Interview with Curriculum Manager

School Y
Appendix D

Questions about the introduction of IT to the school and teacher training
Information gathered: 29/30/98

Curriculum Manager in charge of developing IT at School Y

Questions
Answers

Does the school have an IT policy? Yes, there is an IT development plan.

Do you think the staff are competant users of IT? Variable. Some are very good and comfortable with computers. Others are on the way and are developing their skills. And there are still some that are not competent.

How receptive do you think the staff are to learning to use IT better? On the whole, they are very eager. The IT Coordinator offered workshops on using the network, Word, Excel and the internet when the network was installed, and these workshops were oversubscribed.

What training on the use of IT has the staff received? There were workshops offered by the IT Coordinator on many topics, including the use of the network, webpage design, etc. There have also been drop-in sessions organized with the IT Coordinator and the IT technician. Many staff have gone on out of school INSET courses. The Head of IT team teaches with the Maths Department. This achieves two targets at once. Teachers are sharing their expereince with each other and IT is being integrated successfully into the Maths curriculum.

What do you think the school's priorities should be regarding training staff in the use of IT in the future? We are targetting everyone in turn. Obviously, MFL comes first in line, and the teachers in this department are being trained in the use of new software and CDRoms that they are receiving. We will be training staff by department. First, we need to to make sure that staff are able to use the network on a basic level. This is being accomplished through informal training by other staff members who are more comfortable with IT. We should then train the staff in more advanced use of the network.

What do you think are successful criteria for training staff in the use of IT and making sure that their learning improves classroom practice? Ultimately, the main goal is improving classroom practice. We will train staff and then monitor how their training has affected their work in the classroom. The IT Coordinator could monitor the pupils' skills in IT. We need to establish benchmarks that describe what we expect the students to be able to accomplish using IT.

What would you improve right away about the school's use of IT if you could? Students' use of computers. Staff and pupils need to become competent and confident users of IT. Ultimately, we would wish students and staff to make full use of the network for e-mail, investigations, using the internet, etc. First the staff need to be competant in the use of IT, and then this will be cascaded to the pupils. But we are not there yet, as we have just started.

Questions	Answers
Does the school have an IT policy?	Yes, there is an IT development plan.
Do you think the staff are competant users of IT?	Variable. Some are very good and comfortable with computers. Others are on the way and are developing their skills. And there are still some that are not competent.
How receptive do you think the staff are to learning to use IT better?	On the whole, they are very eager. The IT Coordinator offered workshops on using the network, Word, Excel and the internet when the network was installed, and these workshops were oversubscribed.
What training on the use of IT has the staff received?	There were workshops offered by the IT Coordinator on many topics, including the use of the network, webpage design, etc. There have also been drop-in sessions organized with the IT Coordinator and the IT technician. Many staff have gone on out of school INSET courses. The Head of IT team teaches with the Maths Department. This achieves two targets at once. Teachers are sharing their expereince with each other and IT is being integrated successfully into the Maths curriculum.
What do you think the school's priorities should be regarding training staff in the use of IT in the future?	We are targetting everyone in turn. Obviously, MFL comes first in line, and the teachers in this department are being trained in the use of new software and CDRoms that they are receiving. We will be training staff by department. First, we need to to make sure that staff are able to use the network on a basic level. This is being accomplished through informal training by other staff members who are more comfortable with IT. We should then train the staff in more advanced use of the network.
What do you think are successful criteria for training staff in the use of IT and making sure that their learning improves classroom practice?	Ultimately, the main goal is improving classroom practice. We will train staff and then monitor how their training has affected their work in the classroom. The IT Coordinator could monitor the pupils' skills in IT. We need to establish benchmarks that describe what we expect the students to be able to accomplish using IT.
What would you improve right away about the school's use of IT if you could?	Students' use of computers. Staff and pupils need to become competent and confident users of IT. Ultimately, we would wish students and staff to make full use of the network for e-mail, investigations, using the internet, etc. First the staff need to be competant in the use of IT, and then this will be cascaded to the pupils. But we are not there yet, as we have just started.