Attitudes to ICT

As this is a first post, I thought that it would be a good idea to make a note of my attitudes to ICT in schools as is at the moment.

Firstly, I think that ICT is a brilliant tool to use in the classroom, it can enhance and expand a lesson and encourage the children to learn and engage in the learning. There are a whole load of programs made by professionals that can serve as a basis for a lesson or introduction or plenary.

However, I fully support the idea that ICT should be invisible. The classroom that we were shown a few weeks ago was far too much ICT for me. It was in your face and completly unnecessary for a classroom. It was set up like a lecture theatre- great for learning 'stuff' but children should be learning how to be people as well. This would be difficult to learn when you spen your days sitting at a screen.

There is also the issue of cost. very few schools and even less families can affort to keep up with the advance of technology and there is always the very real possiblity of system failure- something that you do not have to worry about with a pencil.

Don't get me wrong- I am in no way against ICT and hi-tech schools, but I think that we should go in carefully rather than diving in headfirst. We should teach children to live in a world full of ICT, but also how to live without it.