ICT in history

Using ICT can help pupils to:

• access, select and interpret information

• recognise patterns, relationships and behaviours

• model, predict and hypothesise

• test reliability and accuracy

• review and modify their work to improve the quality

• communicate with others and present information

• evaluate their work

• improve efficiency

• be creative and take risks

• gain confidence and independence.

ICT helps pupils learning in history by providing quick and effective access to large quantities of information. It can help them to investigate, organise, edit and present information in many different ways. ICT therefore supports and enhances many of the processes in the development of pupils' historical knowledge, skills and understanding.

For example, ICT can help pupils:

• access historical sources and critically evaluating them

• classify information, and organise and communicate ideas effectively

• focus directly on the different characteristics of sources

• handle data

• use the internet and multimedia resources to access historical sources

• use the internet and multimedia applications to present and communicate ideas

• use email to exchange views and ideas with their counterparts in other schools or in different countries

• use a flexible and timesaving resource

• respond to different stages in their writing.

Pupils should be given opportunities to apply and develop their ICT capability through the use of ICT tools to support their learning. Here are the statutory requirements to use ICT in the history programme of study:

Key stage 1

There is no statutory requirement to teach the use of ICT.

Key stage 2

Historical enquiry

4a: How to find out about the events, people and changes studied from an appropriate range of sources of information, including ICT-based sources (for example, documents, printed sources, CD-ROMs, databases, pictures and photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings and visits to museums, galleries and sites).

Pupils should be given opportunities to apply and develop their ICT capability through the use of ICT tools to support their learning. Here are the opportunities to use ICT in the history programme of study.

Key stage 1

Historical enquiry

4a: How to find out about the past from a range of sources of information.

• Pupils could use information from a CD-ROM to find out about the life of a significant person, or the way of life in the past.

Organisation and communication

5: To select from their knowledge of history and communicate it in a variety of ways (for example, talking, writing, using ICT).

• Pupils could order important events in a story on an on-screen timeline.

Key stage 2

Historical enquiry

4b: To ask and answer questions, and to select and record information relevant to the focus of the enquiry.

• Pupils could use a census database to search for information and identify and explain patterns of change.

Organisation and communication

5c: Communicate their knowledge and understanding of history in a variety of ways (for example, drawing, writing, using ICT).

• Pupils could use digitised maps to identify and colour-code features important to local study.

A personal or laptop computer with a CD-ROM drive and internet access means pupils can explore a wealth of resources to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in history. Digital cameras and camcorders are useful for recording fieldwork. Microphones allow pupils to record themselves on to computer disk. Data projectors enable whole class presentations.

Word-processing and presentation-package programs help pupils to organise and communicate ideas. There are also an increasing number of multimedia authoring tools suitable for use by pupils to enable them to present their research in a variety of ways. Data handling software, such as spreadsheets and databases, help pupils to access complicated data in a methodical way, and demonstrate patterns and trends.

The following software and hardware can help pupils' learning in history:

• computers with a CD-ROM drive and internet access

• word-processing programs or word-processors that have an online dictionary, a spell-checker and a grammar-checker

• desktop-publishing software

• presentation-package software

• a data-handling package that will graph text data (for example, yes/no entries) as well as statistical data.

The following resources are also helpful:

• a means of projecting ICT resources, such as a data projector or interactive whiteboard

• digital cameras, camcorders and microphones for fieldwork and to record pupils' work

• multimedia authoring tools

• websites from major libraries, galleries and other public institutions as both a reference point for teachers doing background work on a topic, and as a means to access resources and classroom activities.