Computers and education

When I left University, I knew very little about computers. As a law under-graduate, I had relied more on bulky text books and hand written essays. We were encouraged to use an online database of case law, but most people preferred the hard copies, taking copious notes. At school, I did a subject called IT up until the age of 14, but cannot remember what it covered. All I remember is the class being divided into two groups, each huddling around a computer.

It was only after leaving university that I realised I had a skills deficit. When applying for jobs, employers asked for a CV, which was quite expensive to have professionally printed for every application. Also, many job descriptions mentioned the necessity of ‘IT literacy’, though the ability to read and number crunch were assumed.

To fill the skills gap, my brother and I invested in a Compaq PC. To cut a long story short, my point is this: it did not take me long after buying a PC to acquire a modicum of IT literacy. I became familiar with the Windows environment and could write attractive CVs in MS Word. My subsequent career development required a more detailed knowledge of IT and web editing, but I have been able to add to my skills simply by attending short courses, a moderate amount of self-study and actual work experience. I have since worked with many people who acquired their IT skills in this way.

So what am I driving at? Simply at the fact that computers are not necessary for education. In fact, over reliance on computers to deliver all subjects can be detrimental. The phrase ‘IT literacy’ is actually a misnomer. Basic IT skills can be picked relatively easily. A back to basics campaign, which puts books at the centre of learning, is desperately needed. Even for those who aspire to work at the top end of computing, whether as programmers or computer scientists, maths would provide a better grounding than computer studies.

Yet the way in which the government, egged on by software vendors, is pouring billions into IT and computers for schools is quite alarming. The same money could be better spent on books, more teachers and smaller classes. It is understandable why this is happening. No government would like to give the impression of being backward and out of touch.

At a time when ‘e’ has become a prefix for many activities- there are even e-citizens- it is inevitable that there should be e-learning. Yet e-learning is particularly unsuited for schools, the glowing claims of the software vendors notwithstanding. With e-learning, the technology has a tendency to supplant the subject matter being studied. The technology, and what it can do, becomes more important than the subject being taught.

Around a quarter of adults are functionally illiterate. Unless educational priorities are re-adjusted to focus on basic literacy and numeracy, my fear is that this will get worse.