Steering the Supertanker: Transforming Teaching and Learning Through the Use of ICT

The use of computers within the school curriculum raises critical pedagogical issues. The Maddux (1991) classification of educational computer applications as Type I or Type II remains apposite. Type I applications simply reinforce existing teacher-learner paradigms, whereas Type II applications of ICT (Information and Communications Technology: the UKacronym for EdTech) transform teaching and learning. This paper examines United Kingdom case studies predicated on the Type II approach. The government has, since 1997, invested considerable resources in educational ICT through the provision of computers, teacher training, and broadband connectivity. Despite this considerable body of best practice, some schools and teachers still find it difficult to change their existing praxis. This paper examines ways in which some schools have changed course. In many ways schools are like supertankers: A change of direction requires a considerable amount of forward planning before it takes effect. (C) 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.