Too much ICT in school life?

With the new curriculum, “Kunnskapsløftet”/”Knowledge-Promise”, ICT is now a part of all subjects. Some subjects are more affected than others, however all subjects are influenced to a certain degree. Is this really necessary?

I would state that there are both advantages and disadvantages when looking at the use of ICT in schools.

One advantage is that the use of ICT may make school-life easier for some students. Those who struggle with fine motor skills and literacy skills would be able to produce work which is up to standard without having to worry too much about handwriting and grammars. There are also a number of schoolbooks which may be found as audiobooks that the students could access and benefit from.

Another important factor is that the students should get used to using a computer. At our school we do not have a Learning Management System (LMS), however as this is a system which is used in many high schools today it is important for the student to be able to access and understand how to use a computer and LMS before leaving secondary school. One can not argue the fact that we live in a highly technological society and being able to use a computer is a valuable skill which most people will use as a part of either their education or work.

Another advantage to why one should learn how use ICT is that you can use the Internet as an important source of information, however to make sure the information is valid one has to be critical to what is found on the Internet. For students to learn a little about netiquette, what is right and wrong-doing on the Internet, is therefore very important. All of this can not be achieved without giving students the opportunity to try it in practice. And it is a fact that not everyone has the same opportunity to do so at home.

However, the use of ICT in schools may seem somewhat frightening to some. Many teachers, particularly the elderly, are not familiar with ICT, and they are therefore reluctant to use it as part of their teaching. It can be difficult to change a teaching method they have worked with for many years, to allow for ICT to take over.

It's not that I'm against the use of ICT in school, I actually think it is a really good tool for many and it can be very helpful at times, however sometimes I would say that it is being used too much. And do all schools really have the capacity to keep up with ICT and the “Knowledge-Promise”?
At our school where there is just enough computers to cover the needs of the students at the moment, which makes it difficult to follow all the new and improved requirements stated by the “Knowledge-Promise”. Good time-management and organization skills are vital when trying to organize for 150 students to share 10 computers. But I don’t think that our school is the only one struggling with this problem.

Clearly it is important that students learn the use of ICT, but does the computer have to be implemented into all aspects of learning now? What about those who do not have a computer at home? It is in fact so that not everyone has access to a computer at home. Should those students then miss out on some of the learning that those who have computer get? Naturally one can learn and do most of the work whilst at school, but in some subjects there is homework that needs to be done on a computer.

To conclude I would say that it is important to include ICT in schools, however the amount of ICT used and in what subjects it should be included can certainly be discussed.