Development of IT-enabled instructional package for teaching science

In the last years, the so called ‘digital revolution’ brought the computers into the classroom in order to support and enhance pedagogical practices. Technologies available in classroom today range from simple tool based applications to internet based multimedia, wireless communication, e-mail communication, blogs, wikis and podcasts. The use of these technologies has a positive effect on education, motivating students, promoting learning and changing classroom interaction (Picchio, 2001). ICT has paved the way for accelerating the paradigm shift through providing more flexible way of learning. The demand of new technologies and the global environment cannot be satisfied with the only source of classroom instructions, with its inherent classroom limitations (Gupta & Lata, 2012). The students can do self learning using enormous potentials of internet and proving them with several online exercises. Learning is a journey, and has intrinsic merit if it moves in the right direction. Keeping in view this aspect, the investigators have decided to develop an IT-Enabled Instructional Package in Science for class X to carry out the study. Various software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Sound forge cs3, Adobe Premier cs3, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Frutiloop and Swish 2.0 were utilized for this purpose. In the present paper, the different phases of development of ITEIP such as Selection of Subject Matter, Analysis of Subject Matter and Development Phase have been methodically explicated. Further, the development phase of ITEIP has been carried out with the help of six steps viz. Selection of appropriate technological tool, script designing (text, graphics, audio, video and animation), integration of elements, assessment by experts and final shape of ITEIP. The study also endow with basic concepts and information on the processes and resources involved in IT-Enabled Instructional Package development which might be of attention to administrators, policy makers, teachers, students and subject experts etc.