Making ICT Work

Synopsis

‘There is no evidence that computers raise educational standards.’

John Clare, Education Editor, Daily Telegraph

Opinions differ regarding the benefits of using computers in our schools. This programme asks us to consider the role of ICT in the education of our young people. Key Stage 2 pupils use traditional animation techniques to add an extra dimension to their literacy work. Michael Rosen uses the medium of videoconferencing to explore a new kind of literacy: children talking to other children on the Internet. Pupils at a Birmingham primary school use ICT as a tool which is fully integrated into the curriculum, including, as we see here, their art lessons. A recycling project is the context for an Internet project in Yorkshire: using a digital camera, pupils are able to gather visual evidence to display on their own school website, thereby hugely extending the potential reach of their work. Data handling is at the heart of scientific investigations where the computer’s ability to quickly generate graphs enables pupils to concentrate on interpretation rather than the processing of data.