Educational ICT and Stimulating Heresies BERA New Technologies Special Interest Group, Symposium: British Education

Abstract

The growth in interest and the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education over the last five years has been rapid, leading to the massive investment programmes including the creation of the 'National Grid for Learning' and New Opportunities Fund ICT training for teachers and librarians. However it could be said that there has been relatively little theoretical or conceptual development in these areas over the same period. This paper describes a small-scale collaborative research project designed to stimulate some new lines of thinking and critical discussion in the domain of educational ICT. A Delphi type methodology was used to identify the 'top 10 heresies ' with regard to the 'orthodoxy ' of ICT and education- beliefs, values, practice and attitudes, amongst the members of two Internet mail-list communities each with a focus on educational ICT. The paper then goes on to explore the findings and how they can be/have been used to simulate new ideas and critical discussion in this increasingly important area of education. Key Words: ICT, ideas, heresies Acknowledgements: This paper reports on a collaborative project which was only possible due to the hard work and perseverance over a six month period of my fellow participants