Education in the information age

It is only recently that computers have come into both primary and secondary schools. About 10 years ago primary schools were lucky to have one computer, this was because they were very expensive to buy and so any computers they had were ones that parents donated to the school. This is a similar case with secondary schools; however, they are a little more fortunate than primary schools as they are begging to introduce ICT rooms with enough computers in it for a class to use. With technology developing more computers are being purchased for primary and secondary schools to use. If a student wanted to learn about ICT to enhance their knowledge about technology and the way in which computers work they would have to take ICT as a separate subject, this is still the case nowadays. It is common that students have better keyboard skill than the teachers. It used to be a problem where teachers felt de-skilled to use ICT and for some this is still the case. Someone like an ICT teacher is more likely to know more about computers then an everyday classroom teacher.

ICT is no longer a discreet subject in school. Students are expected to use ICT in all your subjects. It is common to use ICT for research tasks, presentations, planning and electronically typing out an essay and communicating with other students and teachers via email.

Personal Experience
When I went to primary school I only had about 3 computers in the whole school to use and they were very old and slow so I didn’t use them very often. I came to secondary school in 2008 and was amazed by the amount of computers there was here, however about 5 years before hand there were hardly any. Since being at my current secondary school I have noticed that over the years more computer rooms have been introduced and there is more than 1 computer per 2 students now which is a massive benefit for students as they can access computers whenever they want to.

Computer Networking
Most schools computers are networked. Having networked computers in school is vital for any educational establishment; this means students can share their work and software with each other as well as their teachers. Also by having networked computers it makes work easier to mark for the teachers and for students to receive instant feedback.

Parents find it very difficult to keep up with the changes which occur in schools systems, there are some excellent open source software programmes such as office which is compatible. Also if you’re over the age of 16 you can get a student discount of software. Software compatibility comes with both advantages and disadvantages.

Transporting data through a data pen can become very convenient instead of carrying piles of exercise books around with you all day. A data pen allows you to have access to your work.

Advantages:

-Most teachers would expect that students have access to their own computes in order to do homework and research of their own.

-It’s a good way of backing up work; you can access it off another computer.

-It’s efficient for students and teachers.

-It’s more likely you will better software at home as it’s easier and cheaper to upgrade one computer opposed to hundreds.

Disadvantages

-Most teachers expect students to have access to their own computer, if you live in a large family and only have one computer it’s unlikely that you will get to use it very often to do your work. This can be seen as the digital divide as some other students are fortunate enough to have their own computer or laptop.

-This is not an equal access to the curriculum if some students cannot afford to have their own computer or laptop; this causes some students to have a unfair disadvantage when it comes to handing in homework or preparation for an exam.

-Software compatibility is difficult to keep up with for parents.

-A data pen is something that is losable because it is so small. Any security lost or stolen data can mean that a lot of work can go missing or be lost in the system.
-Another disadvantage is children do a lot of copy and pasting this is because they don’t understand the concept of plagiarism, this causes a lot of problems to do with cheating as children think there isn’t anything wrong with copy and pasting someone else’s work.

Personal Experiences

As a part of doing ICT Applied for AS we have to create our own online blog so our teacher can mark us on what work we have done, he does this through his system that is networked so he can give us feedback quickly, this is also done through the network.

SIMS Network

Student Information Management System also known as the SIMS network has helped progress the way schools work. You can now monitor a range of different things through the SIMS network, such as; attendance, behaviour, academic achievements, personal details, school photo and a student’s timetable. This system is a lot more efficient as you’re able to find the details you need quickly and easily. All information is stored in one place and is more convenient for staff to manage.

Advantages:

- You can have all the data in one place.

- You can keep a record of everything easily.

- It is more environmentally friendly than having lots of pieces of paper around.

- It’s a lot quicker to use than recording data on paper.

Disadvantages:

- If the system is down then the whole school will suffer as teachers will not be able to take a register, this could be dangerous in the case of a fire. - You have to pay to install it.

- Records can be deleted which causes a lot of problems.

Computers in the classroom

Most classrooms today use computers and interactive whiteboards to teach their students, with this new enhanced technology you can use a range of resources to teach the children what they need to know. An interactive whiteboard allows the class to learn as a group and to all participate in the work. Nowadays it is unlikely for teachers to get textbooks out for their students because the majority of the information you in the textbooks you can find online. Some textbooks such as, Kerboodle can now be viewed online through computers, the teacher can project the image on the screen to the interactive whiteboard so all students can see it. It is very common for teachers to use e-books to teach their class.

Advantages:

-More environmentally friendly.

-The whole class can get involved which makes lessons more fun to be in.

-It makes things easier in some cases, for example, explaining something visually to the class.

Disadvantages:
-Some people may not see it if their sitting far away at the back of the classroom.
-It makes things very difficult for the teacher if the computer or interactive whiteboard isn’t working.
-Some students find it easier to learn through a textbook.

Personal Experience

I prefer working out of textbook rather than copying notes from the interactive whiteboard. In most of my classes I sit near the back so sometimes it can be really difficult for me to read what is being projected on the board. I also don’t have the best eyesight so sometimes the screen can be very blurry which often leads in to me getting really bad migraines. However, I do think that the interactive whiteboards make lessons a lot more fun as the whole class can get involved.