Microcomputers in schools: Policy and implementation guidelines

Abstract

This report is about information technology in the classroom and is designed to provide information to anyone who might be involved in the planning and implementation of a national programme for the introduction of computers into schools. The first section of the report examines the background against which policy decisions can be made, outlining the kinds of educational activities that can be supported by computers and some of the reasons normally given for introducing information technology into education. The second section considers the kind of support structures that will facilitate the implementation of a national computer education project and examines the main cost items involved in such an implementation. It is noted that the experience of educators at a pan-Commonwealth meeting held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in May 1986 was particularly helpful in writing this report, and it is their point of view that supports the formation of policy on the use of microcomputers in education in developing Commonwealth countries. This paper reflects experience brought to the meeting from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, among other countries