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ICT in schools

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

I was at a meeting with lots of tech firms. They were all complaining that we don't teach technology in this country and they have no choice but to recruit from other countries.

One of the speakers described school teaching as "telling them to put their smart phones away, teaching them secretarial and admin skills on kit that is 20 years out of date and calling it technology".

Another said that graduates are leaving with no concept of programming.

What is your experience/opinion?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Dont know what its like now but the only 'IT' lessons i had were when i had chosen to study 'Business & Communication' as a GCSE exam.

I completed those back in 2004

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By *iceguydaveMan
over a year ago

Monmouth

Spot on. Schools are teaching our youngsters to be *consumers* of tech (i.e. content), with no understanding of how it works. One of my kids is being made to design brochures using MS Office software, as part of am ICT project. In his own time he is teaching himself Object Oriented Programming and doing some HTML5 and CCS3 web dev stuff as well, so he recognises that this isn't 'proper IT skills'.

Sadly I think it comes down to the level of competency of many of the teaching staff. Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not having a pop, my late wife was an ICT teacher and I know the difference between good and bad ones

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By *londeCazWoman
over a year ago

Arse End of the Universe, Cumbria

I worked as an ICT classroom assistant from 2000 - 2004 for KS3/4 and A/AS level. During that time our GCSE Students did a 3 table relational database as their major project and a spreadsheet including things like conditional formating, what-ifs and pivot tables as their minor project. A/AS level students worked on Visual Basic Projects as well as bigger RDB projects and at KS 3 we did HTML, CAD/CAM and animation as well as databases, spreadsheets, presentations and WP...whilst there was no programming as such, we gave our students a decent broad spectrum of IT to challenge them and stand them in good stead for the future...dunno whether that's changed in the 8 years since I moved on from there

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

why would your every day type of person need to know about programming unless you were going to work within that industry or field of expertise?

My brother his doing a diploma in programming and then wanting to upgrade it to the degree once he's finished the current course. I really have no idea where he will go to work to use his new found skills.

Think children of GCSE level should be taught about things that matter in life, like financial matters, family life & parenting, Drugs & misuse, more indepth stuff on sexual health, law

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

Is Raspberry Pi part of the answer? Should I be getting this for the children in my life to give them a head start?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

It would be helpful if kids left schools with basic english and maths skills.

So many rely on spell checker and calculators that they are lost without them.

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"why would your every day type of person need to know about programming unless you were going to work within that industry or field of expertise?

My brother his doing a diploma in programming and then wanting to upgrade it to the degree once he's finished the current course. I really have no idea where he will go to work to use his new found skills.

Think children of GCSE level should be taught about things that matter in life, like financial matters, family life & parenting, Drugs & misuse, more indepth stuff on sexual health, law "

I think the point that these industry giants were making is that when they create jobs they can't find the skills here so they have to import the skills or set up operations elsewhere.

I agree that financial planning and management should be taught as well.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"I was at a meeting with lots of tech firms. They were all complaining that we don't teach technology in this country and they have no choice but to recruit from other countries.

One of the speakers described school teaching as "telling them to put their smart phones away, teaching them secretarial and admin skills on kit that is 20 years out of date and calling it technology".

Another said that graduates are leaving with no concept of programming.

What is your experience/opinion?"

The ICT teaching is this country is shocking. The 8-bit microcomputer revolution of the 1980s (Spectrum, Commodore, etc.) gave us a generation of programmers, and one of the best games industries in the world.

These days, kids are taught how to use PowerPoint, something you can learn in 10 minutes. Most people don't use algebra in their everyday life but it is still taught. Children should be taught how computers work, and part of that includes basic (not BASIC) programming. LOGO is still a good way of doing this, and the Raspberry PI has a lot of potential.

Where is the next generation of programmers going to come from if we don't provide the spark for them? This country is desperate for programming talent, and the schools should be nurturing it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Is Raspberry Pi part of the answer? Should I be getting this for the children in my life to give them a head start?"

Just get them a free copy of Visual Studio Express and tell them to write you a program!

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By *phroditeWoman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland


"I worked as an ICT classroom assistant from 2000 - 2004 for KS3/4 and A/AS level. During that time our GCSE Students did a 3 table relational database as their major project and a spreadsheet including things like conditional formating, what-ifs and pivot tables as their minor project. A/AS level students worked on Visual Basic Projects as well as bigger RDB projects and at KS 3 we did HTML, CAD/CAM and animation as well as databases, spreadsheets, presentations and WP...whilst there was no programming as such, we gave our students a decent broad spectrum of IT to challenge them and stand them in good stead for the future...dunno whether that's changed in the 8 years since I moved on from there "

I would agree that that is what is needed. I can understand the argument that not everybody is interested in IT or would necessarily use it in their professional career, however, and this is a big HOWEVER, a basic understanding of IT, the net and the security threats alone are important to keep people safe. In addition, I would argue that many people feel similarly about Maths/ English/ Science, they never liked it and did not think they would ever need it again!

This, as a side issue is also about delivering / receiving a solid broad based education which IMHO is so important in the increasingly competitive job market.

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By *phroditeWoman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland


"

Where is the next generation of programmers going to come from if we don't provide the spark for them? This country is desperate for programming talent, and the schools should be nurturing it.

"

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"I worked as an ICT classroom assistant from 2000 - 2004 for KS3/4 and A/AS level. During that time our GCSE Students did a 3 table relational database as their major project and a spreadsheet including things like conditional formating, what-ifs and pivot tables as their minor project. A/AS level students worked on Visual Basic Projects as well as bigger RDB projects and at KS 3 we did HTML, CAD/CAM and animation as well as databases, spreadsheets, presentations and WP...whilst there was no programming as such, we gave our students a decent broad spectrum of IT to challenge them and stand them in good stead for the future...dunno whether that's changed in the 8 years since I moved on from there

I would agree that that is what is needed. I can understand the argument that not everybody is interested in IT or would necessarily use it in their professional career, however, and this is a big HOWEVER, a basic understanding of IT, the net and the security threats alone are important to keep people safe. In addition, I would argue that many people feel similarly about Maths/ English/ Science, they never liked it and did not think they would ever need it again!

This, as a side issue is also about delivering / receiving a solid broad based education which IMHO is so important in the increasingly competitive job market. "

The thing that we keep failing to grasp is the competition is not with each other but from other countries where they have invested in education, or people have an aspiration to learn.

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By *histler21Man
over a year ago

Ipswich

[Removed by poster at 30/11/12 18:15:20]

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By *histler21Man
over a year ago

Ipswich

My son did Computer Science at uni. He was specifically warned NOT to study ICT at A Level.

Universities are *much* more interested in having good grades in Further Maths.

He won a BCS final year prize for a phone app which took a photo of a sudoku grid and solved it in 8 seconds from start to end.

I put a lot of this down to buying him Visual Basic when he was at secondary school.

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"My son did Computer Science at uni. He was specifically warned NOT to study ICT at A Level.

Universities are *much* more interested in having good grades in Further Maths.

He won a BCS final year prize for a phone app which took a photo of a sudoku grid and solved it in 8 seconds from start to end.

I put a lot of this down to buying him Visual Basic when he was at secondary school."

Good for him. The World should be his lobster now.

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By *histler21Man
over a year ago

Ipswich


"My son did Computer Science at uni. He was specifically warned NOT to study ICT at A Level.

Universities are *much* more interested in having good grades in Further Maths.

He won a BCS final year prize for a phone app which took a photo of a sudoku grid and solved it in 8 seconds from start to end.

I put a lot of this down to buying him Visual Basic when he was at secondary school.

Good for him. The World should be his lobster now."

It is.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

So what happened to Log Books and a slide rule then ???????

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I know I am generalising here but...Are there anywhere nearly as many men teaching in secondary school these days?

In the 70's when I was in (a boys) school it was mostly male teachers so there was always an interest in such things as programming or engineering, even if it was just the lunchtime club. Obviously there are some women who are very keen on coding etc but perhaps there is not the impetus from the female staff.

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By *histler21Man
over a year ago

Ipswich


"So what happened to Log Books and a slide rule then ???????"

Mine are in my loft.

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