Developing the ICT - Technologies and their uses

Working with ICT can be highly motivating - it can also be a distraction from the main focus of producing better RE. That said, the appropriate and effective use of ICT should remain as high priorities when one of the technologies is used. A PowerPoint presentation with distracting sound effects and images rapidly appearing from all angles is not good use of that medium and distracts from the RE purpose!

Two further sources providing information on the use of ICT in RE are BECTa and REfIT.

• BECTa, the DfES agency, is responsible for encouraging and supporting the better use of ICT in education. It manages many of the DfES funded initiatives in this area, provides a wide range of print resources and has a web site at www.becta.org.uk giving details of its work and the materials available.
  
  
• REfIT, a project of the Professional Council for Religious Education, published a CD-ROM on ICT in RE in Autumn 2002. Copies of the CD-ROM may be available for a small cost to cover postage and packaging by contacting:
  REfIT
  1020 Bristol Road
  Selly Oak
  Birmingham B29 6LB
  Telephone: 0121 474 4242
  or by e-mailing REfIT at marking your e-mail with 'REfIT CD-ROM sales enquiry' in the subject field.

Recognising and using the strengths of a particular medium is important; here is an assessment of the main features of the types of ICT usually available together with some hints about their effective use:

Presentation Software

CD-ROMs and DVDs

Video

Video and web-conferencing

Websites