hyden

Have you tried the e-learning foundation?

I couldn't agree more. You can only hope that those decisions are truly strategic and based on outcomes rather than an half formed idea picked up from some evangelisation at a conference.

It also tends to set the climate for children's use of equipment.

If there is no evidence that it improves teaching and learning, why do we have any IT in schools at all beyond the administrative tools?

You are quite right to pick up the degree of contempt for some of the previous posts in this thread where the implications are that IT support staff have the right to undermine strategic decisions. I fully agree with you in providing a system which can be managed and used by all. I would, however, be very surprised if you have not experienced those who do treat the school systems as their own personal fiefdom. At the end of the day, we are paid to put vision, strategy and policy into workable practice (for all involved) and to move forward. Where decisions have been made to put laptops into the hands of children, it should be a clear strategic decision taken to move learning forward. I consider it my job to ensure that this CAN and DOES happen in a rational and manageable way. If children can not benefit from our work, we might as well not bother.

I did...... and now I need to discuss his response with my dentist

It amazes me why so many are so negative. You would think that we are discussing our own personal kit rather than something bought by the school to use with children (amazingly enough, schools are intended to work with children). If people need to moan so much either find a new job in a different sector or go and ask the head whether you are paid to give children the IT facilities to help them learn or just build your own toy system and stop them using it for anything useful. It's a fact that children and teachers find IT negative in schools where they "aren't allowed" to do things by the technician or network manager (who then prides themself on how well the system is locked down). For those who insist on continually complaining: get over it, grow up and get in the real world