Introduction
It is clear that the UK Government expects teachers to be part of what has been called the 'Connected Society', the 'Network Society' or in what Manuel Castell's describes as the 'Informational Economy'. This isn't simply a society with lots of computers, however, but rather "a social organization in which information generation, processing and transmission become the fundamental sources of productivity and power" (Castells , M. The Rise of the Network Society (The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture Volume I) 2nd Ed Oxford: Blackwell, 2000).
Following a number of critical reports and reviews in the mid-1990's, the UK government sought to develop ICT, stating that "children cannot be effective in tomorrow's world if they are trained in yesterday's skills. Nor should teachers be denied the tools that other professionals take for granted" (Department for Education and Employment Connecting the Learning Society London DfEE, 1997). In order to prevent teachers becoming what Kirschner and Selinger have recently described as "roadkill on the asphalt of the information superhighway" ('The State of Affairs of Teacher Education with Respect to Information and Communications Technology' Technology, Pedagogy and Education 12(1) 2003; p. 5-17), a 4 year development framework was put in place with targets including:
- that the UK should become a centre for excellence in the development of educational software content
- that the majority of teachers should use email as the basis of their work-related communication
- that general administrative communications with schools should cease to be paper-based
- that teachers should be ICT competent
At the same time, the National Grid for Learning was established to act as "mosaic of inter-connecting networks and education services' connecting all schools in the United Kingdom. Schools will also be connected to libraries, museums, colleges and universities and other partners in learning". The NGFL can be accessed at http://www.ngfl.gov.uk.
The numbers of web 'hosts', connected computers and internet users having all continued to increase, the range of content which can be stored and delivered via the Internet has broadened and the capabilities of the computers and web client programs (such as web browsers and email clients) have been enhanced.
This rapid development of network technologies is recognised by government, and is reflected by increasing levels of support for innovations such as wireless networking and 'broadband' connection to the Internet capable of providing 'access [to] high-quality digital resources and ... the transfer of media-rich materials' and the development of 'Regional Broadband Consortia'. (Department for Education and Skills Transforming the Way we Learn: A vision for the future in ICT in Schools(London: DFES/NGFL, 2002)
Most recently, the National College for School Leadership (http://www.ncsl.org.uk) has established over 40 'Networked Learning Communities' which are intended to provide support for school leaders, teachers involved in continuing professional development and for consultation exercises. These networks are not exclusively electronic in nature, but many have an 'online' aspect, with discussion boards, chatrooms and video-conferencing facilities as well as resource bases for participants.
The initiatives and technical developments listed above means that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has an important role to play in most aspects of teachers' work in schools: in teaching and learning for individuals, small groups and whole classes; and in planning, assessment, evaluation, administration and management. The specific areas in which teachers are expected to demonstrate competence are described in the following section.