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Original poster

Y7 have had their IT classes cut altogether - is this mad?

28 replies

Pinealike · 05/06/2014 19:26

Things may change again next year, but DC has just showed me the new timetable, which includes no ICT/computer/anything at all. This seems utterly insane - if these kids don't grow up coding, they really are going to be left behind.

Any others had this experience?

OP posts:
Original poster
Pinealike · 05/06/2014 19:37

So far they've done Scratch, Kodu (sp?) and a bit of Java.

I agree that the old-fashioned ICT of learning office skills is a bit ridiculous, like a class on how to make a telephone call, as it's stuff which is easy for most younger people to learn themselves as they go.

Coding, on the other hand - it's the difference between learning how an internal combustion engine works -v- learning how to hail a taxi. I think it is necessary.

OP posts:
lljkk · 05/06/2014 19:34

coding or learning how to cut and paste? The tiny tastes of coding they get in optional IcT yrs 7-9 really isn't the same as mastering the skills of coding.

springlamb · 05/06/2014 19:33

Are they going all 'total curriculum'?
ICT syllabus is covered under other subjects at Dd's school which is for example means that word processing is covered during English, powerpointresentations during a history project, photo manipulation during art, that kind of thing. Then if students want to study in more depth such as programming they will do so from year 9 onwards as part of GCSE, BTEC etc.
Mind you, this works at dd's school because they all have school issued iPads.