Internet safety issues in English schools

This paper arises from an Audit of Internet Safety Practices in English Schools, a research survey sponsored by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) and carried out in the summer term, 2002 (Becta, 2002)

Already at a disadvantage? ICT in the home and children's preparation for primary school. (ICT Research Bursaries 2004 - Final Report)

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on pre-school children's development of competences in information and communications technologies (ICT). The study focuses on children's experiences of ICT in the home and in pre-school settings in the year before they begin formal education, and seeks to investigate concepts of advantage and disadvantage in this context. The study also aims to investigate teachers' perceptions of children's ICT competences on entry to school

A real-time emergency response scenario using Web 2.0 (Yammer) technology

Published version used with permission from Higher Education Academy. Miller, S., & France, D., (2013). Planet, 27(2), pp. 21-29Higher Education Academ

Further education in transition

This paper provides an overview of the national perspective in further education (FE) developments in Information and Learning Technology (ILT) since 1992, from the unique perspective of a number of key staff members at the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) and a member of staff with a role in quality improvement in the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC). It sets in context the research reported in this section in the papers by Cockrill et al. and Caven‐Atack

That’s more like they know me as a person": one primary pre-service teacher’s stories of her personal and ‘professional’ digital practices

In contributing to debates about how student-teachers might draw from personal experience in addressing digital literacy in the classroom, this paper explores the stories that one primary student-teacher told of her digital practices during a larger study of the role of digital literacy in student-teachers' lives. The paper investigates the 'recognition work' this student-teacher did as she aligned herself with different discourses and notes how themes of 'control' and 'professionalism' seemed to pattern her stories of informal and formal practices both within and beyond her professional education. The paper calls for further research into how student-teachers perceive the relevance of their personal experience to their professional role and argues for encouraging pre-service and practising teachers to tell stories of their digital practices and reflect upon the discourses which frame them

Impact 2007: Personalising Learning with Technology

The Impact 2007: Personalising Learning with Technology project was commissioned by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). This report presents the findings from Impact 2007: Phases One and Two. The findings are based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected from the 67 Impact 2007 schools. All of the schools contributed to the teacher and pupil online surveys. This provided 450 teacher and more than 1,300 primary and 2,000 secondary pupil questionnaire responses being available for analysis. In addition, senior managers and ICT co-ordinators were interviewed from 30 schools and 24 case study schools provided illuminative data from observations and researcher/teacher discussions. Quantitative analyses of the data included the use of cluster and factor analysis, analysis of variance and regression, and also multilevel modelling in orde

A “Learning Revolution”? Investigating Pedagogic Practices around Interactive Whiteboards in British Primary Classrooms

Interactive whiteboards have been rapidly introduced into all primary schools under UK Government initiatives. These large, touch-sensitive screens, which control a computer connected to a digital projector, seem to be the first type of educational technology particularly suited for whole-class teaching and learning. Strong claims are made for their value by manufacturers and policy makers, but there has been little research on how, if at all, they influence established pedagogic practices, communicative processes and educational goals. This study has been designed to examine this issue, using observations in primary (elementary) school classrooms. It is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and builds on the authors’ previous research on ICT in educational dialogues and collaborative activities

Becta Review 2005. Evidence on the progress of ICT in education.

Drawing on Becta national surveys of ICT use and implementation within the education system, the Becta Review identified the ways in which ICT could be used to support the DfES 5 year strategy, to introduce greater efficiencies in educational provision and more choice/personalisation of content and delivery

National models for CPD: The challenges of C21st knowledge management

Teacher quality is the most critical factor in improving educational outcomes (McKinsey, 2007). This paper proposes analytical frameworks for national models for continuing professional development (CPD). It examines the unacknowledged problem of the quality and extent of the evidence base underpinning teachers’ CPD. In the 21C through the use of ICTs the research and evidence base underpinning educational practice surely could be made accessible to all teachers and all providers of initial teacher training and CPD. The evidence base available internationally appears to be patchy. Yet this is taken for granted in the literature, and is rarely if ever acknowledged in the discourse about school and system improvement. This lack of research based professional knowledge, is a particular problem for subject specialist issues and is further compounded by the fact that research published in journals is not generally designed around questions teachers want answered. In short, the knowledge that is produced and the management of it within the education sector is lacking systemic organisation and dissemination. The paper outlines opportunities which exist for low cost interlinked national and international e-infrastructures to be developed to support knowledge sharing, but such collaboration may pose an insurmountable challenge for national and international agencies