Effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning for disadvantaged school students

As information and communication technology (ICT) becomes more widely used in classrooms and schools, attention is being focused on how ICT can make teaching and learning more effective.  This report illustrates the complexity of the nexus between ICT, learning and disadvantage, and how gender, class, race, indigeneity, ethnicity, disability and location intersect when ICT is integrated into classrooms in unexpected ways.  This report provides the findings from a joint investigation by the Deakin Centre for Education and Change; The Institute of Koorie Education; and the Institute of Disability Studies at Deakin University. 

The report finds that information and communications technology (ICT) is best used in the classroom when integrated into general teaching and learning, rather than as a stand alone subject.  The report includes examples of good practice that suggest these benefits can be achieved in a wide variety of settings for all students, not only those who are educationally disadvantaged.  The report suggests a number of areas for improvement in the use of ICT to achieve better student learning, including: integration of ICT into subject content and teaching practices; access to ICT for disadvantaged students, schools and communities; and teacher training and professional development in the use of ICT.

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