ICT as a situating tool

Among many advantages of using ICT as a different tools to enhance teaching and learning, the last one that we discussed is using ICT as situating tool. This tool, I felt it as an interesting and one of the most meaningful tools that we could use to teach and also for students learn different concepts and procedures. 

What are situating tools? Applications that helps to situate learners in an environment to experience the context and happenings. Examples: Simulations (flight, farming, surgery, environment, driving, HistoryCity, SimCity, play station) and virtual reality (VR). 

Exploring simulations on atoms 

There are numerous importance of situating tools, to mention a few, it:

• situates users in the environment 
• comprehend and manipulate variables
• communicate with others users login
• foster creativity and visualization skills. 

Situating tools such as simulations are an important asset that can be integrated in the teaching and learning. This is because when a certain real life experiences are impossible or difficult to attain. For example, if we want our students to learn about cockroach dissection or anatomy of frog, then it would be difficult to bring man frogs and let students dissect to study the anatomy. Therefore, situating tools (simulations) can help students experience and learn virtually. 

What are simulations? Simulations are programs that teach strategies and rules which are made to apply to real-life situations. For example: computers presents simulations of real learning situations, it makes learners to take decisions and also show the effects of decision. It also provides opportunities to interact with the real life situations without danger, expense or difficulty. It solves simulated real life problems. It also manipulates the elements of the model as the computer provides feedback. It invokes learners' conceptual understanding and higher order thinking skills. 

Playing with virtual knee surgery simulations 

If all the schools have access to adequate computers and good internet, then, I feel that teachers can do a lot to help students learn best and also provide space for them to think more creatively and do many things that will help them understand the reality through simulated things. It is also going to ease teacher's workload and also aid teachers to deliver the lesson well.