Roles of ICT in Primary School

ICT plays a prominent role in the primary school curriculum and is present throughout subject areas and grade levels. Teachers often find the instructional technology tools, such as whiteboards, video games, and cooperative sites, extremely beneficial. Students also benefit from the interactive component, which increases interest in and transfer and retention of the material being studies.

Computer Literacy
ICT should be incorporated into the primary school curriculum to give the students a head start with computer literacy, which is increasingly significant in later years. At this level, however, computer literacy typically focuses on typing, internet use, basic computer infrastructure, art applications and various computer games. It is often incorporated into the library studies portion of the primary school curriculum.

Reading Readiness
ICT also plays a role in the portion of the primary school curriculum devoted to reading readiness. Various applications for digital whiteboards (also known as SMART boards) are dedicated solely to whole language and phonics instruction. Various interactive PC games also often are employed to help primary school students acquire the essential reading skills that they need.

Project Portfolios
Many primary school teachers find that using project portfolios and tracking them on the computer, is a more effective way of assessing their students' performance than the traditional standardized exams. Project portfolios allow teachers to see a more well-rounded representation of each student's abilities and knowledge, and information technology makes this approach easily manageable.

Interactive Learning
Teachers across all grade levels are constantly trying to bring more interactivity into their learning. Students, especially in primary school, can greatly benefit from the interactivity that is available through the use of various instructional technologies. For example, students and teachers can use applications like Flash and Photoshop to create dynamic lessons and projects; they can chat with tutors and peers using social networks; they can view instructional videos online through websites like YouTube. There are many possibilities for students and teachers at the primary school level.