Last updated in 2004...
I was successful in my application for one of the above scholarships for 2001/2. The aim was to research the following issue:
The report was submitted to the TEACHER NET website on December 21st 2002, and was available to view on the website as from January 2003
UPDATE 2004
NATIONAL TEACHER RESEARCH CONFERENCE, MARCH 2004
Thanks to Professor Tim Burt of the University of Durham for agreeing to act as my mentor for the duration of the research, and his interest since its completion.
Thanks to Liz Taylor from Cambridge University for commenting on progress..
Thanks to Niel McLean from BECTA for his interest in my work and for the invitation to the seminar on directions in ICT research.
Thanks also to John Pallister, coursework examiner for OCR, who was very helpful in handing out questionnaires at INSET around the country. If you think you filled one of these in, go to the RETURNED page, and you'll see if I have received it.
Thanks to Chris Durbin of Staffordshire Learning Network for his encouragement, and for hosting an excellent forum.
Thanks to Mark Jarvis of UzedInk for Graphic design work on the website.
Thanks to Sarah Maughan for e-mailing details of the Delia project, and David Owen of Sheffield Hallam University for details on the Ecoschool project.
To read the REPORT (submitted December 2002) click the link.
Some of the REFERENCES of documents and reports I have come across and have used for the background research.
Questionnaires were sent out during the week beginning 12/11/01
On THIS PAGE, are the responses to question 3:
WHICH SITES HAVE YOU FOUND PARTICULARLY USEFUL ?
On THIS PAGE, are the responses to question 5:
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THE USE OF THE INTERNET ?
On THIS PAGE, are will appear a 'request' type page, based on question 9:
WHICH INFORMATION WOULD BE MOST USEFUL TO YOU ?
On THIS PAGE are the various PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE ENCOUNTERED.
The results of the AUDIT of existing resources / articles is here. This is a useful page to visit.
For more details on using ICT in Education, go to the new BECTa site ICTADVICE. They have some excellent downloadable sheets. I obtained some of their TIMESAVER sheets, which include information on observing lessons with ICT in mind, and evaluating Internet resources. There's also a questionnaire to use with pupils to evaluate the ICT skills required or developed as a result of using an Internet resource. This would have been useful to have at the start of the information gathering process.
Want some excellent advice on the use of ICT in your lessons, and how to plan for improvement ? Go to this NAACE page.
If you want information about ICT sites, go to Chris Smith's site, which is anything but a SHAMBLES. Recommended.
The QCA site is also increasing its ICT information. This has details of all the various subjects and how ICT can be used in them and improve the delivery of them.
Contact address:
King Edward VII School, Gaywood Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2QB
Has reading this made you want to get involved in improving your own online presence ?
The best place to go for ICT ADVICE is BECTa's site.
Go to the OCR website for details on the CLAIT scheme. There's also the E-LEARNING FOUNDATION.
Perhaps you made a visit to the BETT SHOW in January 2003 for more information on ICT in education. The BETT site is worth a visit, but the show is better...
Try my new ICT LINKS page for more ICT details.
Here is the link to a POWERPOINT presentation which I put together to use at a meeting of Norfolk Geography teachers which I was asked to talk to on the theme of Developing a Website and the Best Practice Research Scholarship. The presentation was in March 2003. See it by clicking HERE.
Also some notes taken at a SEMINAR I attended at BECTa in Coventry in February 2002 regarding the value of ICT research and possible future progress.
Recently came across an assignment that I produced (on my trusty old Amstrad PCW 8256 with the green screen) during my PGCE course in May 1987. It was entitled: "The Use of Computers in the teaching of Geography", and featured some quite good (and still relevant) quotes:
"Geography was one of the first subject areas to take on the use of computers as an aid to learning.... The literature and software now available is considerable ... [but] the use of computers by geography teachers is disappointingly limited" (Kent, 1987)
"Even if computers did not develop unique skills they could be justified on the grounds of bringing variety into our teaching and thereby stimulating pupil interest" (Wiegand and Orrell, 1982)
"It is a mistake to think that the computer... is the best educational innovation since chalk" (Kent, 1983)
"For the teacher, the word processor is an invaluable tool. No longer will there be handwriting illegibility problems or dodgy typing on prepared resources. They allow the production of 'perfect' worksheets and banda masters. These can be stored, to be updated when required. Report writing is made quicker by the use of stored 'phrases' which are recalled from memory by the touch of just two keys." (Parkinson, 1987)
"There are always pressures on teachers' time, but because new technology has something to offer them it is worth the time investment for exploration, development and use" (Fox and Tapsfield, 1986)
"If geography teachers fail to exploit the computer to the full, the public image of the subject is bound to suffer... failure to use them... will appear as a sign of technological backwardness, particularly in a subject... in which there is a long tradition of computer use." (Midgley and Walker, 1985)
