ICT is the way of the future

It's just a shame none of it works right now. The National Library Service came in to school today to show us some kind of flash new search mechanism. Because user friendly web-based search tools need a 2 hour PowerPoint Presentation to show you how to use them...
The only problem was that the laptop wouldn't talk to the projector. A terrible tragedy. And it was the presenter's own gear too. Damn unreliable ICT. Debbie talked a lot about this issue following a conference she went to on the use of ICT in the classroom. There are lots of whizz-bang things that can be done with ICT, but if it's not reliable, or you can't reliably get into a computer lab, it's all rather academic. Roll on the days when computers are cheap enough (or the government wins some kind of internet lottery and has enough money to fully fund education). They did get it sorted, once a technician came in and prodded the laptop for five minutes. The computer lab full of teachers was not particularly patient - a fair few people started reading their email, tooling about on the net generally, and actually visiting the site and taking a look for themselves. Very nice people, presenting a very useful resource, but a little longer and more ironic than would have been ideal.

I am a fan of computers, but increasingly I am also a fan of 1950's style discipline, where you make kids copy out screeds of notes, as much for the pain and suffering as for their educational merits. Kids need more pain and suffering in their lives. Makes them better people.

Note: This is not true. Many kids are spoilt rotten, but many of them are suffering terribly too. The world seems to program many of them to be jittery, self-doubting, and manic, whilst others are over-inflated 'cocks-of-the-walk'. Not all that much has changed since I was at school, but I don't envy today's students. Very few people genuinely have it easy, and punishing kids for reacting to their environment isn't helpful. Doesn't stop me wanting to bring back the electric chair for third formers though...