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INTRODUCTION
and information technologies in society and the workplace makes it essential for students to become computer literate and to develop information literacy skills. (Program Planning and Assessment, 9)
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) offers opportunities to change how students acquire and demonstrate knowledge and how teachers assist learning. ICT provides varied learning opportunities, allowing learners to locate information, to share ideas, and to work with others in ways not previously available to them. Learning Information and Communication Technologies skills is not enough. Students must apply this learning, within the context of the Ontario Curriculum, to solve problems, to make decisions, to develop projects, and to communicate.
Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) ICT can serve as a learning tool by providing students with meaningful opportunities to grow as learners and to develop essential academic and life skills. These include:
As part of a balanced classroom program, ICT can play an integral role in fostering the development of these skills and contributing to the success of all students. ICT is a tool, not an end in itself. The Ontario Curriculum addresses ICT in several ways. ICT learning expectations are identified across all subject areas, and ICT skills are woven into all curriculum areas and courses of study. ICT is embedded into research and inquiry skills. Students and staff are expected to use ICT as a learning tool.
Equitable Access Information and Communication Technologies can enable students to work and express ideas in an environment relatively free of gender stereotyping and other biases. In comparison with other forms of communication, electronic networks have the greatest potential for allowing students to interact equitably regardless, for instance, of gender or exceptionality. They also allow students with any impediment to social interaction to interact with others in ways that build confidence. Learning programs integrating ICT are crucial, especially to students who, because of background or economic circumstances, do not have access to Information and Communication Technologies in their homes. Equity of access to information, instruction, and technologies in schools will improve learning for all students, including those with special needs. (Information Studies: Kindergarten to Grade 12, 10) When incorporating ICT into the classroom, it is essential to address the following expectations. All students will:
ICT Standards Standards provide a road map for students, teachers, and administrators, indicating what students will achieve. They provide consistency for students' achievement of these skills throughout the TDSB. Clear standards give teachers a guide for assessing and evaluating the achievement of these skills. These standards are not a course of study, nor are they intended to stand alone. Teachers will infuse the ICT standards within all subject curriculums, as ICT skills are best learned within the context of subject applications. Activities, projects, and problems that replicate real-life situations are effective ways of learning these skills.
Description of the Standards in This Document These standards are a guide for teachers and students to be used in conjunction with each subject curriculum. ICT skills are listed grade by grade. Teachers will determine when it is appropriate to introduce the skills, based on the students' needs and maturation. Students need to practise and use these skills in a variety of areas throughout the curriculum. This guide indicates the grade level by which a student will master the skills.
Format The document offers a page-by-page, per-grade description of ICT skills. The Grade Reference Charts demonstrate the continuity in the development of these skills from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and allow educators to quickly review the skills acquired in previous grades, or those needed in future grades. Combining these skills with those of Information Literacy will help students integrate both sets of skills in their learning and provide more opportunities for developing critical-thinking skills.
General Standards The general standards are organized into the following strands:
Social and Ethical Issues Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to ICT. Students will practise responsible use of ICT systems, information, and software.
Research and Inquiry Students use and transfer ICT knowledge to locate, retrieve, organize, manipulate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information for specific research tasks.•
Communication and Collaboration Students collaborate using ICT. Students use ICT to communicate knowledge in a variety of forms and media, for different purposes and audiences.
Productivity and Applications Students understand how to use the range of ICT tools for research, inquiry, problem solving, decision making, creativity, communication, and collaboration.
Critical and Creative Thinking Using ICT, students will enhance their critical and creative thinking skills, including problem solving and decision making. Note: Critical and creative thinking skills are embedded in each of the other four strands. They form an essential component of the learning of all students, not just within ICT, but in all areas of the curriculum.
Specific Skills Specific skills are listed under each of four general standards in each grade. In many cases illustrative examples have been provided to clarify meaning and provide a curricular context for teachers and students. The examples provided are intended to clarify each standard and to reinforce that the learning of ICT skills must occur within the context of the Ontario Curriculum. In the Grade 9-12 section of the document, some of the examples appended include a course code. Again, the intention is to provide a curricular context for the integration of ICT. It is recognized, and indeed encouraged, that many other examples from many other courses of study can be utilized to achieve the attainment of these standards.
Implementation of the Standards In many schools across the TDSB, teachers are achieving these standards with their students through unique and interesting learning opportunities. It is very important to remember that these skills cannot be taught in isolation, but must be integrated within the curriculum. When properly used, ICT becomes transparent to the learning task at hand. It is used for its ability to complement and extend student learning, not simply because it is there. Staff development opportunities for teachers are necessary to demonstrate how these standards are incorporated into the classroom curriculum. Sessions to facilitate sharing of ideas, for teachers and central staff, should be ongoing. Schools need to integrate ICT standards in the appropriate context, and personalize the experience. Staff need to discuss and plan the location of ICT resources and facilitate student access to ICT so that students can integrate these skills into daily classroom activities and projects.
Who can help with implementation?
How do ICT Standards fit with other Toronto District School Board planning? The Information and Communication Technologies Plan requires the development and implementation of these standards. Evaluation templates in the School Improvement Plan will require teachers and administrators to indicate what they are planning and how they will infuse Information and Communication Technologies and Information Literacy skills in the curriculum. Indicators for assessment of Information and Communication Technologies in the classroom are consistent with these standards. As on-line learning opportunities become more prevalent, students will need to achieve these standards in order to use on-line learning efficiently and effectively.
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