important, commitment of school leaders or commitment of teachers to implementing Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum?
There must be commitment from everyone – division leaders, school leaders, and teachers. None of these groups can implement alone. School and Division leaders influence staffing, resources, and policies that impact implementation. Committed teachers directly impact the success of their students. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of school leaders’ commitment in supporting and directing the development of literacy with ICT in each school.

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What is the first priority for implementing Literacy with ICT, professional learning for teachers, or buying more and better hardware?
Access to more and better hardware can always be improved, but teachers with the pedagogical understanding to infuse ICT in the classroom will result in better use of the hardware you already have. To start, there must be a reasonable amount of appropriate and reliable hardware and software available in your school and in your classrooms. There is little point in providing professional learning to teachers to improve their literacy with ICT if they do not have access to the tools. On the other hand, there is little point in having state-of-the-art hardware if few teachers have the pedagogical understanding to apply it to enhance learning.

The first step to implementation is a good plan. Assess the current status of your infrastructure and the pedagogical and the technical skills of your staff. Collaboratively define your school goals for implementing Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum. Determine the expenditures and professional learning needed to bridge the gap between what you have now and what your staff envisions. Good plans encompass both infrastructure and professional learning. Keep in mind that teachers with more skills and knowledge will require more access to ICT and will seek more professional learning opportunities.
How much hardware will we need to implement Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum, and where should it be placed?
Ideally, each student would have access to computers, software, peripherals, and the Internet wherever and whenever needed to take advantage of the ‘teachable moment’. In any case, ICT should be infused with learning within curricular context and not performed as a separate activity. In the classroom, the need for computers and other tools depends on the learning strategies, the amount of individual versus collaborative work, and the number of students. Collaborate with teachers to determine what you want students to learn and then decide which technologies will support the learning. Decisions to locate the technology should be based on good pedagogy and on student learning outcomes, not on what is most technically convenient. Having computers in the classroom at all times supports a more natural way of learning, but also has implications for budgets, infrastructure, and classroom planning.
How do we get school board members to provide support for implementation of Literacy with ICT?
School boards are interested in both the success of students and the management of a responsible budget. Board members can be provided with evidence that expenditures are enabling or enhancing learning. School leaders can showcase what happens in the school so that parents, board members, and other teachers can see how literacy with ICT improves critical and creative thinking. Emphasize the connection between classroom use of ICT and the curricular outcomes. Link the value of the student learning to the need for infrastructure and professional learning. Provide the board with concrete recommendations regarding the infrastructure and professional learning needed to be successful. Keep the board informed of the progress of the divisional implementation team for Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum.

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How do we involve parents?
Parents can be great allies. They can assist with your implementation of Literacy with ICT. Parents may already be volunteering in the classroom or school library. Educate them on the importance and purpose of literacy with ICT. During parent/teacher conferences, let students show their parents evidence of their literacy with ICT. Parents can help students set learning goals. Parents can share their understanding with other parents and community members. Parents can advocate for your school. Support parents as they attempt to improve their own literacy with ICT. Parents can serve as role models for their children in the ethical and responsible use of ICT. Recognize parents for their contributions.
Parents are concerned about Internet content and safety. What steps should be put in place to allow students to exercise their critical thinking online, but to satisfy parents’ concerns at the same time?
Developing ethics and responsibility is an important part of literacy with ICT. Teachers must guide students as they become increasingly responsible for their own actions in accessing and contributing online information. However, to build critical thinking, students need the opportunity to make choices. In the school context, their choices can be reasonably limited by both teachers and technology solutions (such as content filtering). The choices and access to information that teachers allow students will be dependent on each student’s age and competency within the affective domain of the continuum. Divisions have policies that clearly outline acceptable use by students and staff. Ensure parents are informed of the acceptable use policies so that they have the opportunity to model and reinforce these at home.
How can school leaders inspire teachers to enhance teaching and improve student learning through literacy with ICT?
The responsibility for professional growth rests with the teacher, but school leaders can do a lot to inspire and support teachers. Keep in mind that each teacher has a unique learning style and may need customized supports. Some teachers may prefer to work on their own. Other teachers may want a peer coach or mentor. Some teachers may want the big picture. Other teachers may need to see detailed exemplars and student samples before they can begin to visualize those strategies being applied in their own classroom. School leaders are involved by communicating expectations, allocating resources, and arranging time for teachers to work together. They can also provide learning materials and opportunities for teachers to discover new ideas and new tools. School leaders may even encourage staff to take risks, and step beyond their comfort zone with technology. When teachers are engaged and supported, both teachers and students benefit.

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An effective way for teachers to learn is by watching and talking to other teachers. How can school leaders facilitate this process?
Master teachers and teacher-librarians can certainly share their knowledge and mentor other teachers, but it also helps to have teachers work together even if neither teacher considers him/herself an expert. They will learn from each other and support each other. School leaders can support this learning by arranging release time for teachers to meet, by making schedule changes to accommodate team-teaching, or by providing access to technology that allows teachers to connect at different times or across a geographically large area.

Another powerful strategy is to provide release time for teachers, who already infuse ICT successfully, to coach their peers collaboratively, over time, and in their own classrooms. These partners can collaboratively plan learning experiences that infuse ICT with what they are already trying to achieve in a curricular area, they can model or team-teach, and they can encourage reflection and provide feedback.
If teachers concentrate on developing learning experiences that follow the inquiry process, will the infusion of ICT follow?
The inquiry process has many different labels mathematical problem solving, scientific inquiry, and information literacy to name a few. What all these processes have in common is questioning, planning, gathering, producing, communicating, and reflecting on evidence of learning. Engaging teachers in examining their current units, resources and classroom learning experiences in the context of the inquiry process is a good beginning. If teachers start with the familiar and grow from there, they will see how literacy with ICT reflects learning in all curricular areas through the inquiry process. The developmental continuum for literacy with ICT can also help teachers re-think curricular content, delivery, and goals. School leaders can ensure there is continuity within the school from year to year and from class to class. School leaders can encourage the infusion of technology wherever it helps promote good pedagogy and can also encourage teachers to move along their own continuum of literacy with ICT.
Who do you recommend be part of my school’s implementation team for Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum?
Ideally, the entire staff should be involved so that everyone talks the same language and supports each other in the process. As a second option, include some teachers from each grade level (K – 8). Start with teachers who will share their knowledge with others. Include teachers who are opinion leaders to help with implementation. These teachers can become mentors or coaches for their peers. School leaders drive action at the school, so the principal’s participation on the implementation team is also vital to success.

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As the school leader, should I worry about getting everyone on board?
The goal is to have all educators become ambassadors of literacy with ICT in the context of their own curriculum and classroom learning. Encourage and support everyone, but don’t worry if everyone is not on board right away. School leaders set expectations, and provide professional learning opportunities and access for all staff. Create a climate that promotes learning and shares successes. Reluctant teachers can start small. At a minimum, get staff who are not yet on board to observe and talk about the process in the first year of implementation. Don’t leave anyone out. Once a critical mass has been reached, others will follow.
Is it enough to plan for implementation of Literacy with ICT within my school or does planning also need to be done divisionally?
There needs to be both. Collaboration at the divisional level is essential to create the infrastructure, coordinate the professional learning, and plan for implementation. The support and direction of senior administration is essential.
How do we share electronic portfolios with parents, especially parents who may not have access to computers and the Internet at home?
Start with students showing parents their electronic portfolios when parents visit the school. There may be opportunities for the school to provide access to electronic portfolios in the school at specific times such as reporting periods, student-led conferences, or celebration of learning days. Alternatively, students’ electronic portfolios might be stored on media that might be more readily available at home, such as DVD.
Should an electronic portfolio be kept over multiple years?
Process portfolios can show growth over time as students collect, select, reflect on, and celebrate evidence of their learning. Students and teachers will have to be selective, collecting samples that have meaning and show progress. Portfolios are not limited to demonstrating literacy with ICT. They can be part of an assessment strategy across all curricular areas that encourages student involvement, and a means for students to share their learning with others.

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