ICT in the home

The impact of home computers has attracted interest from researchers over the past decade. In presenting a conference paper on the subject, Downes (1996) noted that children who researched information for projects from electronic sources and were able to 'cut and paste' text and illustrations into a word processor document were often constrained by a school requirement to present the project handwritten in an exercise book. She described one instance, in which a child prepared and presented a project as video - a format which was appropriate to the task - but the teacher was uncertain how to assess work other than that presented in conventional written form and the ultimate compromise was to mark the script rather than the video.

More recently, Fluck (2003) found that students generally have better access to ICT outside school, including in their homes, than in school. Other studies, noted that both teachers and students made more use of computers at home than in school (Meredyth, et al., 1999). These trends, when viewed alongside the 'digital divide' may have significant implications for education.