Evolution from stand-alone models to integrated skills acquisition

In the early phases of ICT use in schools, computer literacy was defined more narrowly as the knowledge of computers and use of software applications, and taught as a distinct activity or subject. This approach reflected ICT-sector industry training models that predated e-learning, often did not recognize the educational role of computers in schools, and followed an essentially “instructivist” style.

Such courses often started with Windows or the Word Processor, or computer history, hardware and programming, with the assumption that learners would not be able to do anything with the computer until they knew enough about its mechanics.

As the use of ICT in education has matured, ICT has come to be regarded more as a tool to be used in the context of essential life skills than a subject to be taught. The application of modern learning theory has supported a substantive shift away from computer literacy as a distinct activity, towards an integrated approach where ICT skills are acquired in the context of activity that is meaningful to learners.

The Integrated Approach

In its simplest form the integrated approach to computer literacy is the acquisition of computer skills in the context of activity that is meaningful to students. The emphasis in this activity is the context (the reason for using the computer) and not the technology (the need to know how to use the computer). It calls on teachers to refrain from teaching courses based on practice and mastery.

The integrated approach calls for learning by doing, learner-centered learning in learner-interest contexts. The easiest common context in schools is the curriculum, but individual learner interest can still be engaged by choosing topics and examples that are topical and contextual to the learner’s lives. This reflects sound learning practice that should be at the core of computer literacy. An integrated approach means that ICT use at schools is most often done in the context of curriculum objectives. Evidence suggests that using ICT in this context supports the notion that ICT enhances the teaching and learning process.

For such an approach to succeed, educators need to re-assess the nature of the learning process in their classes. Significantly more emphasis is required on open-ended questions and information skills. The integrated approach places information technology in a pivotal role in the already transforming learning process. Its success as an approach will depend on the ability of educators to set appropriate tasks to suit the needs of the learning environment.

This integrated approach is characterized by:

• Setting learner-centered curriculum related tasks. The learners must use the computer room to do primarily educational tasks, such as history or biology assignments or tasks.
• Setting tasks that are open-ended in order to support problem solving and critical thinking. Closed-ended tasks support non-challenging regurgitation of information and need to be avoided.
  
  • Example 1: How would you set an assignment on "The Growth and Development of the Urban Centre", which does more than ask for a repeat of the story? The task could be re-phrased to read: "How would your city look today if motorcars never existed?"
    
  • Example 2: How would you set an assignment on the Titanic that does not prompt learners to cut and paste the vast amount of literature and pictures on the topic? Instead of instructing, "Do a project on the Titanic", the following task could be set: "How could the outcome of the Titanic disaster have been different, or even avoided?"
    
  • The learners now have to examine the question and identify issues that they would need to study. They need to find information, evaluate it, and process it. In this process they would make use of a range of resources, including non-ICT resources. ICT would be the tool for gathering information, as well as the tool for producing their work.
    
• Developing contextualized activities. In searching for context educators should integrate the activities of the computer room with the broad sense of school curriculum (especially subjects / learning areas, but also sport and culture).
  
• Setting tasks that develop collaborative group skills. Learners will benefit from co-operative interaction as they enquire about and discuss the issues raised by the topic. These are valuable social skills.
  
• Using ICT to enhance and stimulate thinking around the issues presented in lessons.
  
• Exploiting ICT to provide opportunities for knowledge application, within real life contexts.
  
• Making use of a range of tools in an open-ended task that provides opportunities for creative expression. This is an important part of the curriculum that can be well served by the exciting opportunities afforded by ICT.

Learning theory and research

Research by John Bransford shows that learning skills without context results in limited or no transfer of skills, and that, indeed, one needs to learn skills in the context of authentic use. Professor of Education and Psychology, John D. Bransford is an internationally known scholar in cognition and technology. Eisenberg and Johnson (1996) write:

“It has become increasingly popular for educational technologists to advocate integrating computers into the content areas. However, when learners learn isolated skills and tools without a basic understanding or rationale for their use in problem-solving endeavors, these skills are of little value. Therefore, it is critical that we teach learners how to use computers in a way that allows them to be creative, flexible, and purposive in their pursuits. While there are specific skills that learners should learn, the transfer and application of skills from situation to situation should be recognized as the most beneficial part of any curriculum. As most technology scholars note, learners develop true ‘computer literacy’ when they have genuinely applied various computer skills as part of the learning process.”

The other area of research and practice into integration has been in the field of information literacy. With the advent of the Internet, and the exposure given to life skills development in the curriculum, there has been considerable convergence between computer literacy and information literacy. This can be attributed to the role of ICT as the tool that enables most information management in this digital age.

Ross Todd has conducted several studies of the effect of integrated information skills instruction on Australian high school learners and he is involved in ongoing research agenda in this area. Not surprisingly, he reports that such integrated instruction has a positive impact on learners' mastery both of subject-matter content and of information-seeking skills. (Bruce 2002)

Understanding how people learn is therefore at the core of understanding the integrated approach. Race (1994) concludes that people learn most effectively by:

• wanting to learn (motivation, thirst for knowledge)
• learning by doing (practice, trial and error, getting one's hands dirty)
• learning from feedback (other people's comments, seeing the results)
• digesting (making sense of what has been learned; getting a grip on it).

This points to styles of learning that the computer can effectively support, thus providing rich contexts for integrated computer use. Such styles of learning include:

• independent learning
• learning by doing
• learning in authentic contexts
• project-based learning
  • enquiry learning
  • discovery learning
• resource-based learning
• student-centered approaches

The influence of a better understanding of learning theory has resulted in curriculum integration being at the forefront of course revision in a wide range of courses from schools to universities worldwide. It is the newest trend in skills learning. While not as simple as a skills course with no context, it is vastly more beneficial in the bigger educational picture. The integrated approach requires a carefully planned strategy and ongoing support of the learning process.