ICT to be scrapped

[Badger]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16493929



It's about time they got rid of "Spreadsheets for Dummies" in favour of something a bit more useful.

 

[Simster]

Indeed, and not before time. We're at the stage where primary school kids get to use computers in ways that enhance their work, so ICT would just be a tedious backward step.

 

[Curious Orange]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16493929



It's about time they got rid of "Spreadsheets for Dummies" in favour of something a bit more useful.

It always amazes me that kids who are apparently taught to use Word consistently show no knowledge of what [F7] does...

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

They should teach people how to f***ing spell judging by my facebook feed. It's embarrassing!

 

[essbee]

Please for gawd's sake teach them something about how computers work and how to program the bleeding
things, at least conceptually if not using a useful programming language.

 

[Birdie Boy]

Great but who is going to teach it? All these teachers with Word, Excel knowledge do they all know how to program as well?

 

[Badger]

It always amazes me that kids who are apparently taught to use Word consistently show no knowledge of what [F7] does...

They probably just think those squiggly lines are for styling.

Most kids are already experts in using MS Office by the time they reach secondary school so they stuff they get taught at the moment is a complete insult. In fact when I was at school we got taught on MS Works and at home I was using Office so was effectively taking a backwards step. With skills like that I could have come straight out of school and into a career in data entry.

It's little wonder the intake of Computer Science undergraduates has fallen since the 90s, there is a complete mystery surrounding what it is and people assume it's the same as ICT.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

I think kids need to learn about different operating systems, how to navigate filesystems, how to effectively google things, how to copy and paste images, CC and BCC people on emails, use keyboard shortcuts, make posters, how NOT to use comic sans and word art, how to set up wifi, how to NOT download every toolbar for your browser... and a lot more PRACTICAL things!

 

[Badger]

Great but who is going to teach it? All these teachers with Word, Excel knowledge do they all know how to program as well?

Teachers need to be trained, it's not too hard to pick up the basics of programming and a lot of people will have done some in the past. That was the other thing that annoyed me about ICT, none of the teachers where specialists they just taught it as a second subject because they "liked using computers".

 

[Beach Hut]

It would be far better to teach young people how to construct an email with proper sentences, some of the mails I get from graduates in my company are appalling to say the least.

 

[JetsetJimbo]

Even when I was doing my GCSEs, in the late 1990s, it was painfully obvious that most of the kids had a better knowledge of IT (as it was called then) than the teachers who were supposed to be imparting their knowledge to us. I think there's a place for a general "office skills" type qualification, and there's also place for a qualification in coding and more technical skills (which I desperately wish I'd had the opportunity to learn back then).

 

[essbee]

Birdie boy,

As Badger says, let the teachers learn themselves! I was very fortunate - I learnt programming from a teacher
who had programmed in industry (this was back in the 80's). Loved every second of it,.

 

[Curious Orange]

Just out of interest, does anybody actually use Microsoft Publisher in the real world, as apparently everything is done using it at my sister's college?

 

[beorhthelm]

excellent timing, coming on the same day as the Raspberry Pi project goes into production. this project aims to produce small cheap computers (~£25)to get kids learning how to use the actual computer nuts and bolts.

 

[drew]

Not sure exactly what most of you are babbling on about. Kids (yes kids) should be taught how to use programmes to support whatever they are learning, be that presenting their work, researching their work, designing their work. There is absolutely no reason to teach kids how to write programmes. I teach driving. I don't teach people how to take a gear box apart. Most jobs involve some use of computers but you would expect the checkout team at Tesco to be able to write and EPOS programme. Or your local garage mechanic to write an engine diagnostic programme. Unless you have a desire to work in computers you don't really need to know how it works in too much detail, so by all means have the programming courses as part of your options.

 

[Braders]

I think kids need to learn about different operating systems, how to navigate filesystems, how to effectively google things, how to copy and paste images, CC and BCC people on emails, use keyboard shortcuts, make posters, how NOT to use comic sans and word art, how to set up wifi, how to NOT download every toolbar for your browser... and a lot more PRACTICAL things!

Definitely this!! and also basic programming so that if they wish to persue it are completely snow blinded by it when it comes to later college/University

 

[Curious Orange]

Not sure exactly what most of you are babbling on about. Kids (yes kids) should be taught how to use programmes to support whatever they are learning, be that presenting their work, researching their work, designing their work. There is absolutely no reason to teach kids how to write programmes. I teach driving. I don't teach people how to take a gear box apart. Most jobs involve some use of computers but you would expect the checkout team at Tesco to be able to write and EPOS programme. Or your local garage mechanic to write an engine diagnostic programme. Unless you have a desire to work in computers you don't really need to know how it works in too much detail, so by all means have the programming courses as part of your options.

Erm, isn't the point about ICT that it isn't teaching them anything that they don't already know?

 

[sten_super]

Not sure exactly what most of you are babbling on about. Kids (yes kids) should be taught how to use programmes to support whatever they are learning, be that presenting their work, researching their work, designing their work. There is absolutely no reason to teach kids how to write programmes. I teach driving. I don't teach people how to take a gear box apart. Most jobs involve some use of computers but you would expect the checkout team at Tesco to be able to write and EPOS programme. Or your local garage mechanic to write an engine diagnostic programme. Unless you have a desire to work in computers you don't really need to know how it works in too much detail, so by all means have the programming courses as part of your options.

The point is that a lot of kids already know these basics - there's no point spending time re-hashing what they already know. I can see the point of teaching them how to do some stuff in Excel (which they may not have much experience with) but teaching them to use Word, when kids all word-process essays as a matter of course anyway, is ridiculous. Learning some (even very rudimentary) computer programming may help them with their logical thinking and problem solving, so it's got to be worth a shot.

 

[beorhthelm]

Not sure exactly what most of you are babbling on about. Kids (yes kids) should be taught how to use programmes to support whatever they are learning, be that presenting their work, researching their work, designing their work. There is absolutely no reason to teach kids how to write programmes. I teach driving. I don't teach people how to take a gear box apart.

but you dont spend 5 years teaching people to drive. i think the problem is that there's been too much focus on the passive use of a narrow range of applications, rather than an active, deeper and broader IT eduction. after a couple of years you should know all there is to usfully know about Word and Excel and should be learning how to do stuff with the computer. in English, you dont spend 5 years only reading the works of shakespear, but understanding the structure of the writing and writing creative work yourself.

 

[gullshark]

Teach them databases (NOT access, something like SQL) and something creative (like say, Flash). Thank goodness I actually learned programming in computing lessons as all we had were BBC Micros!

God knows what we are going to do as a country now you won't be able to get a qualification in making stuff bold in Word.