Tag Archives: ict

My response to #Gove’s announcement on #ictcurric (#digitalstudies #schoolstech)

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Yesterday was a fairly momentous day for ICT teachers in the UK after Michael Gove's set piece speech on the future of ICT teaching in schools.  There has been an avalanche of news stories, tweets and blogs about it so I thought it may be a good idea to let the dust settle before adding my two cents.  A lot of the comment has been quite in depth about some of the issues so for me I will be trying to slightly 'summarise' the main points.  A post on #digitalstudies should hopefully follow soon

The problems people have been having with the speech

Some commentary including some incensed tweets from someone at NASUWT have focussed on Gove's comments that ICT teaching is boring and dull.  Ofsted did pick up on it and I largely tend to agree with Gove.  In those schools where leadership has not invested properly in staff to teach the subject I can very well imagine teachers who are trying to do a really good job but are struggling due to not probably being their main specialism.  

The curriculum itself I don't think was 'boring' as such.  There was a lot of good quality and challenging points within it but again I think it suffered through schools not paying it too much attention.  Trying to take a step back I would say that the curriculum for ICT was probably a great curriculum for most of the 2000's leading up to about 2007-8.  This I would say is the point where social networks, apps on mobile phones and the like started to really take off beyond the level of enthusiasm which sites like myspace had achieved.  The pace of technological change since then has meant that the ICT curriculum is now largely out of date (my textbooks are a joke) and change certainly is needed.

A further problem I have picked up on briefly is that some may think the government is wishing their hands of ICT and that by giving companies the opportunity to set the pace for future curricula this will lead to excessive commercialisation of ICT.

To answer that (and more in the opportunities presented by the speech)
  1. Gove has committed to including Computer Science within the EBacc if it meets standards
  2. ICT is already heavily commercialised with teachers having to pick their way through Microsoft, Apple, Adobe products etc etc
It may be a cynical view to adopt that they are washing their hands of it but given the alternative of taking ages to develop a centralised national curriculum for the subject I think Gove has given us the lesser of two evils.  Although it may only be Computer Science in the Ebacc I think at GCSE level I don't see anything wrong in pupils choosing to focus on one strand of #digitalstudies.  As for the commercialisation question I think most teachers are adept at finding their way through commercial products (If you have been to BETT that skill would be hardcoded in you by now!).

Opportunities presented by the speech

The biggest opportunity presented by Gove's speech is the mention of the words 'open source curriculum'.  This does obviously allow corporates to produce their own curricula and I would certainly welcome that.  However in my only real gripe he didn't acknowledge that teachers themselves could be responsible for developing an open source curriculum.  This is something myself, @teachesict and @chrisleach28 are working on in different ways under the guise of #digitalstudies.

A new open source curriculum should be able to provide opportunities for bringin gin more coding but also keeping some of the value from the old ICT curriculum.  I certainly don't want to restrict it to computer science right the way through the curriculum as this I feel would be too limiting.

Summary

Although my opportunities is shorter than the problems section I think the opportunity of a truly open sourced curriculum is fantastic and should give the scope and vitality to really take this subject forward.  Although Gove based part of his speech on misconceptions the balance I think was largely positive and should ensure that ICT or whatever it will be called is not only safe for the future but provides a market leading educational experience for pupils.

Why I want to rename ICT to #digital (#ictcurric)

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Over the last few months I have been very slowly working on a new curriculum for ICT at my school. Following on from inspiration gleaned from a number of other people (@mwclarkson, @chrisleach28 and @jpgreenwood in particular) I have written four strands for a new curriculum.

1. Digital literacy
2. Digital creativity
3. Digital technology
4. Digital citizenship

Each strand looks at a different aspect of ICT and I think complement each other very nicely. However they suffer from a small problem. Although they incorporate much of what a modern up to date ICT teacher should be teaching it is still known as the ‘ICT’ curriculum and reading any number of current stories emanating from the government about the teaching of ICT one gets the impression the name of the subject has a tarnished reputation.

Under the circumstances I think what is called for is not just a renaming of the subject but a rebranding of ICT. To me when you rename something it simply carries on doing the same job as before but using a diffent title, much the same way as a sports stadium does after it gets named after a corporate sponsor.

A rebranding gives something not only a new name but also a new purpose and direction. Now much of this new purpose for ICT does seem to be developing through the push to include computer science and coding as key components to the curriculum.  This is all well and good but the subject may very well still be called ICT which has its problems of connotations with simply learning clerical MS office skills.  Of course ICT may simply be dropped and pupils start learning Computer Studies but even then that subject has I think it’s negative connotations of being too geeky, insular and lacking the breadth to deal with topical issues in ICT which impact on society.

What I therefore propose is to ignore both names and create a rebranded subject known as #digital. It will include much of what was good about ICT and factor in the coding which will become a very necessary part of the future. It gives us as teachers of the subject the chance to throw off the negativity surrounding ICT and establish it as a strong and relevant subject for schools to teach.

But why choose the name #digital?  For starters when I looked up the definition of digital again in google I got the response “Involving or relating to the use of computer technology: “the digital revolution”". I liked this immensely as this is very much about establishing a revolution in how computer technology is taught in schools. The other definition supplied by google related to digital signalling and this also makes the use of the term relevant as ultimately the subject #digital is about teaching pupils how to understand as much as possible about how simple digital technology works (even down to the signalling) and how it impacts the analogue world surrounding it.

#digital as a name is short, punchy and moves past the clunkiness of Information, Communication and Technology. It ties in nicely with the names of the strands and provides a useful framework for defining multiple elements of the subject. By incorporating the hashtag at the front it captures the ‘zeitgeist’ of the moment which is a world dominated fairly extensively by social networking.

I think taking a bold and daring approach like this could be a useful way to kickstart a new era of teaching the ‘geek’ stuff to a generation who themselves are coming into our lessons increasingly clued up on computers.

ADDENDUM:  The majority of the above blog post was written yesterday morning before I had a further conversation on twitter last night with @largerama.  Nick liked the idea of #digital but suggested Digital Studies instead (or #digitalstudies …).  I think this is a very useful suggestion as it makes it sound a lot better for practical reasons eg a pupil saying “I have digital studies in period 5″ instead of “I have digital in period 5″.  I guess I was just trying to establish a single word name for the subject like Maths or English.  I thought I would at least leave the blog post above unedited as it contains much of what will work for the name #digitalstudies just as much as it would work for #digital.

Defining Digital Creativity Strand – working on my new #ictcurric

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I realised yesterday I hadn't actually posted my definition for my digital creativity strand.  This was quite an easy strand to write as the topic speaks for itself really.

At our school we recognise that technology and digital tools can be used as a creative tool as well.  The basis of many arts today rely on the effective usage of digital tools to create a product whether it is audio editing, movie computer effects or photo editing.  Digital tools can also be used to create new art forms as well.

We therefore feel it is important to not only provide experience in as many different digital creativity fields as possible but seek to encourage pupils to develop their own talents and ideas using digital tools for creativity.

Defining Digital Citizenship strand – working on my new #ICTcurric

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I have now finally got round to writing my first version of what I think the digital citizenship strand should be.  I struggled a bit with this one but eventually finished it by focussing on what I thought are the important parts of digital citizenship; e-safety, communication skills and legal rights.

The next stage now is to start thinking about topics for each strand.  I have a list of topics which @ChrisLeach78 has developed for his prep school ICT curriculum which also uses similar strands (and is very well worth a look).  I will start to extend these topic lists as my curriculum needs to extend into secondary school as well.  

Digital Citizenship

At our school we recognise that pupils should not only be taught how to use technology but also how to use technology appropriately in society.  Pupils should understand that online communications whether from an individual or an organisation or government can have both a positive and a negative impact on themselves and society.  They should also understand that they themselves can contribute to society through their own communications online.
 
Through the three other strands pupils will be producing digital products.  In this strand pupils will explore how their work is legally protected but also how to use legally acceptable work produced by others.  Pupils will understand their digital rights online but will also be expected to learn about the the digital rights of others.

Defining Digital Technology – part of my work on ICT curriculum strands #ictcurric

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Here is my next definition in my work on my version of an ICT curriculum.  Originally I had called this strand simply Computing however after reading some of the work  @chrisleach78 is doing on his own version of the ICT curriculum strands where he has defined it as Digital Technology I can see how this would open up the strand to focus a lot more on other aspects of pure technology development, functionality and usage.  Accordingly after doing a little bit further reading up I now have a definition of Digital Technology I am happy with as a first version.  Opinions and comments always welcome.

Digital Technology

At our school we recognise that pupils will be using hardware and software throughout their career and will need to understand how that technology and hardware works.  However in order to become proficient users of technology pupils should also understand how systems work and are built and also how to design, build and improve systems themselves.

Our pupils are therefore taught the basics of programming, networking and how to build a computer.  These skills are applied in relevant contexts to show pupils the relevance of these skills.

Defining Digital Literacy – part of my work on ICT curriculum strands #ictcurric #diglit

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Recently I have been posting on my work on rewriting my own ICT curriculum to fit within four learning strands.  As part of that work I have been starting to write my own definitions of each strand before linking units with those strands.  After spending some time reading some work on digital literacy (mostly @dajbelshaw's presentations and a bit of his thesis – for which I am indebted) I have written the following definition of digital literacy.  This is a first draft and will be discussed with my own department however any online comment would be very welcome.

Digital Literacy: 

At our school we recognise that we need to prepare pupils for a digital world through a sustained engagement with technology and  media relevant to their context.  We show pupils how to use digital tools to control their relationship with the digital world.  Pupils develop cognitive skills that enable them to process both the information they encounter online and the tools they need to make sense of that information and produce their own information.  Units of work which form a part of the Digital Literacy strand are designed to meet these needs through challenging and engaging work which seeks to produce pupils who are literate in digital technology and relevant processing and thinking skills.

Designing strands for my ICT curriculum #ictcurric

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Recently I cam across a fantastic post by @mwclarkson on thoughts on ICT and Computing which was a fantastic examination of some of the issues facing ICT as we seek to improve its value to the outside world.  Contained within his post was a reflection on possible strands of ICT, Digital Literacy, Digital Creativity and Programming.  I like what is implied by these strands immensely especially as I have been fed up with National Curriuclum Strands for a while and have been seeking a better way to ‘tie’ the ICT curriculum together.  For too long I feel the subject of ICT has been a random collection of boring skills based units and having a structure like this could help improve its standing in schools.

The strands I am proposing based on Mark’s original three are:

  1. Digital Creativity
  2. Digital Literacy
  3. Computing
  4. Digital Citizenship
Digital Creativity I foresee as your multimedia strand.  This is where pupils would be blogging, podcasting, video editing, website building etc.  There will almost certainly be aspects of digital creativity which could include programming for instance in building a computer game from scratch.

Digital Literacy is a fairly broader strand and at the moment could possibly encompass multiple aspects of current ICT practice.  I would possibly summarise it at this point as teaching pupils the skills to be able to engage with, respond and use technology they encounter in class in a way which would provide value to them.

Computing is a strand I will need to work a bit on to see how I can include it within my ICT curriculum.  I think for the future it will be found within other units such as games design.

Digital Citizenship is inspired by the rise of social networks as a force to not necessarily directly change governments but a force which can assist in revolutions such as Tunisia and Egypt.  Blogging may very well form a part of this but certainly looking at how ICt and the usage of technologies can be force for good would form a part of this strand.

My next job is to start writing good definitions of each strand to be used in planning and then mapping my existing units to each strand.

My ICT curriculum is available here http://sharland.pbworks.com.  Contributors more than welcome – just ask for access.

Teaching Check Digit Validation with AS #ICT

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check digit.xlsm
Download this file
For those of you who are teaching AS ICT on the OCR spec I hope the following spreadsheet I built may be of use.  The spec requires students to know how check digit validation works and they use the example of ISBN-10 numbers.  Irritatingly ISB-10 is no longer the defacto standard for ISBN numbers (ISBN-13 now is) so we are stuck with a system which may not appear on some books.

However I did decide to build the following spreadsheet to demonstrate using formulae how a check digit is calculated.  The benefit is for those who dont want to do the maths in class with their students is that they can enter the first 9 digits of an ISBN-10 number in and they should get the corresponding check-digit spat back out at them.

This was something I cobbled together in about half an hour so I am pretty sure it functions fine – if anyone spots any issues let me know.  I put a nice macro in to clear the numbers so you have to accept that and the file format is therefore Office 2007 macro enabled xls.

cheers
brian

Getting #ICT #Homework right – some thoughts [Scanned]

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I’ll make no secret of it – I hate setting pointless and dreary homework.  For years now the sort of homework which involves either completing a worksheet or answering several questions I have found to be a waste of time when it comes to improving understanding within pupils and is mostly a waste of time for them as well.  As a result I have generally avoiding setting homework where possible.

However times have changed.  Whereas up until a few years ago the only time pupils would have been on a computer would have been chatting on MSN now pupils are on their pc’s on a regular basis playing games, social networking and other stuff as well.  In fact with the rise of smart phones which are essentially portable computers as well as the eventual arrival of a mature tablet market this year pupils now have a myriad of options when it comes to accessing ICT hardware and software.

So with this change in how ICT is used by pupils how can I use this to get ICT Homework right?  The possible answer to this is that ICT homework should not consist of weekly grind tasks which pupils hate getting and teachers hate marking.  It should consist of a series of projects or challenges set throughout the year which involve either creation of content or problem solving.  These projects should run over a period of time and should if possible relate to what is being taught in class or if not could be different completely in scope.

Possible ideas for projects could include:

1.       Designing and building a game level in either Atmosphir or Jumala

2.       Complete a model of your house in Sketchup

3.       Create a basic app in Google App Inventor

4.       Design and build a website/wiki

All work which pupils produce should be submitted (either through files or links) to a class or year blog to allow other pupils to access their work.  Through creating this content and then sharing it in a manner which allows for peer assessment is I think the best way for students to be working on something outside of classroom hours.

Lets see how this goes …

Ofsted Report on ICT in schools

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The following may be a bit dry for some – I do apologise. It’s basically my own summary of the key points contained within a recent report released by Ofsted on the state of ICT education in schools. Ive summarised my points into three key sections.

Secondary School ICT

Management of ICT department

· Provide full statutory National Curriculum requirement

· Make sure that teacher’s subject knowledge and training needs are fully audited

o Provide continued support to ensure that their skills remain relevant

· Make sure that National Guidance on ICT is embedded within the department

· Plan for the long term skills of pupils (what they will need when they leave school)

· Provide demonstration lessons within the department and also to the wider school

· Achievement of girls in the subject is essential

· VLE is essential for providing structure in the department

· A portfolio of assessed work is established with examples of ICT work at different levels

· A range of qualifications must be in place to support students of different abilities

 

Management of ICT across school

· ICT must not be taught in isolation but should be embedded in other subjects

· Assessment of ICT progress must be school wide

o School should be assessing progress in ICT in other subject (assessment led by individual department areas rather than reliant on ICT)

· Provide full statutory National Curriculum requirement

· Evaluate impact of ICT resources on learning

· Ensure teaching assistants are also fully trained in ICT

· Include internet safety teaching at regular points – not once a year

· IEP’s should include ICT targets as well

· Ensure Local Authority support for ICT where appropriate is used to its fullest extent

· Make sure that National Guidance on ICT is embedded across the school

· Provide adequate resources for teachers

o Laptops

· Provide adequate access to resources for students

o Use of computers whenever required

o Use of handheld devices

o Alternative office suites and operating systems

· Audit which students have access to ICT at home

o Develop a strategy (possible with LA assistance) to support those students

· Plan for the long term skills of pupils (what they will need when they leave school)

· Evaluate as often as possible the implementation and impact of ICT

o Detailed development plans should be written by all subject areas on their own ICT implementation

o Targets should be set which are fully costed

Teaching and learning in the classroom

· Provide exposure to alternative office suites and operating systems

· Ensure assessment is front and centre within the department

o Establish attainment of pupils on entry into secondary school

o Continue to track progress

· Provide full spreadsheet and database instruction

· A VLE is essential for providing detailed information for students on all aspects of the subject

· Effective teaching and learning

o Planning is meticulous with assessment used precisely to inform tasks and the next stages of learning.

o Make sure learning objectives are explicit

o Teaching motivates pupils and uses engaging and relevant contexts

o Teachers ask challenging questions to assess pupils’ understanding and to build on their knowledge

o The lesson itself must remain at a good pace

o Teachers provided regular feedback to pupils on how well they were doing.

o Pupils are given the opportunity to collaborate and critically review their own work and that of others; as a result, they were able to demonstrate ICT capability at a higher level.

o Good use is made of teacher assessment to track pupils’ progress and achievement and pupils knew the areas they needed to improve.

o Transitions between activities were managed well

o The teacher must have excellent subject knowledge

o The teacher must have high expectations of students

o Explanations were clear and accurate

o Students were engaged, challenged and required to review, evaluate and improve their own work

o Used quick fire question and answer sessions to elicit knowledge and understanding and clear up misunderstandings

o Planned for the needs of individuals and groups of students including Gifted and Talented, boys and girls and SEN students

o Lessons include a variety of tasks which tackled the more challenging aspects of the National Curriculum

o A good plenary session must be used to test pupils’ understanding and achievement of the lesson objectives