1 - Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitos

into teaching does present a challenge, the goal is an achievable one, and that at
the practical level ICT education fairly soon becomes a self-feeding process. Working
with computers is a challenge because the teacher must not forget the pedagogical
aims as they guide students towards mastery of the equipment. Before
successful integration becomes possible, the teacher must plan their instruction
carefully and invest a great deal of time and effort. In addition, the relevant activities
cannot be developed without adequate teaching resources. An action culture
around ICT in schools does not emerge through the acquisition of computers
alone; successful instruction is possible only if teachers are given adequate technical
and pedagogical support to initiate and maintain activity of this kind.
During the school year, the experiences that both the students and the teacher
gained of using the Internet and the web tools were quite positive. The web tools
and the Internet connections worked trouble-free throughout the school year, and
the tool’s ease of use emerged as a central factor in the success of the teaching
delivered.
In the first self-evaluation exercise, which took place at the beginning of the
field stage or in autumn, 16 per cent of the students doubted the profitability of
using computers. In an interview conducted in the end of the school year, all
students reported that they were using the computer as a tool or in their leisure
hours. As the school year ended, all students had achieved a stable level of basic
skills, that is, the students in the class knew how to switch on a computer, log in,
use an Internet browser, find the web pages of the network magazine Kuvataiteen
Kulttuurikieppi, log in as its editors, write an article, log out, and switch off the
computer. Thus, it may be stated that all the students in the class had attained the
level of technical mastery of ICT defined as the target in the beginning of the
school year.
The research findings suggest that teachers can meet the societal expectations
and challenges involved in ICT instruction, though they must be personally interested
in ICT and willing to put in extra work. The study revealed also problems
that hamper practical activities, such as the absence of a long-term perspective in
development work, the random starting points of activity in this field, and the
difficulty of achieving authentic collaboration and interaction.
Descriptors: ICT, instructional use, visual arts education, constructivism, collaborative
learning, experiential learning, integration, evaluation
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