A written report on ICT within the secondary curriculum - Essay Example

Although educational institutions have been slower than most to embrace this technology (Aviram and Richardson (2004) p.2), over the past few years it has been seeking to catch up. With funds now being provided for computers, software, Broadband Internet connection, television and other ICT resources, the government is committed to move towards total integration of ICT within education. To further this they have introduced regulations, which cover most of the curriculum subjects. As ICT is an every changing environment, this creates difficulties, especially within education.

These manifest themselves in how the technology is perceived and the levels of training provided. Graham Davies (1992) observed that most educators perceive ICT as a means of automation and cost cutting, and to a certain extent, this view persists. Training is one of the weakest points in the intended incorporation of ICT into education. As can be seen in table 1 (see appendix 1), although there was a small improvement between 1998 and 1999, less than 40% of teachers received updated training within a two-year period.

The ICT statutory requirements in modern foreign languages target the learning in set areas (National Curriculum in action 2006). In terms of Key stages 3 and 4, ICT is to be used to help students improve the standard of their work, including its correctness, presentation and interpretation. In addition, it will test their skills in language communication and accessing of information from a number of ICT sources, including the Internet. The result is that they should be able to work with and understand actual data, such as newspapers, videos and TV output in original languages.

The aim is to provide the student with the skills that will enable them to use their chosen language in real life, such as future employment situations. For such a strategy, secondary schools will