ABSTRACT
This chapter is written for students and newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who wish to be influential in promoting children’s learning by the use of computers. Of all the areas of the curriculum, in formation technology (IT) is probably the one most suitable for students and NQT to coordinate in primary schools. The teachers with whom you will be working will welcome your advice and help and will be unlikely to criticize you if things go wrong; you will be surprised just how much basic knowledge you have absorbed during your training. Your qualifications for this role will be substantial. Many students have developed through their Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses a level of understanding in the way computers can support high quality learning in the classroom far beyond that which most classroom teachers have had the time to do. With the implementation of the national curriculum and formal assessment, many Key Stage 2 teachers have had to learn new material and develop new techniques which have absorbed a great deal of their attention. Therefore, many teachers may have been unable to exploit fully the potential of IT in their classrooms. In addition, many teachers appointed as IT coordinators have carried this responsibility alongside another major area of the curriculum, so help may not always have been forthcoming in the way needed to encourage teachers to use computers to the full.
