Integration of ICT Statement

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are an emerging sight across

classrooms in todays society. As teachers, we need to create lessons that incorporate
educational ICT resources and programs that accommodate the diversity of student
learning. We feel that the range of ICT resources chosen for our four-lesson sequence
are both interactive and engaging, whilst also being educative and informative.
Applying these factors helps to teach students the skills required to navigate
effectively through ICT and to generate useful tools to assist them through the
constructed web quest.

Britannica Online
We have chosen the program Britannica Online as we feel it is an adaptable ICT
resource, which can be used through all the learning areas of the Australian
Curriculum. Britannica Online is an interactive resource, which enables students to
collect and formulate valid research notes on a topic they are studying. We have used
Britannica Online in the third lesson of our four-lesson sequence. The program
allows students to research at their own learning capacity by the use of a levelling
system embedded in the website. The teacher can use the prior knowledge of their
students reading ability to assign the appropriate level. This allows students to achieve
and accomplish the task they have been set. Not only does this allow students to
cement their learning but it also teaches them how to research efficiently and
effectively.

We feel that the activity for this lesson along side the integration of Britannica
Online covers the following curriculum links:

Science Understanding Biological Science: ACSSU043 - Living things

have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their

environment.
Science Inquiry Skills Communicating: ACSIS093 - Communicate ideas,

explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts.

Literacy Interpreting, Analysing, Evaluating: ACELY1703 - Use
comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas

from a variety of print and digital sources.

Literacy Creating Texts: ACELY1707 - Use a range of software including
word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written
text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements.

Tagxedo
In our first lesson, we have chosen to embed the ICT program Tagxedo into the
students activity. Tagxedo is an app, which generates words in an aesthetically
appealing word cloud. Students are able to input any words or phrases into the app.
Then with the click of a button the students list of words become a visual
picture/brainstorm. The activity for this lesson sees students use the ICT resource of
Tagxedo to create a KWL (What I know, What I want to know and What have I
learnt). We believe Tagxedo was the most suitable resource to use as it allows the
student to quickly organise their ideas and thoughts in a different way, which they
then can use time and time again. Tagxedo is also an easy program to navigate and
puts a spin on the usual pen and paper brainstorm further enhancing the integration of
ICT.

The student task for this lesson with the integration of the ICT program Tagxedo
cover the Australian Curriculum links of:

Science Understanding Biological Science: ACSSU043 - Living things

have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their

environment.
Science Inquiry Skills Communicating: ACSIS093 - Communicate ideas,

explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts.

Literacy Interpreting, Analysing, Evaluating: ACELY1703 - Use
comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas

from a variety of print and digital sources.

Language Expressing and Developing Ideas: ACELA1512 - Understand
the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that

words can have different meanings in different contexts.

Language Text Structure and Organisation: ACELA1797 - Investigate how
the organisation of texts into chapters, headings, subheadings, home pages
and sub pages for online texts and according to chronology or topic can be
used to predict content and assist navigation.

Build Your Wild Self

Created by the New York Zoo and Aquarium, Build Your Wild Self is a useful tool
for the area of science, especially in the study area of animals structural features and
their living environments. We have integrated this ICT resource into the last lesson of
our four-lesson sequence. Build Your Wild Self is an effective tool students can use
to summarise and apply the knowledge they have gained through the constructed web
quest. This ICT resource allows a student to interact and engage with the task as they
create their fictional creature to suit the chosen living environment. Incorporating
Build Your Wild Self into the lesson also allows students to practice the basic

computing skills of uploading images, saving images to an iPads camera roll and then
further saving the final product into a class file when presented over the interactive
whiteboard. These skills may seem to be basic but they are fundamental skills that
students need to learn. We feel that Build Your Wild Self is a valuable way to end
the lesson sequence as it offers the students the opportunity to communicate the facts
and ideas they have developed throughout the web quest. Through the web quest and
the integration of ICT students have been able to take responsibility for their learning
and have been able to effectively engage in the tasks they are completing.

This activity with the integration of Build Your Wild Self covers the following
curriculum links:

Science Understanding Biological Science: ACSSU043 - Living things

have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their

environment.
Science Inquiry Skills Communicating: ACSIS093 - Communicate ideas,

explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts.

Literacy Creating Texts: ACELY1707 - Use a range of software including
word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written

text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements.
Language Expressing and Developing Ideas: ACELA1512 - Understand
the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that

words can have different meanings in different contexts.

Media Arts: ACAMAM - Plan, produce and present media artworks for
specific audiences and purposes using responsible media practice.

References
ACARA. (2014). The Australian Curriculum. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Wildlife Conservation Society. (2013). Build Your Wild Self. Retrieved from
http://www.buildyourwildself.com
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2015). Britannica School Primary. Retrieved from
http://school.eb.com.au.ipacez.nd.edu.au/levels
Tagxedo. (2014). Tagxedo - word cloud with styles. Retrieved from
http://www.tagxedo.com