Source : Apréli@-PartaTESSA booklet for school heads School LeadershipTransforming teaching-learning process: leading the use of ICTs in your school, pages 11-12. It is part of a set of five booklets for school leaders.
Case Study 2: Using a laptop and a projector
English teacher, Mr Pepple, explains how he uses his laptop in school and gets access to the internet to download resources and information :
"My laptop is my most treasured possession! I use it all the time. I can connect to the internet at my friend’s house and download materials that I can use in school. Sometimes when there are connection problems I go to a hotel in the town centre and pay for internet access for an hour.
Last week I downloaded a cartoon in English to show to JSS Class 3.I used to put the laptop on a table and get my pupilsto sit on the floor to watch. This really was not terribly satisfactory. But last term, I managed to persuade the Parents-TeachersAssociation to donate ₦ 50,000for computer equipment. I spent it on a projector and a set of loudspeakers. So now, we all watched the cartoon, but I realised that pupilscould not understand the English accent and that the speech was too fast for them. So,we watched the cartoon with no sound and I organised a brainstorming session to work out what the story was about. Having done that, I introduced some of the key words that came up frequently in the story. I played the cartoon again and we played ‘Spot the Word’.
I have found that it is helpful for students to be able to listen to people speaking English –it has helped their pronunciation and their understanding–and it also enabled them to retain most of the key words.
I have two colleagues in the English department who are very interested in my work with my laptop, but they don’t feel up to trying on their own quite yet.I want to help them to use the laptop in their lessons too so that they gain skills and confidence in using technology, as well as broadening their use of teaching resources. Initially they have been watching my lessons, but they are already asking me to find specific resources that they might use, for example on pollution".
This case study shows how the innovations and excitement of technology can be brought into school by accessing and downloading resources from the internet and then playing them in school. Mr Pepple invested in some equipment (a laptop, speakers and projector) that he then used to enhance student learning in English. The students not only benefit from the downloaded resources, but also from exposure to the hardware and equipment on which they are played. Notice how the English teacher is not only focusing on his students but also on the development needs of his colleagues, building capacity so that more students benefit.