Here we saw the launch of the National Grid for Learning , a noble step forward in connecting our schools together. The Grid will be a way of finding and using on-line learning and teaching materials. We're still quite some way behind our US counterparts. A recent NY Times article goes in to some detail about just what has been achieved in some US schools. Every classroom has at least six computers linked by a high-speed network.
All students have E-mail accounts.
They have had a policy for many years of finely integrating the use of computers, multi-media and the Internet into the classroom. The article quotes a recent field trip that some students took to a boulder field in northern Pennsylvania. The students were armed with digital cameras, laptop computers, tape recorders and the technological capability to transfer their information directly to computers, capitalizing on their school's sophisticated use of technology. Students and teachers from over 6,000 schools in more than 70 countries are working with research scientists to learn more about our planet. Check out Don Tapscott's book, Growing Up Digital , for full analysis of how important these technologies are for our children's futures.