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Primary school teachers can combine the teaching of two skills by using computers in literacy lessons. Electronic books encourage enjoyment of reading through their interactive approach, word processors involve children more in the writing experience, and group use of the computer will help children develop speaking and listening skills. An examination of three software programs demonstrates the skills which each package aims to develop, and also indicates the planning required of the teacher.

The benefits of using an Ethernet cable to connect desktops and laptops in classrooms are presented.

This article examines the use of laptops and special software to help students learn to sew, focusing on the latest in textiles technology. A teacher uses a presentation software to show students all the steps in the sewing process.

Educators are keen to know the value of integrated learning systems (ILS). These systems are computer-based individualised educational programmes which appear to offer an easy solution to the increasing UK focus on literacy and numeracy. The British Educational and Communications Technology Agency has investigated ILS in a pilot project. Its reports describe attributes of ILS, including good reporting of progress and the ability to improve pupil motivation, but concludes that the systems need much more developmental work before they would be worthy of unqualified approval.

Handheld computers can have a huge impact on teaching and learning. The way these portable devices can be transformed into powerful tools for learning through the development of software and integration into existing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) frameworks is discussed.

Computer-based instruction and digital technologies were once regarded as the future of British education but this policy is neither demanded by nor progress shared with the general public. The Department for Education and Skills needs to publish the research supporting these planned innovations.

Educational software supplier RM signed a contract with Dudley schools in 1999 to manage a computer network for 10 years. Initial difficulties have been overcome and most staff and students at the more than 100 schools believe computer training has proven to be a good value for the money.

UK National Association of Head Teachers President-Elect Chris Thatcher has championed the use of computers in schools since 1978. He foresaw then that children would be able to access remote systems. He also appreciated then the motivational value to computers. This aspect continues to interest Thatcher, who cites as evidence an American project which successfully used advanced software to motivate pupils who had stopped attending school. Thatcher believes that schools must become more technologically advanced to keep ahead of rapid technology changes in society as a whole.

Multimedia production is exciting and motivational for school children but, to enhance its educational value, teachers should ensure that the children are learning more than the IT techniques involved. The children should be absorbing the subject information and, at more advanced stages, they should be giving careful consideration to aiming their material at a target audience.

The findings of the Libraries of the Future project, which ended in 1996, merit more public attention as the UK works towards a computer network for libraries. Many school librarians who participated int the project developed their IT expertise and commitment as a result of participation. One Irish librarian reports on the experience of using the Internet with a group of 12- to 13-year-olds which was given library time to work on geographical studies. Another librarian reports on the ease with which a group of special needs children used a CD-Rom encyclopedia.

Educational information technology advisers and inspectors expressed their opposition to the UK Dept. of Education and Employment's decision to give 7.5 million pound-sterling-worth of computers to Welsh primary schools and UK primary and secondary schools during the National Assn. of Advisers for Computer Education conference. The delegates said the grant was overly expensive and could have been put to good use in a manner that would have pleased all people.

CD-Roms brought out by National Council for Educational Technology are becoming popular with students who have sight and hearing problems. The technology's play and replay provision, helps hearing-impaired students to match visual forms with sound, the sound output being linked to a sound trainer. The illuminated text and pictures provide a clear, high-resolution image for children with sight problems. Talking books give the children a reading and pronunciation practice by reading stories aloud.

Students of the Stanford County Primary School, provided with electronic mail access to the Internet by Bristol University in the UK, are participating in the international Kidlink project, which allows them to communicate with students from all parts of the world. Enhanced interaction between students from different nations and societies will provide them with an understanding of international problems and give then an opportunity to be problem-solvers in future.

The preliminary findings of a study conducted by the Ultralab research unit at Anglia Polytechnic University, sponsored by Apple Computers, has revealed childrens' inclination toward computer technology in their education. These findings reveal new vistas for teachers to incorporate information technology in imparting efficient education.

Arguments against integrated learning systems, large resource banks of learning material stored in computers and capable of assessing student interaction and performance, seem unfounded as trials on these systems have proved their beneficial effects on overall student development by imparting specialized training according to individual capacities. These systems seem to the more efficient than information technology across the curriculum due to student's difficulty in gaining access to the latter.

Schools in the UK, installing computers in classrooms, must use specialized workstations to provide more space and make the atmosphere conducive for students. Furniture should be appropriately arranged and steps to prevent power overloading are necessary alterations required in arranging classrooms to accommodate computers, which are largely beneficial in imparting efficient academic training to the student community.

Schools in the UK should impart extensive training in information technology to their students to pave the way for academic excellence and ensure high standards in the local educational system. Teachers need elaborate training to be able to satisfy the prescribed requirement of the national curriculum in training students, and require the government and the parent-teacher association's active support to achieve this end.

Poor spellers in Somerset, UK, use speech and a talking computer to improve their ability to read, write and spell. Talking computers allow children to hear their mistakes as they type words in and the improvements have been dramatic and quick. Technological advances has lowered the prices of equipment necessary for such endeavors and the software available are extensive.