Do Teachers Make Effective Use of ICT?

I have come across an interesting article suggesting that a third of the teachers still struggle to make good use of technology in their teaching. To add to this issue, the research also suggests that 62% of teachers think that ICT improves student attainment. What a quandary!

This research was conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), in which 1000 teachers were quizzed. A major reason for the lack of ICT usage in schools was due to lack of resources and poor reliability. In my opinion, the only way to improve this is through strong leadership and to make time available to teachers to improve skill levels. This was also reflected in the research where teachers suggested that ICT Leadership needs to be improved, and a poor 44% of teachers consider their schools use of technology to be 'innovative'. For the full article, please click here

Given the possibilities that ICT affords many schools, this does paint a stark picture. Although technology in schools has been well funded in recent years (to the tune of £3 billion) by the Labour Government, you have to ask whether this funding has been spent effectively. This research suggests not. Although much hardware is in place, questions must be asked on whether training and implementation have met the needs of teachers. What good is a PC if you don't know where the 'On' button is!?

Would suggesting that teachers are incapable be accurate? Or is it more that a lack of leadership and strategy has let them down? Another article taken from Times online promotes even more stark figures by suggesting that 80% of schools are failing to make good use of ICT (for the full article please click here) This would suggest that leadership does need to be improved, and negative attitudes surrounding ICT altered, so that the massive investment to date can reap the rewards that we know ICT can provide.

Taecanet Springboard (www.taecanet.com) offers an extremely easy to use, easy to access service, which is proven to raise attainment levels. We, at Taecanet, hope to play a part in improving and sustaining the use of technology in education, so that teachers can see the true value of blended learning.

ASE 2008 Round up

ASE 2008 was a great success, and it was a pleasure to meet a host of attendees, as well as a number of existing customers. This is one of the better events of the year, mainly due to the fact that attendees have a genuine interest in helping to raise educational standards. Thanks to everyone who was able to attend.

During the three days, I was unfortunate enough to be pulled out of the crowd to pet a giant millipede at the open exhibition section. This was a (not so) pleasant surprise, but it is nice to witness more enthusiastic people out there, who are bringing science to life for students. We also had a visit from Galileo (pictured left), who wowed his audience with his tales and theories. This seemed to be the biggest draw at the event, only bettered by the free tea and coffee stand!

I think the reason that teachers are drawn to Taecanet, is because we offer a very 'teacher centric' approach to teaching and learning. We simply facilitate a huge knowledge share designed to disseminate best practice, so that both teachers and students can benefit from the strongest learning materials available. Our role is to harness this knowledge and create the teacher generated 'Learning Journeys' that schools use to help improve their results and bring subjects to life. Hundreds of teachers have contributed to our service, so that ANY teacher and ANY student can benefit from their combined knowledge. Teachers tell us that they can save hours in terms of searching for, and delivering appropriate content, as well saving time by using our automated marking system and teacher Reports. Students can learn at their own pace, both in school and at home via the web (or anywhere online), making homework easy and accessible. We have a good reputation in helping schools to improve results, including SATs. For more info on this, please visit http://www.taecanet.com/Addlestone.htm

For all those who entered the free Prize Draw, this is the moment of truth! I am very happy to announce that Liz Boakes from Michael Primary (IM6 1AJ) on the Isle of Man is the winner! Your school licence will commence today, and will be valid until 8/1/2009. It includes access to Yr 2 - Yr9 Science, History, Geography, Citizenship and R.E. Please call 0871 288 4580 to claim your prize and we will then begin to load your school up, so that you can begin using Taecanet Springboard. Congratulations to Liz for winning this prize.

For any other interested parties, please call the above number to book a free on-site visit, so that we can fully explain our approach to teaching and learning, and offer you a demonstration of Taecaenet Springboard. Alternatively, please email chris.davison@taecanet.com to book a visit. Feel free to visit http://www.taecanet.com/ for more information.

Thanks again to all ASE attendees. Best wishes to you all for 2008.