Schola Europaea European School Brussels II

There is still much to do, however. Parents
also need to be included in this learning
process as it is they who often regard
this technology with the most suspicion.
Despite the assumption of the existence of
a ‘computer literate’ society, some students
do not have ready access to internet linked
computers.
The platform itself is sometimes cumbersome
to use. It is expensive (licences need to be
purchased) and against emerging national
curriculum- based platforms (for example
Escola Virtual – Portugal) it struggles to fulfil
CONCLUSION
The speed of technological development is
a serious problem for educators in a world
of limited budgets and shrinking resources.
However, the approach in our school
where the long term aim of developing the
students’ use of technology to underpin
their learning now and into the future is
being strongly supported at all levels –
school leadership, technical support,
teachers’ acquisition of knowledge and
a wide range of innovative projects.
the needs of the students of the European
School system - for example, only four
choices of language are available (English,
French, German and Dutch).
It also initially requires enormous input from
teachers which runs contrary to the idea of
technology as a time saving device.
Despite these problems, teachers and
students involved with this learning
platform believe that it is an important
and exciting development that enhances
everyday learning in the classroom.
The focus of the primary school ICT
curriculum is changing, raising the question
of where the students will go next when
they enter the secondary school. Here,
then, is an exciting opportunity to provide
a curriculum which will challenge and
motivate them still further…
…to infinity and beyond.
Jose Fragoso and James Marsden,
jose.fragoso@eeb2.be and
james.marsden@eeb2.be
PANORAMA
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