Key Stage 1
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
ICT is changing the lives of everyone. Through teaching and using ICT we equip our children to participate in a rapidly-changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology. We enable them to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information. We also focus on developing the skills necessary for children to be able to use information in a discriminating and effective ways. ICT skills are a major factor in enabling children to be confident, creative and independent learners.
When we use ICT we aim
- to develop ICT capability in finding, selecting and using information.
- to use ICT for effective and appropriate communication.
- to monitor and control events both real and imaginary.
- to apply hardware and software to real life problem solving.
- to apply their ICT skills and knowledge to their learning in other areas.
As the aims of ICT are to equip children with the skills necessary to use technology to become independent learners, the teaching style that we adopt is as active and practical as possible. At times we do give children direct instruction on how to use hardware or software, but the main emphasis of our teaching in ICT is for individuals or groups of children to use computers to help them in whatever they are trying to study. So, for example, children might research a history topic by using a CD-ROM, or they might investigate a particular issue on the Internet.
We recognise that all children will have widely differing ICT abilities. This is especially true when some children have access to ICT equipment at home, while others do not. We provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability and experience of the child.
Resources
Our
school has a computer and laptop available in every classroom in addition to
a computer room with a network of computers for use by whole classes of children.
In Years 1, 2 and FS 2 we have interactive whiteboards. The school uses Broadband
and has Internet access for computers in the computer suite and in the classrooms.
The curriculum computers are all networked for ease of access to software and
for sharing work between classes. We also have an excellent range of software
and hardware which is used from Nursery to Year Two.