Using ICT to support homeschool links: innovative practices

1
Becta Research Conference 21 June 2002
Using ICT to support home-school links
innovative practices  Bridget Somekh, Diane
Mavers and Cathy Lewin Manchester Metropolitan
University
2
Aims and background of the study

• Commissioned by DfES/Becta
• February to August 2001
• Aims
• to gather information about existing content,
  organisation, management, structure and use of
  electronic home-school links
• to evaluate and exemplify good practice
• to inform policy and practice

3
Specific objectives

• Types of technologies and infrastructure models
  of use
• Particular benefits to teaching and learning,
  management and administration
• Software and web based content available in the
  home
• Implications for decision makers, schools, LEAs,
  pupils and parents
• Issues around implementation and management
• Further potential benefits

4
The evidence base

• A knowledge mapping exercise
• A survey of 100 schools
• A consultative seminar
• A survey of commercial providers
• Case studies of a small number of schools

5
Choosing the case study schools

• Innovative practice or vision
• A range of resources used, including networked
  and portable technologies
• Different phases and geographical regions
• The work of a special school
• Contrasting approaches and practices

6
Survey of schools

• Aim to provide an overview of innovative
  practices in English schools
• Selected schools, not a random sample
• Responses from
• 37 primary
• 65 secondary
• 6 special
• 7 independent

7
School survey findings

• It is still very early days
• There are differences between secondary and
  primary schools
• School websites are being used for a variety of
  purposes
• Schools have different views of the benefits of
  email
• 25 schools have tried pupil laptop schemes but
  only 6 believed they had been effective
• Barriers are perceived to be time, funding,
  expertise, security, technical limitations, and
  the digital divide

8
Commercial Survey findings

• 5 commercial companies AAL, ABK, CISCO, NTL,
  Oracle
• Supporting home learning is a developing market
• Products and services include Internet access,
  portable technologies, online provision of
  resources
• Perceived issues for schools
• The digital divide
• Infrastructure
• Support structures and time

9
Findings transfer between home and school

• Continuation of work
• Email
• Floppy disc
• Access to content
• School intranet access from home via website
• Video conferencing

10
Findings curriculum content

• Pupils use ICT at home for
• - leisure (high level skills)
• - neat presentation of work
• - Internet-based research
• - revision websites
• Little use of curriculum materials on school
  intranets from home
• - content is still under development
• - schools need a policy and strategies for
  development
• - need for a dedicated web manager and/or
  technician

11
Findings laptops

• Teachers laptop ownership increases confidence
  and skills
• Pupils laptop ownership/hire promotes very high
  levels of skill and use
• but ...
• - problems when not all pupils in a class have
  one
• - uptake affected by cost
• - anxieties about mugging
• - weight of older machines
• - some machines not robust

12
Findings benefits to teaching and learning

• Pupils are developing good skills at home
• Convenience
• Pupil enthusiasm (word processing, PowerPoint,
  Internet)
• Quality online resources (where they exist)
• Concerns about handwriting, spelling, replacing
  booksand plagiarism) relate to changes in
  society as a whole
• Exceptional support for children whose schooling
  is disrupted

13
Findings school management and administration

• Electronic registration
• Web-based administration (e.g. attendance)
• Computer aided report writing can reduce teacher
  workloads
• Assessment information made available to parents

14
Findings the digital divide

• Schools are very aware of the digital divide
• Pupils without access to ICT at home are
  disadvantaged
• Pupils home use of ICT and their home-developed
  skills often ignored by schools
• There are divides kinds of use at home as well
  as access
• Laptop schemes enable greatly enhanced
  capabilities and confidence but some projects
  have increased existing inequalities

15
Findings implementation

• Needs to be part of the schools overall vision
• A flexible, exploratory approach
• High level coordination
• Embedded in the schools work as a whole
• Need for expert knowledge and skills
• Gaps between aspirations and delivery
• Security, safety
• Cost

16
Conclusions

• Teachers ICT skills
• Laptops for teachers
• Training and support (especially in-house)
• Collaborative involvement in developing online
  materials
• Daily use to establish habits of use
• Expert knowledge (setting up and maintenance)
• Technical knowledge on technology and
  infrastructures
• Business knowledge on procurement practices

17
Conclusions

• Sustainability
• Little evidence of planning for upgrading
  infrastructure
• Need for long-term planning
• Equity of provision
• Funding (more advanced schools had received
  extra cash)
• Regional infrastructures and inequities
• Broadband versus ISDN provision
• Planning for future development in technologies
• e.g. hand-helds, digital television

18
Conclusions

• Two levels of digital divide
• Equipment and internet access in the home a
  disappearing problem
• Kinds of use made of ICT in the home cultural
  capital
• Voluntary use for school work increases the
  divide
• Proposed strategy to overcome the divide
• School audit of home-based ICT resources
• School-based facilities for accessing work via
  email/floppy
• School provision of alternative electronic
  resources (e.g. CDs)
• Personal Access to ICT Plans (PACTs)
• An agreed proportion of homework to be
  computer-based