interesting

[GrumbleDook]

Ok ... let us forget about the amount of Govt money poured into this, the amount of hardware that has been bought or the amount of technician time it has taken to get this thing working.

Consider that this has forced schools to change how they approach KS3 ICT so that for at least 6 months (ie in year 9) they are not teaching "This is how you use ICT using just Microsoft applications" ... but they are teaching the kids how to adapt to a different environment.

Surely that is a good thing ...

Now I have to face the Head of ICT to explain to her that we are still going ahead and treating this as if it is still going ahead properly ... she will be happy as it will help her with her arguement that ICT should be treated as a core subject here.

[kingswood]

It's hard to quantify the usefulness of something that isn't broadly available. From a subjective point of view using a new environment will help students adapt to the changing world of ICT. But how many students has it *actually* helped in this area? I would say very few. And mostly because this test isn't yet consistent. It has caused too many teething problems and students have had to oftne ride out those technical storms whilst RM or networks get to grips with the things themselves. And of course they will still be teaching "this is how you use ICT..." just "this is how you use ICT using RMs front end testing software.." Because if they don't then students will mostly be lost in the interface.

As for us we will continue to use the test until and unless we get an official sanction to stop. If you read the article the test will still be used in any case, just as a tool for teaching assessment. So it will no doubt still be there, just not in its present context.

Good points Tony.

Paul

[russdev]

....
Now I have to face the Head of ICT to explain to her that we are still going ahead and treating this as if it is still going ahead properly ... she will be happy as it will help her with her arguement that ICT should be treated as a core subject here.

That is our view as well...

Just remember not going away until at least 2013 so you are still going to have to invest time and money in it and to be honest I don't think it will go in 2013 then just reinvented in different format.


russ

[CyberNerd]

Having just spoke to a delighted head of KS3 ICT, he seemed to think that in previous situations like this, schools are told that they 'should be in a position to be able to carry out the tests' but then the actual administration of the test is left optional
-- in other words it is likely that schools may still have to spend huge amounts (I was told by NM that a local school spent £80k worth of RM kit to be able to run KS3) but in his opinion there will never be a penalty for students not taking the test.

I suspect RM will be happy with this too - they have still been unable to get the KS3 working with thin clients - officially they will say it works, but practically nobody will use it.

[andy]

I must admit, I'm not wholly against it. Sure, it's been a bit of a pain to get set up, but surely that is why we are here? And it keeps the job interesting. The idea of using a 'generic' interface rather than an MS one, to encourage transferable skills (if indeed that is the reason it was chosen) is spot on in my opinion. And I am pleased that our kids, although they did miserably on the test, had no issues with the interface. I'm not sure that some even noticed it was different! During the warm up sessions, I would suggest, for example, that they copy and paste something - easy peasy - they'd do it! Their problem was that they couldn't actually answer the questions effectively - but my point being, they couldn't even if they were using Office. I guess that is our issue (well the ICT Teachers' anyway ).

I also believe that the transferable skills don't just apply to being able to use Office or OO or some weird RM concoction, but more to being able to use the software to a 'deeper' level (if you will). My Mother-in-Law who is approaching 70 (and is the fastest typist you have ever seen btw) I guess will have used Word 6 in her last job. All the things she needed to know she had pretty much memorised. Knew which menus which commands were under, which buttons on the toolbars to press. She is quite put off using 2000 because some of the things are not necessarily precisely where they were. I on the other hand would never claim to know how to use Office, I just can. (Well, I would - but you get my point!) Obviously, the usual stuff you do everyday is firmly implanted in my sub-conscious and do in auto-pilot almost, but often times when a teacher rings asking how to do something a bit more obscure, which you may not have done before, I tell them straight "I don't know", but they know that I'll be able to come down and show them how to do it anyway! As I'm sure all of you can.

Back to the news report, the guy who is advising against it doesn;t seem to be mentioning anything specific about the test, just the prinicple of having it... couldn't he have advised this before it all started?!

Anyways, hope some of that was on topic - it was in my mind

Andy

[RoyG]

Consider that this has forced schools to change how they approach KS3 ICT so that for at least 6 months (ie in year 9) they are not teaching "This is how you use ICT using just Microsoft applications" ... but they are teaching the kids how to adapt to a different environment.

I suspect in many schools it has been more a case of "This is how you use this rather strange interface to pass the KS3 tests!"

RoyG

[broc]

Consider that this has forced schools to change how they approach KS3 ICT so that for at least 6 months (ie in year 9) they are not teaching "This is how you use ICT using just Microsoft applications" ... but they are teaching the kids how to adapt to a different environment.

I suspect in many schools it has been more a case of "This is how you use this rather strange interface to pass the KS3 tests!"

RoyG

I have mixed feelings; On the one hand we should welcome anything which encourages the idea of teaching students how to use ICT as an everyday tool & not simply learning how to use MS products, which is what the KS3 ICT test attempted to do, on the other hand there is the general attitude in schools these days of just teaching students to pass tests....... and at least if the KS3 tests are dropped we will be sparing the students from having to learn how to pass these tests too.

It amazes me the Government are only now slowly catching on to the fact that teaching to pass tests is what happens in many schools today.

Still, I remember as a lad being 'coached' to pass my 11+ exam. We had loads of mental arithmetic, every day. But at least I can still do 'sums' in my head 40+ years later

[Ravening_Wolf]

I suspect in many schools it has been more a case of "This is how you use this rather strange interface to pass the KS3 tests!"

RoyG

That is exactly what has been happening and why scrapping this particular test is so important. My previous school was using the interface as the basis for all year 9 lessons for exactly this reason.

[RoyG]

I suspect in many schools it has been more a case of "This is how you use this rather strange interface to pass the KS3 tests!"

RoyG

That is exactly what has been happening and why scrapping this particular test is so important. My previous school was using the interface as the basis for all year 9 lessons for exactly this reason.

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!! :angry8:

[Gatt]

Getting the same feeling here about it - and only just this week started installing the damn thing!! - spent an entire DAY just trying to import the damn school census!!

[RoyG]

It gets better......

BBC News

RoyG

[ChrisC]

Someone went, "exam windows? Bah, who needs to do it all at the same time!?"

Chris