It’s been a while since we posted here at Do Be. With the rapid success of Teach-It across Scotland, England and now Wales, the development of Teach-It – Alcohol Awareness and Teach-It 2 now well underway for it’s launch in Setember 2010 we have hardly had a second to spare.
However, this BBC news report caught my attention this morning and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to air our thoughts on the subject of ICT as a tool for learning and teaching.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10495726.stm
Firstly, I think the report highlights the fears we almost all feel with regards to the future of education as it currently stands. Education is of course an ever changing, growing entity but I’m talking about the general sense of movement. For a long time now it has seemed that education across the UK has been moving forward with regards to ICT. In some cases this sense of movement has been a rapid advance while in others perhaps just a steady plod but always generally a forward motion.
Advancements in technology over the last few years have allowed schools to own far more computers than ever before, access the internet through broadband connections with consistently higher speeds and interact with anyone, anywhere in the world. Teachers and pupils in UK schools have instant access to the entire world from the comfort of the classroom desk.
Web 2.0, social media and handheld technologies have revolutionised communication in the corridors and classrooms of our schools. Powerful computers, interactive white boards and projectors have become more accessible and affordable as well as gadgets such as quality microphones, camera equipment, radio and video technology and of course a vast array of brilliant software allowing teachers, pupils and parents to develop curriculum learning in new, exciting and engaging ways.
As the report quotes Paul Wareing of Becta, the UK is ‘the envy of the world‘ in our willingness to embrace (and of course fund) technology as a learning tool with our practices emulated globally.
We mustn’t start to move backwards in our use of ICT.
At Do Be we have always worked to promote the concept that technology and software are a necessary part of the successful engagement of todays school pupils. Technology alone is of course not the answer but as each year passes and the technological demands of a hi-tech global workplace bear down on each school leaver it is imperative that technology is given it’s place in the education of those pupils bound for that workplace.
And so secondly, I believe that in order to meet this ‘backward step’ we have to look at the way we use the technology we currently have.
It would be correct to assume that the creation of tech savvy schools across the entire UK through through the purchase of both equipment and software would (and does) cost an eye watering amount of money.
Teach-It and our upcoming Teach-It 2 provide schools with the ‘how to‘ of using a vast selection of technologies, websites and applications that are freely available. If we can help teachers to continue to engage our ‘tech savvy’ pupils and achieve the same results using cost effective ICT, that’s what we’ll do.
If you would like to know more about how we can help you to make the most of your existing technology as well as new, cost effective tools please contact us on 01383 829969
