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In the olden days, teachers just stood in front of the class with chalk in hand writing on a blackboard. Nowadays, with the advancement in technology we have interactive white boards (IWBs) and other new equipment to aid with learning.

These IWBs can work as an overhead projector, television, computer, DVD player and more.

Most people’s homes are filled with all the latest technology and so schools have tried to keep up. But with the problems discussed in the last few articles regarding how mobile phone technology can have adverse effects on the learning environment, the question above does need to be asked.

Are school children becoming lazy with all these gadgets? And, were the old methods of instilling discipline the best?

These are important issues to address.

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Online learning is proving to be very popular these days. With the rising costs of going to university and funding further education, it makes more sense to some people to start work and take a distance learning course.

You can gain all manner of practical and vocational skills on these courses and these cover all different types of subjects. You can now choose to study for a degree online; either full or part time. In some cases, the costs of these courses can be spread across the course and they can prove to be cheaper in the long-term with no travel costs and the higher costs of physically attending a university or secondary education institution.

Some critics have argued that online learning limits the social interaction between the learner and the classroom, but there is still one to one tuition and personal tutors to make use of and ask questions every step of the way.

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The schools and universities in the UK are risking being left behind in setting the standards for education a new report has warned. The global OECD report suggests that if the recession results in a reduced level of investment, then this may impact on the UK’s standing as having some of the best education establishments in the world.

The government has been warned that this may happen if it cuts spending on schools and universities during this period of recession. The education study has found that the UK has some of the highest drop-out rates in the world. If investment in education is reduced the UK risks being surpassed by other nations who have copied the UK’s education policies successfully.

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The secretly-recorded video of a teacher that was filmed doing a ‘chicken dance’ in the classroom in front of his pupils has sparked a debate on the use of new technology in the classroom.

As technology advances and videos recorded on the latest mobile phones can be quickly uploaded onto sites like YouTube, it begs the question; will technology now be used against authorities in education?

Phil Ryan, a science teacher and head of year, had only done the dance to entertain his Year 11 pupils at Broadgreen International School in Liverpool, but the video has become a hit on YouTube.

Teachers are now being warned about the perils of the internet and education authorities are to raise awareness about the risks posed by new technology.

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Lord Baker, the former Conservative education secretary, is supporting plans for up to 100 technical schools to be opened within the next few years. These will help to train the next generation of mechanics, builders and engineers.

Lord Baker was also involved in getting behind the City Technology Colleges network, set up in the late 1980s and which specialised in computing and technology. This helped with the advancement of technology and education.

These latest technical schools will utilise the latest in information technology and give the modern worker the opportunity to learn core skills as well as the practical skills needed to succeed in their chosen profession.

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With all sectors affected by the recession, the universities have been unable escape it. There are now more people in applying for places in higher education than ever before, but rather than the government being able to celebrate this achievement many students this year may find that there are no places available for them.

Universities have had to cut back on spending which in turn has led to a squeeze on the number of places available. I suspect that the jump in the number of people applying to universities is due to the lack of jobs available during these credit crunch times. Many of those who would normally have been able to find employment fairly easily find themselves out of work with nothing to occupy them. In these cases getting a degree seems a good alternative.

Ministers are trying to get university’s to offer more places, but this is unlikely to happen as the ministers are not offering them any more money to do so.

Those who already have a university place guaranteed for September should consider themselves very lucky, while those who are not so fortunate may have to wait until next year before they can start their degree course, when hopefully the economy will be in a better state.

Tags: recession, students, university places

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Truancy is rising in schools all across the country and now they are having to come up with new ways to combat the problem. Schools in Derbyshire are hoping that a new text alert system will help. One School in Chesterfield already uses the system to alert parents when their child is absent from School.

It has been reported that over the course of the school year more than eight million days are lost by Children not attending, which is why the government is providing funds for around 400 schools which are suffering most from these truancy problems. The funds will go towards installing these text alert systems which schools hope with clamp down on those pupils who decide to go truant.

Whatever system is put in place it will only work if there is co-operation between the parents and the school.

Tags: schools, text alert system, Truancy

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Every summer when the latest school or college students receive their exam results it’s the same headlines in the news stating that exams are getting easier.

Year upon year more students achieve top grades and this year is no different. Students in Scotland are always the first to receive their results and this summer almost 16,000 students waited for theirs either in the post or via text and email. It was reported that there was yet again an increased percentage in the number of students receiving top grades, with 24% of higher students receiving grade A.

Rather than immediately assuming that the exams must be getting easier I agree with Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish Education Secretary when she stated,

the results were a testament to the abilities of Scotland’s youngsters and a cause for optimism in the nation’s economic future

Tags: exam results, grade A, students

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I don’t think any of us are in doubt that the use of technology in schools is increasing all the time. But the big question is:

Is it technology for technology sake or does it actually help children to learn?

Walk into any classroom today and there is sure to be an interactive whiteboard. These whiteboards act as computers, overhead projectors, TV’s and DVD players to name but a few of its functions. Many teachers have wholly embraced this technology and use it to its full potential where as others argue that it hinders the teaching process and that the traditional text book or chalk on blackboard approach works much better.

Ultimately I am of the mind that when used properly technology can be a great way to engage children in their school subjects, allowing them to interact and get involved rather than just sitting at a desk and copying from a book. If a teacher does not fully embrace this technology however then I feel it is detrimental to utilise it half heartedly and that in these cases traditional teaching methods will work better. As technology advances I’m sure this question will be brought up again and again, but as more people enter into the teaching profession one would assume that they have been brought up in a more technically savvy world and therefore will be able to make use of classroom technology more efficiently. What do you think?

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With Swine flu still very much in the headlines many parents are worried that the number of people infected by the virus will rise once children return to school in September. If the situation gets worse government officials have not ruled out that some schools may remain shut over the autumn months.

This seems like a sensible idea and the government have already put contingency plans in place just in case this scenario occurs. These contingency plans consist of utilising technology so that children can continue with their education from home. Children may be receiving their homework via email and liaise with their teachers via the internet.

Government officials are keen to point out however that utilising this technology to teach our children is not an alternative to schools and aims to maintain the relationship between schools, parents and children.

Learning via the internet is not a new concept but if these plans do come into effect in September it will be interesting to see if virtual schools work on a large scale. As always, each child is different and it seems to me that some children will return to school up to date with the curriculum while others will return, up to date with the latest computer games and TV programmes.

Tags: swine flu, Virtual Schools

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