Lessons to be learned from the super highway

Anyone into computers was a nerd and the only good thing about them was you could play games on them.

There were only a handful of terminals anyway, and there was always a scramble to gain access to them.

That's all changed now as the information super highway has become one of the main routes being taken by schoolchildren everywhere, and computers are cool.

Terminals can be found in every classroom and children are more clued-up than their parents and even school-leavers of just a few years ago.

Greater emphasis is being put on schools to teach pupils about computers, and Tony Blair is keen for youngsters to embrace the age of technology.

But are we teaching our kids to become technology superstars and forgetting the basics of education?

If all they need to learn is how to switch on the terminal and type then will children be forgetting how to write?

Well the answer probably is no. Once you've learned to write it's something you can hardly forget. But how young will schoolchildren be when they start clicking the mouse?

If a five-year-old, who has a small grasp on how to form letters, is being taught to type, will they ever be able to write more than their name?

IT lessons are taught to children as young as five at Worcester's Pitmaston Primary School, but the headteacher believes that the importance of the pen and paper will never be outweighed by computers.

It's just a case of putting the balance in, said Noel Pritchard.

We're really educating them for this century where these skills are becoming everyday."

The school, which has more than 600 pupils and is one of the largest primaries in Worcestershire, has recently opened its second computer suite with internet access on all computers.

Pupils are given one hour's tuition a week and learn how computers can help other subjects.

The younger pupils learn mouse skills and do simple tasks," said Mr Pritchard.

The older pupils can use the computers to help with geography work, e-mail other pupils, friends and parents, and we've got the facility where they can learn office skills."

For pupils aged 11-plus the computer-age has greater implications.

Tony Blair's old school, Edinburgh's Fettes College, has gone one stage further than the occasional lesson in the IT block.

Teachers at the independent school can now issue detentions on-screen and look at pupils' work at the push of a button.

Lessons are also recorded on a webcam and pupils can use them to revise, or simply catch up if they've been absent.

Seventy pupils at Fettes have bought laptops, which can be used anywhere throughout the school.

Lectures at universities are being broadcast over the internet and soon whole courses will be available to be studied online.

One Worcester headteacher believes that this is the way forward.

Over the last 18 months we've opened two new computer suites," said Peter Warner, headteacher at Bishop Perowne CE High School.

Pupils are encouraged right across the curriculum to use computers.

I think eventually all students will have a laptop. I don't think computers will replace schools but there may be remote learning.

There will also be more scope for joining schools together to share lessons, especially sixth form learning where there are smaller class groups.

One teacher can teach a class at one school and it can be broadcast via webcam to another school.

The internet, of course, is a great study tool. How many parents have been told their children need to find out about civilisation in 15th Century Guatemala, interior design of the Tudor period, the life and times of Harold Wilson or the favoured cuisine of 21st Century pop stars?

The internet has huge potential for school projects and essays.

For children aged five to 11-years-old they can log on to Schoolfriend.com

Parents subscribe to the website, which sets children exercises designed to the individual child's needs.

So far teachers in 20 schools in Worcestershire are hooked up to the website, offering tuition for as little as 99p per week.

A city man has also connected to the internet.

David Parker, of Sebright Avenue, off London Road, has set up revisiontime.com, a website aimed at students studying for their GSCEs and A-levels, teachers, and parents.

The website links others together so visitors can find their way to a site, which will be able to help with a particular subject.

There are lots of sites available, said David Parker, who was an internet virgin until March this year.

They tend to have limited information, but this site links a lot together.

The internet is something that's become more important.

The site gives access to newspapers, journals and offers a quote of the day, allowing a wide variety of study.

Eventually the site will also feature SATs and international exams such as the Baccalaureate, which can be studied in some schools in the UK.

So if your child ever says that they need the internet to help with their homework, they may actually be telling the truth.

Are computers keeping us out of touch with the basics?