In the following issue, you might find the following articles in particular interesting:

• Why do it? (This reports the results of a survey enquiring into why some teachers shy away from using technology).

• Responses to a problem posed in the form of a scenario, about teachers using technology as a reward or a time-filler rather than for serious work.

Computers in Classrooms Issue 3, June 2000

Computers in Classrooms

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

ISSN 1470-5524

Edited by Terry Freedman

Proofread by Mark Adams

Home Page: http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~etfreedman (or, if you are

manually entering the address, http://fastlink.to/ict)

Email: compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk

Volume 1 Issue 3 *** 05 June 2000

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

In this issue:

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

* About this newsletter

* The ICT in Education website

* Jargon buster

* News

* Email tip

* Classroom Tip

* Admin Tip

* Why do it?

* Book review

* Scenario: The senior management team, plus responses to last month's

Scenario

* Feature (1): The Motivation Effect

* Feature (2): Schemes of Work

* Next issue's Feature

* About the editor

* About the proofreader

* Subscription details

* Advertising rates

* Disclaimer

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

About this newsletter

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

Whether we like it or not, computers in the curriculum are here to stay.

This newsletter looks at, amongst other things, what works and what

doesn't. It includes hints and tips for teachers new to using computers,

and items that I hope will be of interest to ICT co-ordinators.

You can help by completing the survey at http://fastlink.to/cics, and

encouraging others to do the same. The survey takes just a couple of

minutes to complete, and can be submitted on-line, so that it arrives by

email, or faxed to me, or even sent by post. Full details are on the

survey form on the web site.

You can also help by passing this newsletter along to anyone whom you

think might gain some benefit from it.

If you wish to comment on anything in the newsletter, or about the

newsletter, email me at compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk.

Finally, many thanks to all who have responded to my surveys and

questions, and especially those who have given permission to be quoted in

this newsletter.

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

The ICT in Education website

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

The newsletter is supported by the ICT in Education website,

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~etfreedman (or http://fastlink.to/ict). The

two main concerns of the website are:

* managing the provision of information and communication technology in

schools and colleges

* using computers to reduce teachers' admin burden.

The website is usually updated at least once a week.

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

Jargon buster

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

Some of the terms used in this newsletter may seem a bit arcane to anyone

living outside the UK, so here is a quick guide:

DfEE...............Department for Education and Employment

ICT................Information and Communication Technology

Primary school.....Elementary school

Public school......Private (ie fee-paying) school

QCA................Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

State school.......Public school

Also in the interests of clear communication, here is a summary of the

education years in the USA and UK:

USA Year .... USA Phase .....  Age ..... UK Year ..UK Key Stage

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

K ........... Kindergarten ..  5 ....... 1 ........... 1

1 ........... Elementary ....  6 ....... 2 ........... 1

2 ........... Elementary ....  7 ....... 3 ........... 1

3 ........... Elementary ....  8 ....... 4 ........... 1

4 ........... Elementary ....  9 ....... 5 ........... 2

5 ........... Elementary ....  10 ...... 6 ........... 2

6 ........... Jnr High/Middle  11 ...... 7 ........... 3

7 ........... Jnr High/Middle  12 ...... 8 ........... 3

8 ........... Jnr High/Middle  13 ...... 9 ........... 3

9 ........... High: Freshmen . 14 ...... 10 .......... 4

10 .......... High: Sophomores 15 ...... 11 .......... 4

11 .......... High: Juniors .. 16 ...... 12 .......... 4

12 .......... High: Seniors .. 17 ...... 13 .......... 4

 

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

News

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

Information and communication technology in other subjects

The QCA has kindly authorised me to distribute their document, ICT in

Subjects, to subscribers to this newsletter. This indicates where

information and communication technology is mentioned in the Programmes of

Study for the other National Curriculum subjects, and so is a useful

adjunct to the article in this newsletter about schemes of work.

Now, before non-UK residents skip the page, you may also find the document

useful. Why? Because it contains useful examples of where computers could

be used in Science, English and so on. This document, which was not

available on the QCA site when I last looked (although an earlier version

of it has been and gone), is effectively a table spanning over 40 pages.

If you'd like a copy, please send any email to

compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk, with the subject header ICT in Subjects.

Please note that I've set up an automatic response system, and any other

email address or subject header will not work.

Additions to the ICT in Education website

I've added a few more features to my website. First, quite a few people

have told me that they've found the site useful, so I've put a

Recommend-It button on the site to make it easy to recommend the site to

other people. All you have to do is click on it, then enter your name and

email address and the email addresses of the people you whom you want to

recommend it. I think your name goes into a prize draw for $10,000 as well.

There's an opportunity to try this out for yourself now at the end of this

newsletter!

Secondly, this newsletter allows only one way direct communication, ie

from me to you. That's partly because I think it's the most appropriate

format, because this isn't a discussion list, and partly because it very

much reduces the likelihood of anyone being able to send messages like

"Subscribe" to the whole list. Now, although there is some dialogue in the

form of web forms and email, I thought I'd experiment with a bulletin

board on the web site. I'll keep it going for a month, and see how it pans

out. At the moment there is a posting about parents on it.

Thirdly, I am working on a few pages about current developments in

information and communication technology. I expect these to be ready soon.

In addition, I hope to be able to offer you, as a subscriber to this

newsletter, some extra documentation. At the moment I am struggling (as

usual!) to meet a few deadlines, but as soon as there are developments in

this area I'll send out an announcement.

Calling all parents

The DfEE are working on a new initiative concerning parents. Called

Parents Online, it's an initiative thought up by Michael Wills to

encourage parents to try out the internet. There will be a week in October

when parents will be urged to log on at least once.

It could be a good time to start thinking about how your school involves

parents, which is why I've posted a question on my website's bulletin

board about it. If you have any ideas and/or experience in this area,

please go to http://bbs.onecenter.com/etfreedman and answer the question

there.

Education in the USA

"The Condition of Education 2000" is the title of a report published by

The National Center for Education Statistics, in the USA. You can download

the report -- all 386 pages of it -- in PDF format by going to the NCES

website at http://www.nces.com. A word of warning: it's a hefty file that

takes a while to download. But there are some interesting facts and

figures contained therein. Here are a few of them:

* In 1999, 95% of public (ie non fee-paying) elementary and secondary

schools had internet access, and 78% of students in grades 1-12 used the

internet at school.

* Students who access the internet regularly used it mainly for email,

research for school and searching for information, in that (decreasing)

order, with games and entertainment coming very low down indeed.

* 78% of full-time teachers participated in courses in the past 12 months

about the integration of educational technology in their own subject. The

perceived usefulness of such courses was directly related to their length.

Statistics like this raise a number of questions in my mind, and I haven't

read the "small print" so I don't feel qualified to comment.

The report is worth reading for its comprehensiveness, and also for

interesting snippets.

For example, it cites the report "A Nation at Risk", which recommended

that all students seeking a high school diploma be required to enrol in a

"New Basics" course comprising English, Science, Social Studies,

Mathematics and Computer Science.

Elsewhere in the report we are told that kindergarten classrooms can be

structured with specific areas -- including a computer area.

Book reviews

An author who liked a review I'd written asked me if I'd post the review

at Amazon. He pointed out (very astutely I thought) that in so doing I

could post details of my own website and book. So I will be doing that in

the near future.

The reason I mention this is that it occurs to me that you might like to

post a review on Amazon about my books, for much the same reason. I know

that several people have bought multiple copies of Managing ICT

(Information and Communication Technology) in order to give them to

teachers and schools they work with, so there are obviously a lot of

satisfied customers out there!

If this idea appeals to you, all you have to do is locate the book in

Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com and click on the relevant button.

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

Email tip

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

Do you ever receive emails which contain a huge list of names in the "To:"

header. These make fascinating reading, and can even be quite useful on

occasion -- but they can also be intensely irritating, for two reasons:

First, if you print the message out you often end up with at least one

extra page, because most of the first page is taken up with all those

email addresses.

Secondly, I think it's only courteous to regard email addresses in the

same way we regard phone numbers. If you wouldn't dream of giving out all

your friends' phone numbers to all and sundry, why do that with their

email addresses? It's up to *them* to let other people know their email

address, not you!

Fortunately, this isn't too much of a problem. All you need to do is use

the BCC header. This stands for Blind Carbon Copy, which simply means that

all recipients whose address is placed in this header will see only their

own address, nobody else's.

To use the BCC field, first make sure it is visible. If it isn't, you will

normally be able to find it in one of the menus. For example, in Outlook,

when you start a new message, if the BCC header isn't visible just click

on View and then click on BCC Field. You'll only need to do this once.

Place all the recipients' email addresses in the BCC field. In some

programs, such as Eudora, you don't need to put an address in the To:

header. The message goes off to everyone, and each recipient sees his/her

own address plus an "address" which reads "Recipient List Suppressed".

Other programs won't allow you to send an email with the To header blank.

If you have a program like that, just put your own name there.

So, save paper and frustration: use BCC!

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

Classroom Tip

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

This month's classroom tip concerns using computers in the classroom, or

using the computer room. The very best results from using computers come

about from planning ahead, and having a set of aims and objectives that

you want to achieve.

Before anyone says anything, yes, we've all had those lessons where we've

thought of something to do as we've walked into the classroom, and that

turned out to be the best lesson in a long time.

However, I'm certain that if the situation was scrutinised properly, you'd

find that the lesson was still based on an underlying set of aims and

objectives, but that you felt confident enough and at home enough with

what you were doing to not need to think about it consciously.

Also, whether that's the case or not, you can hardly guarantee consistency

if you do everything on the spur of the moment.

Unfortunately, there are teachers who think that computers are a

substitute for proper planning. The computers are used either as a reward,

or because the computer room happens to be free on a windy afternoon when

the kids are definitely not in a working mood.

The use of computers shouldn't be an add-on, or something you do on a

whim. To get the most benefit from using them, pupils and students should

be able to see how using a computer will enhance their understanding of

the subject. That will come about only if the teacher has made that clear,

and that implies that the teacher has actually thought it through properly.

Moreover, if the teacher uses computers on a whim, it's quite likely that

pupils will follow suit, and won't be encouraged to develop the sort of

critical awareness that enables them to choose whether using a computer is

the best way of achieving a particular objective in a particular situation.

What all this comes down to is that to get the best results from using

computers, there is no magic involved, just tried and tested techniques:

* have a scheme of work

* have clear learning aims and objectives

* plan for the use of computers

* plan ahead

You can still have spur of the moment lessons, where you use the computer

room because you notice that it happens to be free -- but such lessons

should be the exception, not the rule.

You'll find more information and articles about managing ICT on my

website, http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~etfreedman or

http://fastlink.to/ict.

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

Admin Tip

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

Many people use PowerPoint for giving presentations. One of the main

problems with any presentation is that people are often so busy taking

down notes that they cannot listen to what is being said.

To ensure that people concentrate on you, rather than on their notes,

consider doing the following:

* make the presentation available on your web site, or the school's web

site or intranet

* give everyone a set of printed notes of your talk. In PowerPoint, one of

the Print options is to print a set of miniature slides, 6 per page. Thus

a 12 slide presentation can be given out as a double-sided sheet.

Doing that also ensures that you can do a bit of marketing, by including

your name and contact details and any other information you'd like people

to have.

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

them to tips@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk.

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

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://fastlink.to/cics. I won't

use your name or position unless you authorise me to do so.

CH, a teacher in the UK, makes an interesting point. He says

"In my experience, money is more likely to be spent on hardware and

software than the technical support to keep it running efficiently."

This is, of course, a very valid point. If the equipment isn't maintained,

teachers will (rightly) be put off using it. Technical support isn't

cheap, but lack of it could prove more costly in the long run.

It would be interesting to hear people's views on this, especially any

teachers who have been encouraged or deterred mainly on the basis of the

technical support they assumed would be available.

AG, another UK teacher, also cites the lack of technical support

as a factor that makes teachers reluctant to try and incorporate the use

of computers into their subjects. He points out that problems need to be

fixed quickly, otherwise teachers will lose interest.

He believes that technology fairs that showcase students' work would be a

good way to encourage teachers to use computers. Also, access to equipment

is essential for both students and teachers.

He finds it inspiring when students who struggle with traditional class

assignments excel at using programs like PowerPoint or HyperStudio.

MR, also in the UK, thinks that the attitude that "the pupils know

more than I do" indicates a reluctance to display a lack of knowledge.

In fact, this is a very commonly-heard pronouncement, and implies three

things:

* As a teacher using computers you should know all there is to know about

the program you're using. I would say that if you're talking about

programs like Microsoft Word you're asking the impossible. I've been using

it for years and I *still* keep discovering things I didn't know were

there. This is even more true (for me) of Excel.

* Not knowing everything is something to be ashamed of. I'd agree (to some

extent) if, say, a geography teacher announced that they weren't too sure

what ribbon development was, but I don't think there is the same

expectation on the part of the students that the teacher should be the

fount of all knowledge.

* That it's actually relevant. I have always thought the job of a teacher

was to enable students to achieve the highest grade they're capable of.

Just because a student knows more about Word, say, than I do, doesn't mean

that she knows how to use it to improve her grades, or even how to make

the most efficient use of it, or even that she can make a judgement of

when she should and should not use it.

CW, ICT Advisory Teacher, wrote recently:

"Children do not 'know' about computers and the internet, they are just

not intimidated by technology. Confidence and knowledge are not the same

thing. They are bedfellows, but just because children 'like' computers and

think they are cool does not mean they understand them. It is simply a

good basis to begin teaching them from."

.

There is a lot more I (and CW!) could say on this subject, but it would

probably take up the whole of the newsletter! If you have any views on

this, let me know by emailing compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk.

Back to MR. He found the use of electronic whiteboards has blossomed

recently. There can be little doubt that these devices do fire people up.

Perhaps it's not simply that they can save time and effort, but because

they look familiar?

As an inspiration, he reports that a teacher in her 60s recently stated

that:

"I am now able to create documents containing hyperlinks, save them on the

shared drive and allow my students to access them during independent

study." Apparently, this was a very important step for the teacher in

question.

BC, a teacher at an elementary school in Florida,

believes that what makes teachers reluctant to use computers is a lack of

time, resources, adequate training and understanding of the impact

computers can have on learning. She goes on to say that when teachers are

shown (and given time to practise) things that will make their jobs easier

and more efficient, they are more likely to embrace technology. 

KW, a teacher in Australia, says:

"I wish I had the time to provide one to one inservicing so I could answer

all of their problems and show them how easy and beneficial computers can

be to their teaching and learning."

CW, mentioned earlier, suggests a number of factors that could

make teachers reluctant to use computers. One of them, interestingly, is

that there is no model to draw upon of how to teach using one. Do you

think this is true? Send in your views.

What he finds encouraging are factors like motivation (see the article in

this newsletter) and the fact that they can empower children.

For inspiration, he recommends using adventure games in class:

"Huge buzz of excitement and interest, masses of work and problem solving

resulting and one of the few uses where a group on the computer not only

works but is essential to success. Control and Logo also really enable

children to take control of the computer and use it, rather than the other

way round..."

JT, a Technology Integration  Teacher

in the USA, agrees with others when he says that lack of

easy access to equipment, plus technical problems, can conspire to make

teachers unwilling to try using computers. But he also suggests another

factor: an unwillingness to change teaching methods. Do you agree?

He finds it encouraging that equipment is becoming more plentiful, and

that technical support is improving.

JT also says that it's inspiring to see initially reluctant teachers

get hooked!

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://fastlink.to/cics.

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

Book Review: The Color Printer Idea Book: 40 cool and practical things to

make with your inkjet printer!

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

Hands up all those who thought that an inkjet printer is just a cheap and

cheerful appendage to your computer. This book shows you how you can be a

bit more creative than that!

There is a lot spoken these days about integrating the use of computers

with ordinary classroom activity, but putting this high ideal into

practice is another matter entirely.

On the face of it, the projects and ideas in this book are pretty

ordinary, (although when the book was published in 1998 some of the ideas

were probably astounding; that's progress for you!).

However, on closer examination, the book is really quite clever. It takes

you through the principles underlying the steps you have to take to

create, say, a greeting card. But whereas most instructional manuals

simply stop abruptly with words, "and then click on the Print icon", this

one gets you rolling up your sleeves and getting to work with scissors,

cardboard and glue.

Thus, it's not only a great resource book,but also an example of how new

and old technology can be used together in the classroom. Although perhaps

slightly quirky and looking a little dated, (and despite the American

spelling from the UK teacher's point of view), The Color Printer Idea Book

is worth having on the classroom bookshelf.

Kay Hall, The Color Printer Idea Book,No Starch Press, $19.95, ISBN

0-886411-20-4

http://www.nostarch.com

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

Scenario: It could happen to you!

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

Each edition of Computers in Classrooms features a scenario -- some would

say a nightmare scenario. Please write in with your suggestions on how to

deal with it. The easiest way is to use the special form on the website,

at http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~etfreedman/scenario.htm.

Alternatively, email your comments to scenario@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk,

including the information  below:

* Your name

* Who you work for

* Your post

* Country of residence

* Title of Scenario

* Your comments

* Whether we may quote you?**

* Whether we may say who your employer is**.

** ie in the newsletter, articles and books.

Thank you!

And now, here's this month's scenario:

The senior management team of your school are really committed to the use

of computers and the teaching of information and communication technology.

So much so that loads of money has been designated for spending on

hardware and software, and several staff training days have been set aside

for bringing the staff "up to speed".

However, on every training day the members of the senior management team

don't take part in the activities you've planned. Instead, they use the

time to work on the school development plan or the budget.

What do you do?

Last month's Scenario:

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

"Teachers in your school are very keen to let their pupils use the

internet. Perhaps even a little *too* keen. You've noticed that pupils

have sometimes accessed "bad" sites, spent time in chat rooms, or spent

time searching aimlessly for information.

Some teachers use the internet as a 5 minute filler before the end of the

lesson when they finish the lesson too early, while some use it as a

reward if pupils finish their work early.

What do you do?"

JT neatly sums up the answer to this:

"This is merely a new twist on an old problem.  Years ago, I used to

encounter teachers who were "told" that they were going to have a computer

in their classroom.  What did they use it for?  After a student finished

his work early, he could go back to the computer and make a PRINT SHOP

GREETING CARD!!  What a colossal waste of resources!  These days, the

Internet is frequently being used in the same way.

"The internet must be used as a "tool" to support classroom learning.

It's up to the teacher to insure that it's used that way.  The problem is,

"The Internet" is a wide and varied environment with many, many uses...

one of which is "playing games."  In fact, it's very GOOD at doing that!

Kids do it at home all the time.  (And yes, they'll try to do it in

school, too.)

"As educators, we need to "model" the best uses of the internet, and

provide students with the knowledge necessary to use that tool in an

effective (educational) way.  Without guidance, they will undoubtedly use

it as a cyber-playground."

Interestingly enough, I have come across cases where teachers have allowed

pupils to use the internet as a sort of "cyber playground" for reasons

wholly unrelated to any scheme of work or curriculum. On the other hand, I

have heard of teachers who completely put the lid on any use of the

internet in their lessons because they see it either as dangerous or

frivolous (or both).

It seems to me that both reactions are two sides of the same coin: the

teacher does not understand the educational potential of the internet,

does not have a robust scheme of work or, at least, a set of lesson

objectives that could underpin the use of the internet, and is scared of

the pupils having a bit of independence.

If I'm wrong, tell me -- otherwise I'll assume I'm right!

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

Feature: The Motivation Effect

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

Or... Is motivation enough?

Ask anyone why they use computers in their lessons -- especially where

pupils with special educational needs are involved -- and they are almost

bound to say something about self-esteem and motivation.

There is a lot of academic research, anecdotal evidence,  and just plain

common sense which bears out this idea that computers can have a profound

motivating effect on pupils.

There are several reasons that this should be the case. The main reason

that computers can be motivating appears to be that they are perceived by

the pupils to be non-judgemental. In other words, pupils, especially those

with low self-esteem, don't feel that they're being judged when a computer

program tells them that they've made a mistake. Let's face it, even as

adults we'd much rather our mistakes be private than public!

Another reason is that a computer can make it possible to try things out

in what we might call a non-destructive way. In other words, you can, say,

try a different font, or insert a piece of clip art, in a document, and if

you don't like the result simply undo the changes. All you've lost is

time. You haven't made a mess, wasted expensive materials or, worst of

all, mucked things up so badly that you can't do *anything* with it.

(Actually, that's not strictly speaking true: I've done a pretty good

hatchet job on some important documents in my time!). In fact, Niel McLean,

Head of the Schools Directorate, BECTa, spoke about this aspect of

computers in the Times Educational Supplement Online magazine of 10 March

2000, in terms of how computers allow people to be creative because of the

fact that their actions can be undone easily.

Yet another factor is presentation. Computers are great levellers in some

respects. The child whose handwriting is so appalling that she is ashamed

to hand in her work, or whose work is not read or marked properly because

of it, stands the same chance as anyone else (other things being equal),

when their work has been word-processed and run off a laser or inkjet

printer.

All of these points, and many others, are perfectly valid. However, I

think we need to step back a bit and think about these issues more

carefully --- and more realistically. There is a danger that, by plugging

the motivational aspects of using information and communication technology

at the expense of other benefits, we are putting all our eggs in one

basket. In other words, the first time that someone who has been enticed

by the motivational argument comes a cropper, could well be the last time

they are willing to believe in the usefulness of computers in the

classroom.

"Come a cropper"? As someone who has had the pleasure of teaching

challenging children last thing on a Friday afternoon, I can say

categorically that computers do *not* possess some magical motivational

quality in and of themselves. But you would think they do from reading

some of the articles that find their way into print. After all, if a child

has low self-esteem because of their history of failure (in their eyes),

why should it not be the case that a computer represents just one more

thing they can fail at? You can have all the "whiz-bang" effects you like:

unless there is something of real value beneath the surface, it won't be

that long before you hear the dreaded cry, "This is boring"!

Also, like I said in another article some time ago, if motivation, through

raising a child's self-esteem, were the only reason for using computers in

the curriculum, schools could save a lot of money by buying the kids

Reeboks, or Nikes or whatever the latest fashion is, instead. Now *that*

would be pretty ego-enhancing! (Well, at least until they realise that

*everybody* has them!)

We also need to consider the effect of the teacher. Studies in the USA

have shown that teachers' enthusiasm for an item of equipment, a new

scheme of work, or some other innovation, has a marked effect on pupils'

achievement. The improvement comes about not because of the qualities of

the thing itself, but because of the commitment of the teacher to making

it work.

EF writes:

The issue of presentation was mentioned earlier. The use of computers is

attractive to teachers because of the possibility of the pupils having the

facility to improve presentation. Unfortunately, it does not and will not

solve what is often the fundamental difficulty  a pupil has: that is, her

literacy difficulty.

The problem with computers is that if you can't read, you can't use them.

If you don't know how to spell, a spell checker is useless because you

will not necessarily:

* know the homophones of the words you are using

* be able to choose the correct alternative.

To check the veracity of this point of view, you might like to try this poem

out on your students:

Spell chequer (Please note: this link does work.)

Often, the quantity and quality of work produced on a computer are less

than if you had asked pupils to produce a piece of their best work

*without* using a computer.

Equally, successful use of computers relies on the member of staff knowing

how to use them and being able to troubleshoot quickly, so that the pupil

doesn't have to spend 20 minutes waiting for help from a technician.

The member of staff also needs to know how to manage a class in a computer

room because it poses different challenges from most other classrooms.

In conclusion, we can say that used properly computers certainly can be

very motivational. But it is still necessary to remember that all learning

takes place in a context, and the teacher's knowledge,  understanding and

pupil management skills are still essential.

EF specialises in working with children with emotional and

behavioural difficulties.

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

Feature: Schemes of work

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

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in the UK has now

produced its Key Stage 3 scheme of work, which complements its

previously-introduced (and recently updated) Key Stages 1 and 2 Scheme of

Work.

I had intended to write a critical analysis of the new scheme of work, but

have decided to defer this for the following reasons:

* I am still in the process of evaluating it myself, which I am doing by

seeing how well it fits into, or enhances, my existing scheme of work

* the very practical reason that this newsletter is already about 16 pages

long!

The QCA has produced some very useful guidance, available as a PDF file on

their website, called "information and communication technology, a scheme

of work for Key Stage 3, Teacher's Guide". This examines what a scheme of

work should be like, and how you might use the QCA scheme of work either

on its own or to enhance your own.

The QCA have also produced some blank templates so that you can start

producing Units of work in the same style as theirs.

Now, I do have some opinions on the schemes of work, but I would rather

hear *your* views. So please email me at compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk,

and I will aim to write a report on the matter in the next issue of

Computers in Classrooms.

In the meantime, do check out the QCA website at http://www.qca.gov.uk,

and email me for the document called ICT in Subjects. Remember, send any

email to compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk, with the subject header ICT in

Subjects.

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

Next issue's Features

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

In the next issue of the newsletter we will look at the new QCA scheme of

work for Key Stage 3 ICT, and take a critical look at ICT and student

motivation. The next issue is due out on 3rd July.

 

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

Surveys

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

There are four main surveys running on my web site at the moment, these

being the ICT Co-ordinators' wish list, one on why teachers do or do not

use computers in their lessons, the response form to this month's Scenario

and your horror story about a management aspect of ICT. Details of all of

these can be found on my web site.

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

About the editor

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

I am an ICT advisor in London, and a freelance writer. You can find out

more by going to http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~etfreedman/tfcv.htm, or by

sending any email to tfresume@fastfacts.net.

My most recent 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. A satisfied

reader recently said:

"This book needs to be read by every senior manager and education

minister!"

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://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~etfreedman/buybooks.htm

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

About the proofreader

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

Mark Adams works as a primary mathematics advisory teacher/numeracy

consultant. He is married to an ICT advisory teacher and enjoys

proofreading a variety of documents. (Please send comments/suggestions to

mark@eurobell.co.uk.) 

 

To subscribe to this newsletter...

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Send any email to compic-subscribe@listbot.com

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

Advertising rates

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

Please send any email to compicads@fastfacts.net

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

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) 2000 T Freedman   email: compic@etfreedman.easynet.co.uk

 

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