ICT in Physics MOF

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PHYSICAL

SCIENCES

MAGAZINE

ICT in the Physics Classroom
Michael O’Flaherty, Loreto College, Foxrock, Dublin 18.

In October, 2005, I travelled to my first Course in Kildare Education Centre, cautiously looking forward to the course. I had become accustomed to the tried and tested certainties of some conventional apparatus methodology and I found the prospect of changing to ICT quite challenging. The three-day SLSS Physics Course which concluded on 4 April, 2006, has convinced me that ICT methodology is the way forward in Physics Teaching and Learning; it is faster, neater and more accurate than conventional apparatus – in other words it is “more for less”; more results for less effort. I now believe that conventional apparatus is out-dated and less relevant to the real world of Technology and advanced Science in which we live. Conventional apparatus can also be tedious and time-consuming. ICT equipment, for example, Datalogging is modern and up-todate and the procedures take only a few minutes giving extremely accurate results. Students relate easily to it and for them the whole experience of using ICT in the classroom is both positive and natural. ICT’s potential use as a teaching aid for presenting information is vast and the SLSS Course concentrated on this aspect in particular. This year, the Transition Year Students completed their projects using PowerPoint with very encouraging results. In particular, students enjoyed giving a PowerPoint Presentation of their project to their class and parents at the end of the year. PowerPoint enabled students to give very professional presentations and everyone was very impressed. Regular testing and assessment is part of teaching and learning and I am aware that many written tests/exams pose difficulties for some students, who have problems with language skills especially writing. This difficulty can be a real obstacle to achievement in Science and the idea of non-linguistic testing has always appealed to me. One of the aims of my chosen project, inter alia, was to investigate how ICT could be used in Quick Check Physics Testing and to discover if this might address the linguistic problems that students have. Using PowerPoint, I presented a Quick Check Test on Semiconductors and presented ten multiple choice questions, one on each slide, followed by four short answers (Fig 1).

PowerPoint to record the score for each question (Right/Wrong) and present the final score after the last question. I piloted the test with my Leaving Certificate Class and their reaction was very positive and encouraging. Working alone, it took each student, on average, 1.5 minutes to complete the ten multiple choice questions. This involved the student reading the question and answers, clicking on the selected answer and following the on screen instructions. At question 10, the message box indicates the end of the test and gives the final score

Student Evaluation: 1. No writing and so less distraction. 2. Quick – a student could complete 100 short questions in about 15 minutes, that is, extensive testing of a particular area of Science could be accomplished in a relatively short time. 3. Instant Feedback - as soon as the test is completed the score is given – no waiting for the teacher to correct and hand it back. 4. Self-directed Assessment – looking to the future; if a batch of ICT Quick Check Physics Tests existed, students could selfassess in a particular area of Science, in their own time, at any level and without supervision. 5. Modern and Up-to-Date – students are already familiar with computer testing systems, eg ECDL, and using ICT in Physics/Science Testing seems to them like a natural progression. In conclusion, the student feedback indicates that Quick Check Testing is a good idea; it is quick and easy to use and beneficial to both teaching and learning. However, if the immense potential of ICT as a teaching/learning aid is to be realised there needs to be collaboration between Physics Teachers and the IT Industry in order to develop good ideas into commercial opportunities. Finally, the most important aspect of the SLSS Physics Group was that it clearly demonstrated that the synergy of a group is greater than the sum of the individual parts; there were a wide variety of ideas and lots of enthusiasm and I look forward to meeting my Physics colleagues again when a follow-up course is offered.

Fig 1 This involved choosing the most appropriate format, graphics, colours etc but the greatest challenge was finding a mechanism for recording the score. A macro programme can be run alongside

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