My experience of ICT at school was poor, to say the least. Long, dull projects around the uses of Excel or database software, designing a bloated PowerPoint about the European Union, producing endless posters for topic work; although I enjoyed using IT outside school, within the curriculum it was something I wished I could have avoided! However, vast changes in the technology curriculum in the last few years mean that the new 'Computing' course is something to which I have been actively looking forward.
Focusing much more on computer science and digital literacy, although still preparing students for the workplace with ICT elements, the new Computing Curriculum is a huge overhaul of the old regime. Rather than users, students are now creators. This is incredibly exciting for me as a trainee teacher - I can help to shape the future of tech through my students! Computing can also teach vital problem solving and maths skills, can be fitted into any area of the curriculum, and will help to future-proof our children's skill sets. A lot of the ICT I learnt at school is now obsolete. I have an ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) in Microsoft Office 2003, a qualification which took months and is no longer relevant in 2016. However, the new Computing Curriculum should be able to weather any technological advances, as it teaches general skills rather than software-specific knowledge. Our first computing lecture explained the three strands of the new curriculum - Computer Science (programming, understanding networks, analysing problems), Information Technology (using tech and generating digital content) and Digital Literacy (ensuring students are confident, competent and safe users of tech). I am most excited by the Computer Science element of the course, and have started off my self-directed learning by borrowing a Bee-Bot from the university. This is a small floor robot which can help teach programming and directional language to children as young as 3. I will be investigating how it works and having a go myself, before I'm let loose on a classroom. Watch this space to see how I get on! Links The Computing National Curriculum (KS1/2 focus) - www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/primary_national_curriculum_-_computing.pdf Bee-Bots - www.bee-bot.us
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|