DTI Computers for Schools

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DTI Computers for Schools
By 1982, the Department of Trade and Industry
became involved and began to introduce computers
in the secondary schools, later the primary
schools. Teams of teachers, programmers and
publishers worked hard to develop software to run
on a variety of machines. The two most popular
were Acorn Computers and Research Machines
computers. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was used in a
variety of situations, very often for control
projects, such as teaching children how traffic
lights worked.
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One ICT worker aware of the cuts is Allison
Allen, ICT project consultant, Croydon QDI. She
says many schools in her local area are
experiencing "severe difficulties accessing
funding to sustain and develop ICT resources"
She believes a shift in the way the government
allocated ICT funding was at the root of the job
losses. "The government used to ring-fence grants
for ICT, but by and large this has ceased. The
only two grants that remain ring-fenced are the
broadband grant and e-learning credits." The
ICT grant that schools have been using "to
develop and sustain their provision" is no longer
ring-fenced, she says. "Instead, it's been put
in the big pot of money being devolved to
schools. If a school or a local authority is
cash-strapped, they are taking it as a signal
that ICT doesn't matter and are using the money
for something else." In February, the
government's ICT in education agency, Becta,
released guidance on how money from the devolved
capital should be used for ICT. It reiterated
that "there is greater funding available for ICT
than ever before." Dodson, S (2007), Local
advisers face the axe, The Guardian, Tuesday June
19Available online from http//education.guardia
n.co.uk/elearning/story/0,,2105761,00.html
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N.G.F.L.

• NGfL was launched by Tony Blair in 1998 with a
  vision of getting all schools connected to the
  internet. The NGfL also provided educational
  resources for teachers and school children on a
  website.
• The National Grid for Learning was developed to
  deliver a structure of educationally valuable
  content on the internet and to offer ICT
  infrastructure, services, support and training
• The government found that the children were more
  proficient at using computers in everyday life
  than that of the teachers.
• The government allocated each local authority a
  piece of the budget to provide computers
  available to 1 in 12 children. Each school could
  apply for a greater part of the budget by passing
  certain criteria .

Sam
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eLCs (Electronic Learning Credits)

• This is funding provided by Government to Local
  Authorities for multimedia resources, launched in
  2003
• Schools receive 1000 and an additional 9.73 per
  pupil
• Schools can only use eLCs to purchase approved
  products listed on Curriculum Online website
• There are currently approx 20,000 approved
  digital resources
• www.teachernet.co.uk
• www.curriculumonline.co.uk
• www.kented.org.uk
• (accessed 11.10.07)

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Laptops For Teachers

• What was it? 2002 1 over 2 yearA joint
  Departmental and Becta initiative to provide
  teachers with Laptop computers
• How can it help?By increasing teachers permanent
  access to IT technology
• TrainingNot included in the scheme
• Further information on the SchemeThis is
  available on the NGfL website
• http//www.becta.org.uk/schools/contentsearch/

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Computers for Schools

• Implemented by Tesco in 1992.
• The scheme Offers Computer equipment to Schools
  in England in exchange for vouchers collected by
  customers in Tesco Stores.

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• Tesco have delivered 109 million worth of
  Computers and ICT equipment to schools in the UK.
• Scheme works on Every little helps principle.
• Over 30,000 schools involved- 86 of all UK
  schools.
• Customer receives one voucher for every 10.00
  spent at Tesco.

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Types of Computers Issued

• Computers originally offered by the computers for
  schools scheme were Acon Archimedes system.
  Since break up of Acorn in late 1990s the scheme
  has offered windows-based PCs.

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ICT in the National Curriculum
KS1
KS2
Pupils explore ICT and learn to use it to achieve
specific outcomes.
Pupils use a wider range of ICT tools And
information sources to support their Work in
other subjects.

• Gathering information.
• Basically from people, books, CD roms
• etc.
• Developing ideas and making things happen.
• Using text, tables, images and sound to
• develop ideas.
• Trying things out and exploring.
• Exchanging and sharing information.
• Sharing ideas by presenting information.
• Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it
  progresses.
• Describing what they have done and
• discuss what they might change in
• the future.

Finding information, creating a data
base. Develop and refine ideas for multimedia
presentations and desktop publishing. Email,
work for presentation and publishing on the
internet. Reviewing their development and
improvement for future work.
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1st nat curric bundled IT with DT for the
first time schools had to use computers so
there were grants available from government
(administered bt LEAs) to make sure that all
schools had access to computers. 2nd version of
Nat Curric became a subject in its own right
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NOF _ NEW OPPORTUNITIES FUND
Nof was a government backed, Lottery funded
training initiative, whose main beneficiary has
been the teaching profession. It provided ICT
Training for teachers in every school where the
relevant hardware and software had been
installed. There were various providers
schools could choose who they wanted. The
Lancashire Consortium scheme was based on
materials published by Longman Pearson. it
consisted of 6 units within which 9 tasks were
set to help teachers acquire the knowledge and
skills needed to use ICT resources effectively
and so enhance their ability to increase pupils
standards in Maths, English and Science.
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Regional Broadband Consortia
                                                
The RBCs are consortia of local authorities
established to procure cost-effective broadband
connectivity for schools in England. There are 10
RBCs covering 139 of the 150 local authorities
If you teach in a Lancs CC school, your schools
internet connection comes through CLEO. BwD
schools get their connection through NWLG but
you may never have heard of these orgaisations!
http//www.ja.net/community/schools/england/index.
html
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The UK Government's Microelectronics Education
Programme ran from 1980 to 1986. It was conceived
and planned by a Labour government and set up
under a Conservative government during Mrs
Thatcher's era. Its aim was to explore how
computers could be used in schools in the UK.
This was a controversial time for Conservative
school policies.1 The programme was
administered by the Council for Educational
Technology in London, but the directorate
operated, unusually, from a semi-detached house
on the Coach Lane Campus of the then Newcastle
Polytechnic (now Northumbria University). The
director of the programme was Richard Fothergill,
a man of vision and passion for the concept of
bringing computers to schools. He was supported
by a deputy director, a specialist in control
technology and a cross curriculum specialist. All
were teachers. The information collection and
dissemination was carried out by an information
officer who used an early form of Teletext
(called Prestel) and email (called Telecom Gold)
to disseminate news of materials and training
opportunities. Each member of staff created
correspondence on a handheld wordprocessor, a
Microwriter, designed by Cy Endfield. Educational
materials were initially devised by teachers for
teachers, financed by the Department of Education
and Science of England, Northern Ireland and
Wales. It was common to see written on various
books and leaflets that the aims of the programme
were to 'promote, within the school curriculum,
the study of microelectronics and its effects,
and to encourage the use of the technology as an
aid to teaching and learning'. http//en.wikiped
ia.org/wiki/Microelectronics_Education_Programme