This paper compares and contrasts two projects in order to better understand the complex issues surrounding the use of technology to support parental involvement with schools and their children's learning. The Becta-funded ICT Test Bed evaluation (2002-2006) had the intention of saturating schools (in three areas of social deprivation) with a…

This qualitative research study examines the home use of Information and Communicative Technologies (ICT) by high school students living in economically disadvantaged households. The students' use of ICT was for the purpose of completing assigned and unassigned homework outside of the traditional high school setting. Student participants in the…

This practical, how-to guide makes it easy for teachers to incorporate the latest technology in their classes. Employing an informal workshop approach, the book avoids technical jargon and pays special attention to the needs of teachers who are expanding the use of computers in their classroom. The authors focus on what teachers do and how they…

Students entering Steve Speier's Spanish class pull their personal laptops from their packs and begin preparing for the lesson. Some review Speier's board notes containing a combination of typed phrases and dozens of handdrawn vocabulary words saved as PDF files from his interactive white board Notebook program. Others don headphones and listen to…

A middle school language arts teacher relates how she used the Internet to "scaffold" students' learning. She notes teachers have begun the shift from assigning rote homework to assigning independent work that gives the student the opportunity to test the information on his or her own, and that children need time to make the shift from…

This article focuses on the gap between the use of Information and Computing Technology (ICT) in schools and the use made of ICT in children's everyday life outside school. Particular emphasis is placed on the communities of practice that young people create through their use of digital technology. The article is based on data collected over five…