This issue of my Computers in Classrooms newsletter, dates from 2001. I am reproducing these newsletters partly in order to make sure that some of the history of using education technology is preserved, and partly because some of it is still relevant. That applies especially to the Tips section.

Obviously, some of it will appear rather dated, particularly references to floppy disks, but the pedagogical aspects are still useful.

Another interesting aspect of these newsletters is their depiction of governmental involvement in education technology. An amazing degree of involvement, in fact. The Computers for Teachers scheme is discussed here, for example.

I’ve formatted the headings and added a table of contents to make the newsletter a bit easier to navigate and read. I’ve also added “[still works]” next to websites that still work.

Finally, I’ve anonymised the teachers and their schools whom I’ve cited.

If you enjoy reading this, you may be astonished to learn that the newsletter is still going strong, but with a more up-to-date name: Digital Education. Click that link to find out more, and to subscribe — for free.

Computers in Classrooms

===============================================================

ISSN 1470-5524

Edited by Terry Freedman -- email compic@ictineducation.org

Proofread by Mark Adams -- email mark@eurobell.co.uk

Home Page: http://www.ictineducation.org/compic.htm

Volume 1 Issue 9 *** 01 May 2001

===============================================================

In this issue:

---------------------------------------------------------------

* News

* Resources: The ICT in Education website update * Other useful websites

* Tips

* Over to you: Why do it?

* Features:

   The classroom of the future

   Getting the most from your ICT Co-ordinator

   Something to ponder

* Newsletter: About the editor * About the proofreader * Subscription

details * Disclaimer

---------------------------Advertisement-----------------------

ACTIS SCIENCE ONLINE IS LOOKING FOR WRITERS

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you reckon you're a bright spark in the world of ICT in science

teaching and you want to make an impact on the way ICT is used in the

classroom and the lab, please contact Simon de Pinna, the Editor of

Science Online, at simon.depinna@actis.co.uk. You might like to check out

the site in its prototype form at http://www.scienceonline.co.uk.

Many thanks.

SdP

Actis Limited

Tel: 01xxx xxxxxx

http://www.actis.co.uk

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you would like to advertise in this newsletter, please see

http://www.ictineducation.org/compicads.htm

---------------------------Quick Test-----------------------

Any idea where the following quote comes from? Answer towards the end of

the newsletter.

"I was in a printing house in Hell, and saw the method in which knowledge

is transmitted from generation to generation."

------------------------------------------------------------

News section

---------------------------------------------------------------

Newsletter news

In the last edition of Computers in Classrooms I asked you to let me know

how many people you pass the newsletter on to. Thanks to everyone who

responded. I can now tell you that the minimum readership is just under

2,500. This is a minimum figure because not everyone sent me information

-- so it could be a lot more.

The spread was quite wide, with some of you passing the newsletter onto

nobody else, and others of you circulating it to 200 others. This seems to

be quite common for teacher training lecturers to do, with the result that

in several cases students have signed up in their own right.

I linked a prize draw to the request for readership information, and I am

delighted to tell you that this was won by subscriber MC, who

lives in the USA.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Essential ICT books

Also in the last edition, I mentioned that I intended to write an ebook of

reviews of books that could be of interest to ICT teachers. I haven't

forgotten this, but because of the volume of stuff I have had to do, I've

had to put it on the back burner as they say. I'll pick it up as soon as

possible.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Assessment assistance

Thanks ever so much to everyone who responded to my cry for help, namely a

request to take part in a survey for some case studies on assessment for

the Guardian newspaper. Plus apologies to everyone who sent me items that

weren't used. I know how valuable everyone's time is these days, so I

really do appreciate the effort you made.

Go to

http://education.guardian.co.uk/itforschools/story/0,5500,459421,00.html [still works]

and

http://education.guardian.co.uk/itforschools/story/0,5500,459402,00.html [still works]

to see most of the case studies and articles online.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright concerns

A few issues ago I mentioned some concerns I had about the Contributory

Database, later renamed the Teacher Resource Exchange (TRE) --

http://contribute.ngfl.gov.uk --, with respect to BECTa assuming ownership

of the copyright in contributions. My main concern was that, because in

the UK the copyright in any resources produced for work belongs to the

employer, would-be contributors were being asked to assign rights to BECTa

that they did not actually own. Also, I felt that there was a principle at

stake, namely that people shouldn't be asked to give their copyright

ownership away, even to a benign organisation like BECTa.

As a result of my and others' comments to BECTa, the copyright statement

has been radically changed. In a nutshell, the copyright owner (ie you or

your school) retain the copyright, but grant BECTa and users of the TRE

the right to use the material. See

http://contribute.ngfl.gov.uk/f_information.html for details.

This is not only good news in itself, but also demonstrates that making a

few polite suggestions to the right people is usually more effective than

moaning in private! It also exemplifies the fact that BECTa intends the

TRE in particular, and the Virtual Teacher Centre in general, to be as

useful as possible.

Looking at this issue in a more general sense, there are several

non-governmental organisations that have the equivalent of the TRE. Before

uploading any resources, you should look in the small print to check that

the company doesn't claim copyright ownership of anything that people

contribute.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The impact of ICT Resources on Achievement

According to the research reports on the Classroom of the Future, Primary

and Secondary, there is a positive correlation between the level of ICT

resources and the level of achievement. So far, so unexpected perhaps.

However, the effect is noticeable on subjects other than ICT as well.

For example, at Key Stage 3, 77% of pupils in schools with very good

resources achieved level 5 or above in English. Noticeable improvements

were seen in examination results at GCSE level and also at Primary level.

For more information go to http://www.becta.org.uk/sitewidesearch.cfm

---------------------------------------------------------------

Internet safety

Michael Wills, the Minister for Learning and Technology, and Carol

Vorderman have teamed up to offer new safety guidelines to protect

children from the seamier side of the internet in schools. The new

guidance for schools is displayed on the DfEE's Internet safety web site

-- http://safety.ngfl.gov.uk --, from where you can download the entire

document.

ICT Co-ordinators in England take note: adherence to the guidelines is one

of the conditions governing schools' access to Standards Fund money.

The revised guidance to schools covers the following areas:

* children's e-mail addresses, both whole class and individual;

* identification of individual children via the internet, eg from pictures

on a school website;

* advice for pupils, teachers and parents about chat rooms in an

educational context, including a checklist of what to look for in a safe

chat room

The guidance has been produced by the DfEE and BECTa, with help from NCH

Action for Children, the Parents Information Network, the Internet Watch

Foundation, ChildNet, Disney and the British Educational Suppliers

Association.

There are a couple of useful printed resources that are related to this

area, both from Schoolmanager.net (The Stationery Office). "e-Policy

Guidelines for Education" takes the main areas of internet-related

activity, such as email, and points out the sorts of things that school

managers should be aware of, and what sort of advice/rules should be

included in a school policy. This costs £7.50. "A model e-Policy for

schools" is also available, free of charge, in both PDF and Word formats.

It makes a useful supplement to the book. For more information see

http://www.schoolmanager.net/

Still on the subject of email, Lyn Dawes, of BECTa, is putting together

some guidelines for using email in classroom projects at Key Stage 2. If

you would like to see a draft copy in order to comment on it, please email

Lyn at lyn_dawes@becta.org.uk

---------------------------------------------------------------

Computers for Teachers

The UK Government is putting a further £50 million into the Computers for

Teachers scheme in England, to be spent over the next three years, which

will allow a further 70,000 teachers to get rebates of up to £500. By 2004

the Government will have spent a total £75 million, and over 100,000

teachers will have been helped in buying a personal computer. A

consultation exercise to decide which group of teachers will qualify for

this phase of the scheme will run until 22 June 2001.

The consultation exercise considers whether the computers should be

allocated to teachers or to schools, and several possible approaches if

the first option is preferred.

Look at http://www.cft.ngfl.gov.uk/consultation/index.html for a breakdown

of the options and their advantages/disadvantages, and the chance to have

your say.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Gender Gap

Employment Minister Tessa Jowell, E-Commerce Minister Patricia Hewitt and

Learning and Technology Minister Michael Wills have announced plans to set

up all-girl computer clubs in schools, aimed at girls aged between 8 and

14 years old. Jointly supported by the DfEE and DTI, the project will

encourage more young women to take up ICT as a career.

Michael Wills said: "We are acting swiftly to address this Task Force

recommendation by designing an all-girl computer club model that can be

replicated right across the school system. These clubs will help shift the

dowdy and dull image that computers have for girls by making computers

relevant to their lives -- they will not only see how it helps with

researching for school projects, but also how to design a best friendís

birthday card."

For more information on this news item, go to

http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0200. For an article I

wrote about this a couple of years ago -- yet still relevant,

unfortunately -- see http://www.ictineducation.org/artgender.htm

There is also another Government site on this subject, called Gender and

Achievement: it's address is

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/genderandachievement/index.html

It seems quite extensive, and focuses on the data and how it can be used

in a whole-school approach.

---------------------------------------------------------------

An international perspective

For an international perspective on what you can do with computers and the

internet, "tune in" to the eSchola Week 'Learning Together' event, which

runs from the 7th to the 11th of May. For more information go to

http://www.becta.org.uk/eschola/

---------------------------------------------------------------

For other DfEE press releases see http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/newslist.cgi

and scroll through the pages.

---------------------------------------------------------------

e-mentoring

For the experience of discussing issues with members of an e-mentoring

team, visit http://www.compaq.co.uk/education or

http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk

===============================================================

Resources

---------------------------------------------------------------

The ICT in Education website update

---------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------Advertisement-----------------------

Ebook: Using ICT

This ebook, Using ICT, consists of nearly 200 tips for using computers in

classrooms. In addition to the material that is already on the ICT in

Education website, such as how to start a lesson in a computer room, there

is advice on other issues too -- such as how to get the most out of your

school's ICT Co-ordinator!

Contents include:

* 11 Ways to be a good role model

* 8 reasons to use computers in lessons

* 22 example activities

* 16 ways of telling if you're doing a good job

* 17 ways to help your ICT Co-ordinator help you

It's in PDF format, so can be read by both pc and mac owners, and it's

available from the ICT in Education website. Download a limited trial

version, or buy the full version for £9.99 or $15, which includes a site

licence. See http://www.ictineducation.org/ebook01news.htm for details.

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you would like to advertise in this newsletter, please see

http://www.ictineducation.org/compicads.htm

---------------------------------------------------------------

New link

A link to the recently-formed Association of Teachers' Websites (ATW) has

been placed on the index page of the ICT in Education website,

http://www.ictineducation.org/. (See under Other Useful Websites for

further details of the ATW.)

I submitted my website's URL for approval, which was received, so it's now

listed on the ATW website.

---------------------------------------------------------------

New search engine

For some time now I have been using Google as my site's search engine.

However, I wasn't completely satisfied with it because it included other

websites in the search results. I have just discovered, and switched to, a

search engine called Atomz. This took about 20 minutes to set up, from

registering to making it fully functional. I've tested it using several

kinds of searches, and it gives excellent results every time.

It also provides other information, such as page errors and various

statistics. What's more, it's free. If you have a website, I would

recommend that you consider this for your search engine. You can see how

it performs by going to http://www.ictineducation.org/sitemap.htm

The Atomz website is http://www.atomz.com

---------------------------------------------------------------

A guide to the ICT in Education website

This newsletter is supported by the ICT in Education website. For example,

the section called Jargon Buster has been transferred to

http://www.ictineducation.org/jargon_buster.htm

You can access other information about the newsletter at

http://www.ictineducation.org/compic.htm

The aim of the ICT in Education website is to provide suggestions about

managing ICT in schools and colleges, and how to use computers to reduce

the amount of time and energy teachers expend on administrative tasks.

Sections include various "how-to" pages, downloadable utilities, book

reviews and others, including articles adapted from ones that I have had

published.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Other useful websites

Building the Grid

At last, a central reference point on the internet just for ICT. Managed

by Helen Warner with support from Richard Selwyn and others at BECTa, this

website contains a wealth of useful information -- or, rather, links to

the relevant documentation. I discovered recently, and to my relief, that

I am not the only person who finds useful information on the world wide

web, and then cannot find it again! The Building the Grid site helps to

overcome that problem by centralising the information.

Thus there is a useful summary of the various Government-set ICT targets,

and a briefing paper on broadband, as well as other documents.

From what I have seen, this site is growing like Topsy, so it is

definitely worth bookmarking and returning to it once a week or so. The

address is http://www.becta.org.uk/buildingthegrid

Other official websites to investigate this month are the ones listed in

the News section, ie:

* the Teacher Resource Exchange at http://contribute.ngfl.gov.uk

* Internet Safety guidelines at http://safety.ngfl.gov.uk

* Computers for Teachers at

http://www.cft.ngfl.gov.uk/consultation/index.html

* girls' computer clubs at

http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0200 -- see also

http://www.ictineducation.org/artgender.htm and

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/genderandachievement/index.html

* the 'Learning Together' event, at http://www.becta.org.uk/eschola/

---------------------------------------------------------------

*** STOP PRESS***

Changes to the Standards website

Just as this newsletter was about to be published, another set of changes

to the Standards site was announced:

* A new search facility has been installed at

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/findyourway/?page=start

This is stage 1 of an ongoing programme.

* Frameworks for teaching in Key Stage 3 have been published. These

documents and pages are well worth a visit. For example, there is an

excellent document called "Auditing a Subject" at

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/keystage3/?version=1

There is also a newly-published framework for teaching English, at

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/keystage3/strands/

* The Schemes of Work have been on the Standards site for some time; now

there is a bank of websites that may be found useful for helping to teach

certain units. Go to TeacherNet at

http://www.dfee.gov.uk/teachers/resources/

There have been several other updates to the Standards site -- too

numerous to mention here. Explore the site for yourself at

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/

---------------------------------------------------------------

Other websites

The Association of Teachers' Websites (ATW)

The ATW's idea is to be a virtual school, categorised into Primary and

Secondary, with the Secondary being further subdivided into virtual

departments. Each "department" is managed by a volunteer who hosts the

relevant web pages on his/her own website. In other words, when you are

browsing the ATW website you may be under the impression that you are

looking at one actual site, but this is not the case.

Each "Head of Department" is responsible for maintaining his/her section,

and that includes approving or not approving websites to be listed on the

site. I was, in fact, approached by the ATW's founder, John Simpkin, to be

the Head of Department for the ICT section. That was very flattering of

course, but I declined the offer.

The rationale of the ATW is that websites for teachers should be created

and approved by teachers. Some of the websites featured are very good

indeed, particularly in the History section. Definitely worth a look,

especially by UK teachers. The secondary section is currently served

better than the primary section.

The address is http://www.byteachers.org.uk [still works, but appears to have a different purpose]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Other people's lives

Question: What do John Glen, Mae West and Geoffrey Chaucer have in common?

Answer: They are all amongst the 25,000 people featured on the Biography

website at http://www.biography.com [still works]

The biographies are very variable. For example, Chaucer's is quite

substantial whereas Mae West's is just a paragraph long. Nevertheless,

it's a site worth bookmarking because it could save a lot of virtual

legwork. When you look someone up, there are other links too, for example

to more in-depth websites or to educational material.

---------------------------------------------------------------

A useful reference site

An alternative, or a supplement to, search engines is the one-stop shop

reference site. One such site is http://www.infoplease.com/ [still works]

This takes the form of an online almanac, with headings such as Day in

History and Biography of the Day. Its summary of Great Britain is quite

good; this is at http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108078.html [still works]

A section called Facts behind the News is very good, but will be of more

interest to students of US current affairs than anywhere else.

There is also an interactive almanac, and quizzes, and other useful

sources of information. Definitely worth a visit.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Another useful reference site

The Reference Desk is also worth a visit. This site is jam-packed with

reference sources, and has several search facilities. For example, you can

search Encyclopaedia Britannica, or Reuters.

Its design leaves something to be desired: to say it looks daunting and

somewhat overwhelming is putting it mildly. However, it has so many

reference resources there at the click of a mouse that it would be silly

not to bookmark it and tell your pupils about it. The address is

http://www.refdesk.com/ [still works]

---------------------------------------------------------------

A web-based guide to using ICT

Every so often I come across a website which stands out from the rest in

terms of its educational usefulness. There are many sites with scores of

links for all curriculum areas, and these can be very useful  -- at least,

up to a point: sometimes the list of resources to explore can be almost

overwhelming!

What makes the Teacher Tools website so attractive is that it takes the

ICT teacher's tools, such as word processor, presentation program and so

on, and gives you advice on how best to use them to enhance your

educational goals for the pupils, as well as technical instruction.

Thus each tool has a section called "Reflections" in which the value of

the tool as a vehicle for teaching pupils how to think is discussed. For

example, in the section on word processing there is the following

observation:

"E-mail learning experiences include several benefits: they provide

students with a clear reason to learn, allow students to practice a second

language, enable students to act as teachers and learners, provide

multicultural learning experiences through discussion of holidays, word

spelling, seasons, television shows, music, school subjects and books...

See how this application of word processing skills leads to learning."

There follows a link to an interesting email activity for students.

This site should be made compulsory for all those teachers who still

believe that an adequate scheme of work for school pupils is something

like: Term 1, word processing, Term 2, spreadsheets and so on.

With plenty of useful links (sorry!), including links to sites about

evaluating sites, this is an interesting and very worthwhile site to

bookmark. http://www.2learn.ca/teachertools/

---------------------------------------------------------------

Quality not quantity

Having lots of reference sites is all very well, but how do you know that

the information is any good? A site that attempts to get this point across

and to address it in a very practical and friendly way is the Quality

Information Checklist site at http://www.quick.org.uk/

This gives an 8 point checklist for evaluating websites, with questions

like "Is the site biased?" You can go a bit further into each point. In

this case, for example, it explains what bias is, and why a site might be

biased.

While the site does not go very deeply into some of the points it raises,

it is a good starting point. It also contains a set of links to reference

sites and search engines, and these are worth checking out as well. The

site as a whole is aimed at children rather than adults.

===============================================================

Book Review

Planning Good Change with Technology and Literacy, by Jamie McKenzie

It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of change on the ICT front.

Money is being poured into educational ICT by the Government, with the

result that computer-pupil ratios and school internet access have

increased dramatically, as has the quality of the infrastructure in

schools.

However, it's generally acknowledged that all of this counts for very

little if the quality of teaching is not high. And I am using "teaching"

here in a general as well as a specific sense, to include planning as well

as the activity itself.

As in many things, the USA got there before we in the UK did -- but

reading between the lines of this book, you may come to the conclusion

that we have not necessarily drawn the correct conclusions from what we've

seen. McKenzie's thesis is that filling schools up with infrastructure and

hardware is putting the cart before the horse: if there is no clarity of

purpose, we shouldn't be surprised when we discover that the equipment is

not being used -- so-called "screensavers disease". (This is just one of

several great phrases, including "dot.compost" and "PowerPointlessness").

We should also not be too scandalised when the medium appears to take on

greater importance than the message, especially in PowerPoint

presentations and much commercial software. Teachers and students need to

learn not just how to use the technology, but how to use it appropriately,

in an educational context.

A phrase which comes to mind when reading the book -- and is, in fact,

mentioned -- is "the Emperor's new clothes". The distinguishing

characteristic of that story is that people decided to see what they

thought they ought to be seeing, instead of what was really there. This

book takes on the role of the little boy who blurted out the awful truth.

In some respects, the book is perhaps too scathing of Governmental

approaches. The real world is not black and white, and the reality is

that, in the UK at least, a larger number of pupils are now getting the

access to ICT that is their right as a result of initiatives to put

equipment into schools and set up a training programme. I suspect the same

is true of the USA as well. We can argue that the cart was put before the

horse, but the process has to start somewhere.

You may not agree with everything this books says, but reading it

certainly makes you think. The problems it highlights, and the possible

solutions it suggests, should be considered by everyone in this field.

You can buy this book from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967407834/itineducati/104-1668416-8352707

===============================================================

Tips

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you have any tips you'd like to share with other teachers, please send

them to tips@ictineducation.org

---------------------------------------------------------------

Word processing Tip

Whatever word processor you use, or the pupils use, make sure that you

show a healthy respect for fonts. The word "font" refers to a typeface and

its size, and there are some rules worth knowing about:

* Don't use more than 2 fonts -- 3 at the most -- per page. If you do, the

result is usually a mess that distracts the reader from the message you

are trying to get across. Note that different sizes of the same font count

as different fonts, even though the contrast may not be as stark as if you

used a different typeface altogether.

* If you do need to use different sizes of the same typeface, try to make

the different sizes relate to each other. For example, use 14 point and 12

point and 10 point, rather than 14 point, 13 point and 9 point. You'd be

surprised at how noticeable a lack of proportion can be.

* There are two types of font: serif, which have twiddly bits on (like the

text you're reading now), and sans serif, which don't. A good rule is to

use a serif font for the body of the text, because the twiddly bits lead

the eye on naturally to the next word, and a sans serif font for headings

or poster text, because it tends to stand out more.

* Encourage pupils to use the right font for the job. This is important:

using a cursive script may look great on a wedding invitation, but it's as

much use as a chocolate teapot on a poster. After all, the point of a

poster is to be readable at a distance: virtually impossible if a cursive

font is used (get the pupils to try this out for themselves).

* Explore the use of speciality fonts, like Wingdings. They enable you to

include symbols in your text quite easily. For example, if you are

producing a help sheet, typing the "less than" sign (<) and changing the

font to Wingdings results in a picture of a floppy disk.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Data handling tip

A question that crops up every so often is whether pupils should be taught

Access. In my experience, the advocates of doing so always cite the

perceived advantages of Access over other data handling programs in terms

of the features of the programs. However, this is not the correct

educational approach.

The right approach as far as schools are concerned is to start with what

pupils need to know in terms of data handling skills. Now, it may be that

for some of these skills, Access, or a similarly advanced program, is the

best one to use; but the point is, that judgement must be made according

to educational criteria, not computer programming criteria!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Internet Tip

If you come across a website you like, you can bookmark it for future

reference. (If you use Netscape as your web browser, this is called adding

a bookmark, while in Explorer it's called adding to your favorites.) If

you are not sure how to do so, go to the web browser's Help and find out

(sorry, but not everything gets handed to you on a plate in this

newsletter!).

However, if you are using a network in school, life may not be as simple

as that. If the ICT Co-ordinator or Network Manager is on the ball, s/he

will have set up restrictions which prevent ordinary users (ie most pupils

and teachers) from changing any settings -- and that may include adding

bookmarks or favorites. So, before you tell your class to bookmark

everything they come across that they will want to revisit, make sure that

the bookmarks will still be there when they next log on.

Even if stand-alone computers are used, it's still an issue, because the

pupils' bookmarks will be saved only on the computer they were using at

the time. You can move or copy bookmark files, but there's no need to go

to all that trouble.

A way around it, and one which makes good use of a very basic skill, is to

copy and paste each URL (web address) into a word processed document. Some

word processors, such as Word, will even convert the addresses into

clickable links. Pupils can each maintain their own bookmark file in the

form of a word processed document, and even carry it around with them on

floppy disk if necessary.

One thing which should be avoided is having the pupils write out the URLs

in their exercise books. Not only is it unnecessary and time-consuming,

but also it's a sure fire way to introduce errors -- not just in writing

them into a book, but typing them into the web browser at a later date.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Classroom Tip

If you take a class into the school's computer suite, make sure you allow

enough time for packing up at the end of the lesson. This ALWAYS takes

longer than you might expect. Here is a 3 point plan for ending lessons

smoothly.

1. Twenty-five minutes before the end of the lesson, announce that nobody

is to try to print any of their work after 15 minutes' time. Printing

always takes longer than you think it will, and it's frustrating for the

next teacher to have to put up with work from the previous class being

printed during her lesson.

2. Ten minutes later, tell the class that there is only 5 minutes of

printing time left.

3. Five minutes later, tell the class not to send any more work to the

printer, and to start saving their work. Remember: some pupils will not

make any attempt to save their work until you have to threaten them with

dire consequences, whilst other pupils find it hard to remember how to

save their work properly. Either way, it's not a process that takes just a

few seconds, although obviously you will need to adjust the timings given

above depending on the particular group.

What if you finish too early? There is no such thing! A gap of 3 minutes

between all the computers being silenced, and the roar of the lunchtime

bell, represents a perfect opportunity for a quick-fire round of questions

about terminology, say, or for someone to summarise what they have

achieved that lesson. One thing is vital: keep up the pace! Allowing

pupils to chat amongst themselves until the bell goes is a certain way of

guaranteeing that your lesson will end like a damp squib. Your motto

should be: if they aren't sweating, they're not working!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Word Tip

Some time ago we featured the RAND utility. This is where you type =rand

in order to generate a few paragraphs of The quick brown fox jumped over

the lazy dog. Here's a variation on it, which gives you more control. It

is =rand(x,y), where x is the number of paragraphs and y is the number of

sentences in each paragraph. Thus, typing =rand(100,50) followed by Return

will give you 100 paragraphs each consisting of 50 sentences. It's a very

fast way of generating dummy text for demonstrating search and replace or

for trying out different types of formatting.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Excel Tip

Don't cram everything onto one worksheet. Excel has the ability to create

as many worksheets as you need, subject to no limitation apart from your

computer system's capacity. For example, in a budget spreadsheet, you

could have one sheet for income, one for spending and one for the balance.

By the same token, don't retain sheets that you don't need. If you have

several sheets that have nothing on them, delete them.

As well as naming your workbooks sensibly, name each sheet properly. If

you are using one sheet for income, rename it from, say, Sheet1 to Income.

The test is this: could someone coming to your spreadsheet for the first

time make sense of what it's about very quickly?

To rename, add or delete sheets, click on the worksheet tab and then press

the right mouse button, and choose the option you want from the menu that

appears.

You can find utilities for worksheets in Excel at

http://www.ictineducation.org/downloads.htm

* "More Sheets" enables you add new sheets to an Excel workbook and

automatically update a summary sheet's columns.

*  "My Sheets List Maker" is a variation on the More Sheets spreadsheet.

What it does is create a menu of all the sheets in the workbook, either

going across or down. What's more, each menu item is a hot link to the

worksheet it references.

* "Sheet Generator" enables you to type a list of names in Excel, and

create a new set of worksheet tabs corresponding to your names just by

clicking a button.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Faulty disk tip

If you have a floppy disk that appears to be faulty, as indicated by

problems accessing your data, try the following:

1. Put the disk in the drive.

2. Go into My Computer and right-click on the Floppy Drive icon.

3. Click on Properties.

4. Click on the Tools tab.

5. Click on Check Now.

6. Set it do a surface test and to fix errors automatically.

7. Tell it to go ahead.

Once you've run Scandisk in this way, try to access the data again. If

you're successful, make sure you backup all of the data on the disk to

another location, such as a directory on your hard drive or another floppy

disk.

---------------------------------------------------------------

For more tips, look at the ICT in Education website at

http://www.ictineducation.org, especially the articles section and the

Walk-throughs.

If you're interested in the kinds of things you can do with Excel, have a

look at the Utilities section of the website. One application that may

appeal is the Homework Excuse Management System!

===============================================================

Over to you: Why do it?

---------------------------------------------------------------

In this section of the newsletter we look at why teachers use computers in

their schemes of work and lessons -- and what puts them off. This section

is, in effect, written by you. If you have any views on what makes

teachers reluctant or willing to incorporate computers in their curriculum

work, please complete the survey form at

http://www.ictineducation.org/cics. I won't use your name or position

unless you authorise me to do so.

It seems to be still the case that some of you regard fear of the unknown,

fear of technology, or fear of the pupils knowing more than you do about

computers as reasons that some teachers are reluctant to use them. And, of

course, fear of the equipment breaking down.

Some of these fears can be addressed by practical means. For example, fear

of the pupils knowing more than you do could be balanced by the thought

that they don't know as much as you do about the educational aspects

involved. In  a different context, I used to teach Economics. Some of my

students were sons and daughters of professional economists. But they

still needed me to help them pass their exams.

Equipment break-down can be addressed in several ways by the school, but

on a practical level it's imperative that you have a non-computer based

lesson as a back-up. This is no different to a situation in which you

intend to show a video in your lesson: if you are sensible, you will have

an alternative activity up your sleeve in case the tape gets broken or the

video player goes wrong.

Another problem is time. This is a real issue, and crops up in various

ways. For example, BE draws attention to the fact that the

pressure for good examination results means that computers won't be used

if it can be done quicker without them. Actually, this is a very sensible

decision! If you can achieve the same or better results, faster, without a

computer than you can with one, what's the point of using a computer?

However, this will not be true for all aspects of your subject, as

indicated in many, many research projects. Besides, how will you even know

if it's true unless you try it out as an experiment?

Other pressures, such as the Literacy and Numeracy hours (in the UK) and

only having one computer in the classroom also play their part, as pointed

out by SF of NHP School in the UK, and JS. It's worth looking at the resources cited in this newsletter, such as the Teacher Resource Exchange and the ATW, for ideas on using

computers in the Literacy and Numeracy hours. For help on using one

computer in a classroom, look at my ebook, "Using ICT", mentioned earlier.

So what about the positive side? IG, of WCS in the UK, mentions what he calls the "ooh aah" factor, when people realise that a computer can do something that they couldn't, or at least not as quickly or easily. A similar point, in relation to Control

technology, is made by COD, an IT Advisor and NOF trainer in

the UK, and by KS. DD, ICT Co-ordinator at the

VSS in the UK, mentions the fact that software can

make a teaching point easier to handle.

BF, who works in schools in the USA, tells his 4th Grade pupils --

approximately equivalent to Year 5 in the UK -- that when he puts their

work on websites that their work is on the biggest bulletin board in the

world!

JC, IT Co-ordinator at x in Malta, says that

teachers found it inspiring to have a First Aid course taught by the PSE

staff using an interactive whiteboard.

Other people find pupils' progress inspiring. For example, DJA,

ICT Co-ordinator at BS in the UK, cites the case of a low

ability maths group working well without any problems.

Several people have said that Government assistance has been very

valuable. LN, ICT Co-ordinator at MJS in

the UK, says, "...having their own computer with

school-compatible software via the Computers for Teachers scheme has made

a huge difference to several of my colleagues." A similar point is made by

HB.

BW, of SMC, in the UK, says that Primary teachers

can be empowered through the NOF training when supported by a headteacher

who gives it time and money.

If you would like to contribute to this section, complete the survey at

http://www.ictineducation.org/cics

When contributing, please bear in mind that one word comments are not

often useful, because the meaning can be ambiguous. On the other hand,

please do not write reams!

Thanks to everyone who completed the survey form.

===============================================================

Features

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Classroom of the Future

Many people have given their views about the classroom of the future. For

a variety of views by some well-known people in the UK, go to

http://futureclass.ngfl.gov.uk/

You will also come across a downloadable document called "Towards the

Classroom of the Future". Produced by the DfEE, it includes descriptions

of what some schools have been doing in this area.

These visions and the document are very interesting, and there is a

facility on the website to take part in the discussion by contributing

your views. I don't want to summarise these documents here, but to propose

a few suggestions on this topic. If you have any views on these points, or

wish to make some of your own, please email them to

cotf@ictineducation.org -- or contribute your views to the official

website given above.

Here, then, is my list of ideas; all the technology referred to is

available NOW:

* Much of the technology for the classroom of the "future" actually exists

now. The difference in the future will be that it will be much more common

and used as a matter of course.

* The classroom of the future will be a "smart" classroom. It should be

possible for desks to have computers built into them, much like you can

buy rulers and mouse mats with calculators built into them. The computer

would know who is sitting at the desk, and log on automatically and

produce a menu of options, including "Load last piece of work".

* Connectivity and "embeddedness" will be the guiding principles:

connectivity, in the sense that whatever device pupils do their work on

will not lead to a cul-de-sac: it will be straightforward to start work on

a handheld computer in one place and continue on a laptop somewhere else;

embeddedness, in the sense that you won't have to think about what you're

using, because it will all be part of the fabric of living. These two

ideas are, of course, closely connected.

* Schools as such won't disappear, but the widespread use of handheld or

laptop computers, the internet and teleconferencing will mean that those

who are unable to attend school because of, say, illness, will not be

excluded from the learning process. Also, guided learning time will be

extended beyond the normal school day.

* Students will complete online lessons and assessments. These will be

marked automatically, and the results emailed to both the student and the

teacher.

* Students will use hand held computers to read ebooks, or compilations of

resources in one or other ebook format. Likely contenders are Microsoft's

ebook reader and Adobe's new Palm computer version of PDF -- currently

available in a trial version at http://www.adobe.co.uk/betareg.html

* Schools will buy their lessons in a pick-n-mix style from online content

providers.

* Schools will print out books and similar resources through the use of

print on demand technology, perhaps through a licensing system similar to

the one used for photocopying resources at present. (Richard Charkin,

chief executive of Macmillan, has warned that the probable take-up of

print-on-demand by intermediaries such as libraries is potentially "the

biggest threat facing booksellers.".)

* Teachers will continue to be the single most important element in the

learning process.

* "Pundits" who plug only one vision of the future will be proved wrong.

* Anyone who produces a list like this will turn out to be wrong!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Getting the most from your ICT Co-ordinator

Remember: your ICT Co-ordinator is a human being! Here are a few tips on

getting the best out of him or her!

* If possible, ask the ICT Co-ordinator to work with you in planning the

use of computers in your subject.

* Book the computer room well in advance. Saying: "Oh look, it's raining;

might as well take the kids in the computer room." is not the best way to

obtain the ICT Co-ordinator's full co-operation!

* Tell the ICT Co-ordinator what you would like to achieve by going into

the computer room. Start from your objectives rather than software skills,

because s/he may be able to suggest a better way of achieving them.

* Find out what software is available.

* Ask the ICT Co-ordinator what you have to do in order to make files

available for the pupils, and how to make them read only (so that pupils

cannot change the originals) or read/write (so that they can).

* Ask the ICT Co-ordinator how to set up templates, such as in the word

processor.

* Does the room have help for the pupils in terms of using the software,

or will you be expected to produce your own?

* Find out how to enable printing, how to pause the printing, and who

pays, and how much, for the print-outs. Also, make sure you know how and

where to obtain more printer paper.

* Find out where pupils' work should be saved, including the drive and the

folder. For example, someone logged on as Fredsmith may save his work on

drive N in a folder called Fredsmith.

* Find out how you should report faults: is there a fault form available,

such as the one in "Managing ICT"?

* Upload any files you need to the shared area on the network, or copy the

files onto diskettes if stand-alones will be used. You may need to ask the

ICT Co-ordinator or a technician to do tasks like these. Don't leave such

requests till the last minute: find out how much notice is required, and

then provide the files at least a day sooner than necessary!

* Check that all pupils have User IDs for the network, that you have a

list of them (with passwords) and/or that there are "spare" User IDs that

pupils can log on with. If you do use spare User IDs, make arrangements

for transferring files to pupils' own areas before the next lesson.

* Check that the pupils' User Ids will give them access to the programs

and files you *want* them to have access to.

* Make sure you have your own User ID, and that you can gain access to the

same applications and files as your pupils. Also make sure that your

desktop looks the same as theirs, or it could confuse them when you

demonstrate something.

* Find out how you will demonstrate software skills to the pupils. Has the

projector for the electronic whiteboard been switched on, and do you know

how to use the whiteboard? How do you log on to the computer to which the

large display monitor is attached? Will you need to ask the pupils to

gather around a computer workstation? If so, which one will it be, and

which pupil will you ask to sit there (choose one who won't mind being

disturbed!).

* Make sure that you have reached a point in your scheme of work where the

computers will be used meaningfully, rather than used only because you've

got the room booked.

* Have some non-computer work available in the computer room just in case

there's a power cut in the middle of the lesson!

(Taken from "Using ICT" -- see

http://www.ictineducation.org/ebook01news.htm for details.)

---------------------------------------------------------------

Something to ponder...

The other day I had the dubious pleasure of reading a lesson plan for

teaching pupils about using email. It had obviously been written by a

teacher who was new to all this, because it had all the hallmarks of

someone who was terrified of missing something out or, heaven forfend,

losing control. It was the equivalent of those lessons where the teacher

stands at the front saying things like: And now all of you press the Enter

key". It was full of things like: Spend 20 minutes discussing when email

would be used, or when texting would be used.

I couldn't help a wry smile appearing on my face as I thought of all those

pupils in this lesson silently texting their friends on the other side of

the classroom about how boring the lesson is!

I think what is more important is to discuss the sensible use of email and

texting, and the importance of taking elementary personal security

measures.

Or am I simply throwing the baby out with the bath water?

===============================================================

If you like this newsletter, tell someone about it!

===============================================================

About the editor

---------------------------------------------------------------

I work in ICT in education. You can find out more by going to

http://www.ictineducation.org/tfcv.htm, or by sending any email to

tfresume@fastfacts.net.

My most recent (printed) book is "Managing ICT". My previous book was

"Make Time With IT".

"Managing ICT" looks at all aspects of managing ICT in schools and

colleges, and provides checklists to help the busy ICT Co-ordinator.

Janet Nock, writing on the Amazon UK website, said:

"What a useful book to any ICT Co-ordinator. Like many ICT Co-ordinators I

acquired the position by being confident enough to use computers with the

children in my NQT year. I was duly appointed in my first year as the ICT

Co-ordinator. I had to review the Policy and Scheme of work in a subject

that I had received little advice from my training institute. This book

rescued me and has become an invaluable resource. A must-have to

experienced and frightened Co-ordinators looking for advice on Schemes and

resources. Thank you, Terry"

Managing ICT, Terry Freedman, £9.99, Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN

0-340-75334-X.

"Make Time With IT" considers numerous ways in which teachers and

school/college administrators at all levels can use computers to reduce

their workload. The tips contained in the book are summarised on my

website. The review in InteracTive said:

"...it tackles the complexities of computing across a wide range of

technicalities and procedures and does all this with a lightness of

approach and welcome snippets of humour..."

Make Time With IT, Terry Freedman, £19.95, Questions Publishing, ISBN

1-898149-54-2

Both of these books are available from Amazon via

http://www.ictineducation.org/buybooks.htm

===============================================================

---------------------------Quick Test Answer-------------------

Believe it or not, the quote is over 200 years old. It comes from William

Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell", which was produced between 1790

and 1793.

---------------------------------------------------------------

About the proofreader

---------------------------------------------------------------

Mark Adams works as a primary mathematics advisory teacher/Numeracy

consultant. He is married to an ICT advisor and enjoys proofreading a

variety of documents. Please send offers of work and enquiries about rates

to mark@eurobell.co.uk.

===============================================================

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Disclaimer:

---------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this newsletter, T

Freedman cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information

within it or for any consequences arising from it.

(c) 2001 T Freedman  email: compic@ictineducation.org

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