DIAGNOSTIC OF ICT IN ARMENTIA IKASTOLA
The average age in the group of teachers in Armentia Ikastola is not high; my teacher, for example, is less than thirty years old. This helps to implant changes and innovating processes in the methodology. In my opinion, young people are more open- minded about ICT and most of them use technology in their daily life, my tutor also does. Besides, my tutor has started to learn “Infant Education” online in Huhezi and cause of that, she must be always online. Actually, she told me that she always learns something about new technologies, which are useful in her professional practice too.
Armentia Ikastola is one of the schools, as another hundred
schools in all the Basque Country, which was created fifty
years ago to increase the quantity and quality of Basque speakers
and Basque culture consumers. Nowadays, as our lifestyle has
changed, not only Armentia Ikastola, but all the ikastolas are
conscious of the importance of applying ICT in the classroom.
But Armentia doesn`t receive the public financial help of the
Basque administration (not at least as much as public centres) so
they don’t have the opportunity to attend to the special ICT training
that “Eusko Jaurlaritza” has offered.
Nevertheless, Ikastolen Elkartea has moved autonomously
in this aspect. They organize special ICT training as well and they
have started using “Ikasys” program. However, teachers admit
that they don’t complete the minimum hours they should dedicate
to it and although it is very useful, those programs don’t include group works, almost all are individual exercises complementary with the content in the text books.
Particularly, my tutor considers that ICT is very beneficial in all the subjects. She thinks that they improve a lot languages acquisition, due to their audiovisual resources. ICT have the capacity to motivate the children and all of us know that what children learn motivated is harder to forget. However, my tutor complains about the quality of the internet connection. This fact forces them to waste a lot of time, and it makes her a bit angry and impotent.
However, she thinks that Armentia is quite good supplied on technological tools: laptops, computers, digital books, digital blackboards, cameras, video recorders, a big screen, loudspeakers… and “Irristakari” and “Beleko” programs strengthen what they have done in the habitual class. She thinks that all these tools are useful to improve comprehension, listening and orthographic skills, but “the best advantage is that ICT increase the motivation and students are more receptive” she says. That is why she always tries to make the best use of these.
In addition, as a detail, I think it is important to say that by the age of 11, students must have a gmail account; teachers teach them the basic knowledge about it. Moreover, they also learn how to work in groups in a “drive” page and how to prepare presentations. Furthermore, teachers usually use "gmail" to keep the contact with parents. "Gmail" allows the daily communication with them; they also have a "drive" to share the information and useful documents with other teachers. In case of troubles, there are two people to repair technical problems as fast as possible.
Those are the questions I sent to my tutor:
