Using information and communication technology (ICT) to the maximum: learning and teaching biology with limited digital technologies

Abstract

Background: The ubiquity, availability and exponential growth of digital information and communication technology (ICT) creates unique opportunities for learning and teaching in the senior secondary school biology curriculum. Digital technologies make it possible for emerging disciplinary knowledge and understanding of biological processes previously too small, large, slow or fast to be taught. Indeed, much of bioscience can now be effectively taught via digital technology, since its representational and symbolic forms are in digital formats.

Purpose: This paper is part of a larger Australian study dealing with the technologies and modalities of learning biology in secondary schools.

Sample: The classroom practices of three experienced biology teachers, working in a range of NSW secondary schools, are compared and contrasted to illustrate how the challenges of limited technologies are confronted to seamlessly integrate what is available into a number of molecular genetics lessons to enhance student learning.

Design and method: The data are qualitative and the analysis is based on video classroom observations and semi-structured teacher interviews.

Results: Findings indicate that if professional development opportunities are provided where the pedagogy of learning and teaching of both the relevant biology and its digital representations are available, then teachers see the immediate pedagogic benefit to student learning. In particular, teachers use ICT for challenging genetic concepts despite limited computer hardware and software availability.

Conclusion: Experienced teachers incorporate ICT, however limited, in order to improve the quality of student learning.

Keywords:

• biology
• genetics
• multimodalities
• ICT

Acknowledgements

I thank Dr Roger Valance at the Australian Catholic University for his advice in bringing this paper to publication. This research was funded by Australian Research Council Grant DPO 772550 with Professor Peter Freebody at University of Sydney, Professor John Hedberg at Macquarie University and Dr Kim Nichols at University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.