It seems that teachers believe that maths text books are becoming obsolete in the classroom, being replaced by on-line resources. Well, they have a point, where in a text book can you get over 400 maths sheets which are freely available at mathsblog.co.uk?
7 out of 10 teachers believe that investing in IT equipment is more important that spending money on text books. They also believe that children who do not have internet access at home could be ‘seriously disadvantaged’.
These findings come from a joint report from the Times Educational Supplement and the e-Learning Foundation. Interestingly, it has been published at just the time that Michael Grove is cutting back support for IT in schools.
The report suggests that children without internet access can struggle to do their homework and fall behind, but I think that this is rather too simplistic. There are many parents out there who do not wish their children to use the internet, yet provide superb support for their children. I think back to my days teaching where children from some religious groups were not allowed to watch television, but they were some of the best informed and brightest children in the class.
Read more at the Telegraph