Local businesses are also a great way of bringing technology into your classroom. Might they sponsor a project? Could they run a workshop for you? Again, collaborating with other schools can help financially and makes for a great Newsletter story.
When we use the phrase ‘IT Skills’, different people think about different things. Often your subject will dictate what you feel is a priority. Some may think about Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Databases… Others will think of Touch Typing. For younger students we may start thinking about hand-eye coordination. Many Reception students will come into your classroom fully adept with using an iPad, but have no idea what a mouse is.
There are a range of apps available that encourage hand-eye coordination, for both Apple and Android equipment, New to using apps in school? Reach out to colleagues for advice, use the power of Social Media, things like #CASChat and ask folk that have been there, done that.
IT skills can also encompass Online Safety, Internet Research and Information Reliability. Whilst Online Safety needs to be done with a certain element of sensibility, using trusted and reliable resources, both Internet Research and Information Reliability can be done in all sorts of ways. Some of us are old enough to remember the Spaghetti Tree in Panorama - (too young?! Google it…) There are some excellent resources about believing what we read on the Internet. Can you create a website? It may be slightly time-consuming, but you’ll use it again and again… you can constantly update and amend and your students will be amazed and no doubt impressed that you made it!
Essentially embedding IT into your classroom and ultimately the ethos of your school is key to students learning. Industry is telling us that young people are arriving at the workplace with a lack of Digital Skills. It is our responsibility to ensure we start them on the right path. As educators it is our task to enthuse and encourage the use of technology for a variety of tasks. To not be put-off if something goes wrong… How many of us abandon the printer when there’s an error, rather than seeing if we can fix it? Some of your young people may be curious to see if they can help..”Our printer at home does this, Miss…” Every subject can use technology in some way or another. It may not be obvious or ‘usual’ but that shouldn’t matter. Evidence what you are doing, both for parents /.carers but also for your colleagues. Be proud of both your achievements and your student’s achievements with technology - communicate with people at home about the kit you’ve been using. When the students enjoy using technology, they will talk about it, they will want to discover more. Think diversity - GCSE Computer Science is still notoriously boy-heavy. Let’s try and move that along… There are some excellent role models out there; let’s try and create some more for future generations!
