ICT IN SCHOOLS

1. ICT IN SCHOOLS A Presentation by Thomas More Catholic School, Purley, England for the Erasmus+ Breaking Down School Barriers Project Trip to HämeenkylänKoulu, Vantaa, Finland, 4-9 March 2018

2. Information Communication Technology (ICT) is constantly changing with new innovations all the time. ICT is pivotal in schools and by embracing these innovations, teachers can enhance their practices and encourage high-quality learning. Here are one company’s five top tips for getting the best out of ICT in schools: Promote 21st century educators Ensure that all teachers have the knowledge, tools and enthusiasm to fully integrate quality learning activities into ICT thereby maximising the classroom experience for the students and education in general. 2. Keep Best Practice Guidelines for all ICT hardware and software These should be part of the classroom and the lesson plan. 3. Create a virtual circle based around ICT and innovative teaching Teachers who are more engaged with ICT in the classroom show greater use of innovative teaching methods. 4. Use ICT to link home and school effectively ICT can do this by increased communication and transparency, as well as recreating a positive environment. Engaging parents also increases student motivation, helping to raise standards. 5. Positive associations with computers Children associate positivity with computers and therefore welcome them as a learning platform. Technology should be embraced, and its appeal to students should be considered as positive!

4. THE BENEFITS OF USING ICT IN SCHOOLS Resources By using ICT, students can easily obtain resources and information as well as learn to become effective and independent learners which is essential for their future. Websites such as Google and Wikipedia give answers to queries within a matter of seconds. 2. Students love using ICT Students really enjoy making use of computers, laptops and tablets to learn. Teachers and students are able to use innovative programmes to enhance teaching and learning. The majority of students have access to the internet and are able to do their homework on a computer. 3. Preparing students for life in the global world Using ICT in schools gives students skills for the future. By learning to do effective research using a computer, they are preparing themselves for their future in the workplace. It is important that they keep up with new technology as companies are acquiring more technology to improve their services and productions. 4. Conserve the environment By doing their work on computers, students can submit it online and save paper. In 2012, in the USA alone, enough paper was thrown away to heat 50 million homes for 20 years, so the more paper we save, the better! 5. All students benefit Students from low income families or disabled students benefit from the use of ICT in schools. For example, ICT means disabled students are on an equal footing and can do as well as others. ICT supports different teaching and learning methods which is beneficial to all types of learners.

5. THE DRAWBACKS OF USING ICT IN SCHOOLS Cost More and more resources are being put into ICT in schools which is very expensive. It needs trained staff to maintain it correctly. 2. Misuse of ICT Students often use school computers to visit sites such as social networking sites and other sites they are not supposed to use during school time. This distracts them from their learning and could result in lower achievement. They are liable to exposure to unsuitable material. 3. Computer dependency Students can become dependent on computers and technology meaning they fail to learn to do tasks ‘by hand’ and failing to use traditional methods of communication, for example talking to one another! 4. Plagiarism Plagiarism (copying the work of others) has increased, as students can easily find pre-written work online and thereby gain unfair results for their coursework and homework.

6. ICT AT THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

7. How our IT system works At Thomas More Catholic School we use a server to manage and provide internet to approximately 450 computers. For classrooms that are far away from the server room, we use fibre optic cables which allow data to be sent and received faster. The data sent through fibre optic cables is sent through light. Our CCTV system is connected to the server. Fibre optic cables, server room and switches

8. Internet Router and Server Cabling and Air Conditioner to Cool the Server Room

9. ICT LESSONS AT THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL The Computer Science and ICT department offers students a range of stimulating learning opportunities through a variety of courses at Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. For most of us, technology is essential to our lives, at home and at work. ‘Computational thinking’ is a skill that all pupils must learn if they are to be ready for the workplace and able to participate effectively in the digital world. Through the new programme of study for computing, students learn how computers and computer systems work, they learn to design and build programmes, to develop their ideas using technology and to create a range of digital content at all key stages. Computer Science & ICT at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-13) Skills learned at Key Stage 3 drive achievement at Key stage 4 and 5. Computer science and ICT at Thomas More focuses on how computers and computer systems work, how they are designed and how they are programmed. At key stage 3 we have a range of stimulating topics and projects that provide a broad education encouraging creativity and equipping students with knowledge and skills to understand and change the world. Our current Key Stage 3 curriculum includes data handling, graphics, programming, computational thinking, designing algorithms, presentation and games design.  

10. What is it the difference between Computer Science & Information Communication Technology? Computer Science is the scientific and practical study of computation: what can be computed, how to compute it, and how computation may be applied to the solution of problems. Information Communication Technology is concerned with how computers and telecommunications equipment work, and how they may be applied to the storage, retrieval, transmission and manipulation of data. Computer Science & ICT Options at Key Stage 4 (ages 13-16) Students in Years 9, 10 and 11 have the opportunity to study the following options within the department: ·    CiDA - Certificate in Digital Applications (Edexcel/Pearson) ·    GCSE Computing 1-9 (OCR) Computer Science & ICT Options at Key Stage 5 (ages 16-18) ·     BTEC National Level 3 Extended Certificate (NQF)

11. OTHER USES OF ICT IN THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL School Website Our school website, www.tmore.org.uk is regularly updated to keep parents, guests, staff etc informed of what is happening in school. Parents who wish to apply for a place in the school can find out more about the school and our admissions criteria as well as download an application form. Teachers2Parents This is an emailing and texting system that enables us to contact all parents quickly an efficiently ensuring there are good lines of communication between the school and them. Safeguarding ICT for Child Protection Policy The above policy is in place to deal with e-safety issues, for example, exposure to unsuitable material, grooming etc. Twitter Of course we have a Twitter feed! @TMCSPurley

12. CCTV The school has recently installed a comprehensive CCTV system thereby providing greater security for all people on site. Electronic Bulletin Board We have three screens in the main entrance hall showing, amongst other things, photographs of recent events at the school, the news and footage of school life from the early 20th century to the present day.