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Education

Technology for engaging England’s pupils

By Alice Kok | 30 December 2008

Commissioned by the UK government’s technology agency Becta, new research by Manchester Metropolitan University shows that online learning has been useful in engaging students who have become disaffected by education, and is helping to re-engage those who are not succeeding in school or are not learning by traditional teaching methods.

Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of Becta, said: “Technology is part of everyday life for young people today, so it makes sense that they respond so well to it when it’s used to help them to learn.” However, students do not want to see text books disappear altogether. England’s teenagers like traditional teaching methods. While they are “very positive” about using computers in class, they are “less enthusiastic about learning which takes place entirely online”.

To keep the attention of students, ICT policies must provide a mix of online learning with traditional teaching and learning.

The research was conducted to look at how online learning is being used to support education in secondary schools. It was found that 80 per cent of teachers agree that technology has had an impact on engaging pupils in their learning, while six in 10 feels that it has allowed teachers to better meet the needs of their students.

Most schools across the country are using interactive white boards instead of blackboards, and many pupils are using computers to carry out work. 80 per cent of schools are using a website to provide information to parents.

The introduction of online assessment has allowed teachers to monitor pupils’ progress easier, ensuring records are kept up to date, minimising student loss of work, and it has also made it easier for students to contact their teachers outside of school hours.

“It’s amazing to see how some schools are already using the online world— including school intranets, video conferencing, email and even social networking sites—to motivate their pupils and get them excited about learning,” says Crowne.

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