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In its report, Harnessing Technology, transforming learning and children's services, published last year, the government set out its strategic approach to teaching information and communications technology (ICT) in schools to ensure pupils would one day be "participating fully in a technology rich society".
Schools are a vital arena in which to develop ICT skills, and the subject is now afforded the same status as maths, English and science. This means that children will be exposed to some form of ICT from perhaps as early as three years old.
But while there have been reports that children as young as two are becoming computer literate - and scare stories about them accessing unsuitable websites - what the youngest members of the school community will be taught may have more to do with how to change television channels or work a CD player then it will surfing the internet.
In its guidance on teaching ICT during these early years, the government says it should be taught across the curriculum, and puts the emphasis on technology, saying children should be made aware of what's around them - washing machines, street lights, telephones - and how it works.
Clare Thomas, a reception teacher at a north London school, says: "The whole idea is learning through play." And this is done in a number of ways.
Many reception classrooms will now have a designated "role play" area, such as a mock supermarket, where pupils could learn to enter amounts on an electronic till - which also teaches them number recognition - scan goods and swipe "credit cards".
"Talking books" - books with accompanying CDs - are also becoming a crucial tool of the classroom. There are now a plethora of them, teaching children how to use CD players while at the same time helping them follow the story they hear in the book.
The last few years have also seen a significant rise in the number of "programmable toys" now available in schools. Beebots, for example, are mini robots that can be programmed to follow directions.
When pupils do get on to a computer, lessons will focus on developing simple mouse skills through drawing pictures, dressing teddy bears, playing number games or creating a town on screen.
As an example of the cross-curricular approach to ICT in the foundation years, Ms Thomas' says she has used her lessons about caterpillars to teach maths and computer skills.
Over the course of a term, her class has been looking after the creatures, monitoring how they grow into butterflies.
Using computers, and a specific painting programme, the class has learnt about symmetry and patterns by drawing a butterfly on screen, which brings in a mathematical element. Ms Thomas has also taught pupils how to print their pictures, an example of more traditional computer use.
"Using the computers reinforces what we have done in class," says Ms Thomas.
"The purpose for children is to explore symmetry, but also to learn how to print. It was maths, but I had a particular ICT objective in mind.
"That's where the foundation education is successful, because it's cross-curricular," she adds.
Because of the nature of ICT teaching in the early years, it is easy for parents to support their child's learning at home. And while many households have computers, they are not always to back up teaching in pre-school and reception classes.
Some schools have developed their own websites to offer advice for parents. Sir Robert Hitcham's primary school, in Suffolk, for example, has a dedicated section for parents on its ICT website.
The website suggests parents encourage children to change television channels and learn how to turn the set on and off. They can also teach children how to use a tape player and learn how to record themselves talking or singing. It also suggests playing with remote controlled vehicles, or electrical instruments, such as keyboards.
Parents with computers can help children use the mouse, such as how to click and hold it down and drag items across the screen. If a child is struggling, it suggests getting a mouse designed for children, which is half the size of those for adults, and names suitable early years programmes.
Computers have already made an indelible mark on society, and most jobs now require some form of computer literacy. As technology continues to advance, the teaching of ICT, particularly in the early years of education, is likely to become further ingrained into the curriculum to give the next generation the tools needed for tomorrow's workplace.
Useful links
Sir Robert Hitcham's primary school www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/foundation/ict_for_parents.htm DfES Harnessing Technology www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/e-strategy/
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