Bringing science alive

2nd November 2001, 12:00am

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Bringing science alive

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/bringing-science-alive
As you read this, over 4,000 Intel digital microscopes are being delivered to every secondary and senior special school in the country. Science Year chose the digital microscope as the hundreds of teachers we showed it to felt it had key place in the school science department. Our aim is to bring science alive in the classroom and demonstrate how ICT enhances learning and justifies access to modern computers in science departments. The digital microscope is, perhaps, our Trojan horse.

British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) did some research on the uptake of ICT across key stage 3 in secondary schools*. This showed that use of ICT in science was somewhere in the middle of ICT uptake generally, but where other subjects used ICT extensively there was a greater uptake of ICT in science at key stage 3 and better results. However, the report also indicates that only 35 per cent of teachers use ICT substantially at key stage 3. The New Opportunities Fund is clearly making an impact here, and it is working well in science where the Association for Science Education (ASE) consortium (including Sheffield Hallam University, New Media, Nuffield Curriculum Trust as well as the ASE) has been both successful and popular among science teachers in secondary schools. With 36 full lesson plans and software, grouped into six modules that each uses a different type of ICT, they now have a database of over 10,000 evaluated lessons using ICT in science that would not have taken place without the training.

ICT uptake is moving in the right direction and Science Year felt that it ought to move faster. Why?

* A belief that ICT, used well, is highly motivational for young people.

* It allows more experimentation, analysis and presentation of results in a format allowing pupils to excel.

* It is a useful preparation for generic ICT skills.

* It will encourage teachers to trawl and experiment with the excellent science materials on the Web.

Every month during Science Year a free piece of software will be released for downloading from the Science Year website www.scienceyear.com. If the end result is that thousands of schools invest in large amounts of science software during Science Year and have the training and enthusiasm to use it, then we will have completed one of our tasks.

When Alan November came along to the SETT conference in Glasgow last month, he said: “It is easy to add Internet, the problem is the belief in change.” We can substitute computers, software, CD-Roms or email for “Internet” in the statement and it still makes sense.

It is also obvious that counting the ratio of computers to students as the sole indicator of progress is inadequate to scope the total use of ICT. How do we rate the school that changes an order for 30 PCs to six interactive whiteboards and projectors? These actions pull down the ratios, but show real focus in building the ICT resources they actually need.

In science we need flexicams; dataloggers; colour printers; electronic whiteboards and even more digital microscopes as well as computers. The vision of the connected classroom depends on an exciting and varied learning environment. And only when ICT is integrated into the broader teaching and learning strategy will we begin that difficult process of transformation. We want 21st century schools, not 20th century schools crammed full of 21st century technology.

* Data from School of the Future: A Report to the DFES from Becta February 2001.

Nigel Paine is director of Science Year, but writes in a personal capacity

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