Not so, according to experts, who say that the recipe for raising standards is a combination of good teaching and technology, and that the key ingredient is effective technology training for teachers. Many teachers do not have the same level of confidence as their pupils. They may be able to use computers, but they may not have the same access to them. Brian Neale, Compaq Brian Neale, general manager of education at Compaq, is himself a former teacher. While he says that technology is vital to pupils' learning, he is also adamant that teachers are just as important as they ever were.
Teachers are there to motivate and mediate.
There is also a lot of teaching to be done which doesn't involve technology. What had become increasingly obvious was the need for effective training in technology for teachers, who were often unconfident in their abilities to use it as an everyday teaching tool, he said. While this training had not been in place in the past, the government was now addressing the problem, by putting money into making teachers more familiar with education technology. The government's efforts are being spearheaded by a training programme, funded by 230m from the national lottery-supported New Opportunities Fund. And at the BETT 2000 show on Wednesday, the Learning and Technology Minister, Michael Wills, announced details of a 20m scheme in which teachers who are taking part in information technology training schemes can get a 500 subsidy towards buying computers.