Given that we have ICT as a subject rather than a cross-curricular theme? What should it look like. We have voices in government asking for the teaching of Computer Science yet so far they have not been clear about what that means. The word programming is banded about but it ought perhaps to be more than that?
Our present National Curriculum for ICT may not have done us any favours in that it appeared to move teachers away from teaching pupils to control computers. Have applications and programmes become the mediators of ICT in schools? The numerous cloud based applications becoming popular may be further cementing this problem. The best ones are open ended allowing pupils to have a degree of control and to be creative e.g. quadblogging http://quadblogging.net/ . Of course there is a distinction between teaching and learning about ICT and teaching and learning other subjects using ICT.
Fifteen years ago the use of Seymour Paperts programming language LOGO was enabling primary aged pupils to take control of a computer, versions with screen sprites appeared to offer a bridge to applications such as gaming. Do we need to reexamine the best of those options along with control technology and other options?
The new computer Rasberry Pi may offer primary schools an opportunity to look at computing differently.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/
ICT is about to dissapplied from the National Curriculum, schools are to be given more choice in their approach. This is a great opportunity to look at ICT afresh. ICT as a subject and ICT as a fantastic tool for learners and teachers. This opportunity will require the whole primary profession to engage with change.
In may ways this is a great time to be in primary education and into ICT, the pupils certainly are.
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