With the end of 2006 fast approaching it is a time to reflect on some of the issues I have been dealing with over the past year.

I have a degree in Computer Science, have been using computers for 25 years and am truly passionate about what computer technology can do to enhance the lifestyle and career of a 21st century citizen. However, I am puzzled about the subject I currently teach.

I chose to teach ICT because it appears on the outside to be the teaching of the use of computers. However, the national curriculum describes ICT as something completely different to what the public perceives the subject to be. Instead of focusing on the ‘how’ and the ’skill’ to use computers to meet the needs of the future workplace and lifestyle, the national curriculum focuses more on indirect concepts such as ‘audience’ and ‘evaluation’. It is not that considering audience and evaluating work are not important aspects, it is just that they appear to be universal to all subjects. A piece of work produced in History, Geography or even English should have to stand up to the same universal criteria of audience and evaluation to be a truly effective piece of work.

The subject could and should be made a lot more interesting and relevant to the students if the focus was more on the use of the technology to achieve current life needs. ICT should be a ’skill’ that is used in every other subject to help produce work.

The subject of ICT also doesn’t appear to have a natural context. Arbitrary contexts are used to give meaning to a piece of learning (e.g. Make a poster to advertise a film). Time may be better spent if the context used were one that was a real need to the student (e.g. I need to make a thank you letter after Xmas, or I need to make a poster to advertise the school fair - and then each student puts these up around town). More care may be given to the work if it was known that it would be used to achieve a real goal.

Although we have good computer equipment in schools we are still some way from every student having their own laptop computer. ICT should then become a subject that helps develop the student’s ability to complete tasks that they would do as part of their normal life. Students shouldn’t think any more of using the computer to complete their work than they do using a pen, pencil, ruler and calculator.

So as we enter 2007 I make a wish that the subject of ICT changes. I wish for changes that focus on the learning of the computer and the applications that are used to achieve real-life useful tasks. The national curriculum is due for an update. Technology has moved on but the national curriculum hasn’t kept up!