E-HOMEWORK HELD BACK BY 'DIGITAL DIVIDE'

Teachers’ worries about home technology ownership create obstacles for the digital curriculum, according to research

New research by PC World Education has revealed that teachers are reluctant to set computer-based homework despite policy makers’ ambitions to create an e-learning revolution in the UK.

In the survey of primary and secondary teachers in maintained schools conducted across the UK in December 2006, 65% of respondents said they hesitated to set homework that requires use of a computer due to concerns that it may disadvantage pupils who do not have access to PCs or notebooks at home. Fewer than half (47%) of teachers said they regularly give out computer-based homework.

When questioned, 44% said that fewer than half of their pupils had access to a computer for their homework. This is despite the fact that 74% of teachers believe more than half their pupils are confident using computers unsupervised.

Jon Laing, head of public sector sales at PC World Education said, "Teachers and pupils are being held back by the digital divide that exists between children who have home computers and those who don't. This has the additional negative effect of holding back those who do have their own PCs because teachers felt unable to encourage pupils to use them to their maximum effect. Teachers are also understandably reluctant to run a two-stream process for homework, which creates administrative burden and may be perceived by some to be unfair.

"Individual laptop ownership is an educational leap forward for children, enabling them to store their work in a single place, access it from school, home or the library and to utilise the wealth of information found on the internet.

"I would urge schools and parents to seek out schemes like our own HomeWorks leasing plan, which make personal computing for children both safe and affordable and allows teachers to confidently set computer-based homework knowing that the whole class will be able to participate."

The internet was the most popular computer tool used for homework, with 94% of teachers saying that pupils who used a computer outside of school did so to access the web. This was followed by word processing (92%), presentations (44%) and spreadsheets (17%).

Finally, in a brave flash of honesty, 91% of teachers admitted they were susceptible to being outwitted in the classroom by pupils who knew more about general IT than they did!

Notes to editors:

PC World Education is one of the UK’s largest specialist providers of IT products and consultancy for schools, colleges and universities. One of only three value added resellers with Catalist Prime Contractor status, the independent reseller offers an unrivalled range of more than 100,000 IT products and services through its Definitive Public Sector Buyers’ Guide catalogue and website (www.pcwb.com).

Offering comprehensive IT support through its 1,000 dedicated technology advisors, 250 nationwide field engineers and helpdesk function, PC World Education works with educational organisations to manage, maintain and upgrade their IT systems.

PC World Education media contacts:
Holly McEnaney or Joshua Van Raalte
Brazil
Tel: 01865 725 269 / 07743 800639
holly@agencybrazil.com