Valerie Thompson Chief Executive e-Learning Foundation It’s not fair!

Our Vision “ It is vitally important that every child in Britain gets access to these technologies, not just for a couple of hours a day in the classroom but when and where they want, so that every child has the opportunity of advancement in our brave new virtual world”

Government priorities £195m more for teachers laptops over the next three years £300m for e-learning credits for the next three years £358m to provide all schools with broadband capability by 2006

Are we asking the right questions? What computer:child ratio should the school aim for? How can schools protect children from unsuitable material on the Internet? How can we prevent abuse of school ICT resources e.g. for playing games, chat rooms? How can we get more funds from Government to buy more computers for the children?

Some other thoughts How many hours a day do we want to provide ICT access to the children? How can we extend access outside the school day? What are we doing about children with no home access or Internet links? How can we help families to support their children’s home use of ICT? Who might have a vested interest in helping schools improve ICT resources? How do we re-structure the role of the teacher to offer support in an extended classroom model?

Reality check 8 Primary children share each computer (5.4 in Secondary schools) Primary schools own 1 laptop on average (10 in Secondary) The average 2003 ICT budget of a Primary school was £11,300, about £35 a head The average ICT budget of a Secondary school was £65,100, about £65 a head

The digital divide – real or imaginary? Homes in London are twice as likely to have a computer as in N Ireland or the North East Homes with both parents resident are twice as likely to have a computer as single parent families Homes in the top three income deciles are five times more likely to own a computer than the bottom three

ImpaCT2 report 2002 “ At this stage, home use is likely to have a much greater impact on many pupil’s learning than use at school” “Pupils without access at home are disadvantaged” “Schools need to develop strategies for ‘bridging the gap’ for those pupils who do not have access to ICT resources, including the Internet, at home”

So what happens if we let children get on with ICT? “In contrast to school use, the nature of use in the home is diverse and wide ranging, leading to rich experiences and facilitating new kinds of self-directed learning” “Pupils are discriminating in their use of the Internet, enabling them to build confidence, skills and literacies in ICT and a range of on-line social and communication skills”

“The opportunities to spend extended periods using ICT in the home means that many pupils have highly developed ICT skills and levels of confidence” “School Internet access may suffer from technical limitations, inaccessibility and constraints of school policy (measures to “protect” children often have the effect of discouraging children from using school resources)” “The “digital divide” between those with and without computers at home remains a serious problem for a minority of pupils”

Funding strategies A.Use Government funds to build your infrastructure, content and communication links and watch 8 pupils share each computer to access it B.Worry about how to replace the computers you’ve got when you get to the next budget year C.Win the lottery D.Rob a bank

Option E A local e-Learning Foundation that will: Help you focus on increasing access for students at school and at home Ensure equity of access to eliminate the impact of the digital divide Help you aim for 24/7 access Work with your parents, other local supporters and national bodies to generate sustainable funding for your school

The e-Learning Foundation model represents one of the few practical solutions to increased individual access that can be adopted, and adapted, at a national and local level

Ask yourself …. Can we continue to live with the disparity of results between working class and middle class children? Can we continue to ignore the evidence of the impact ICT can make? Is it fair that home access to ICT is creating yet another source of disadvantage? Are we not obliged to do whatever we can to provide equity of access?

Valerie Thompson e-Learning Foundation 297 Kingston Road Leatherhead Surrey KT22 7PL Tel:

Local e-LF Wherever, whenever home and community use Wherever, whenever home and community use Equity of access / digital divide Equity of access / digital divide Access at school Mobility Wireless Access at school Mobility Wireless Funding/ sustainabilit y Funding/ sustainabilit y The total e-learning environment Learning resources Technical support Broadband Security Teaching skills & resources