Introduction

This book is an introduction to the issues and practicalities of using multimedia in classrooms - both primary and secondary, and across a range of subject areas. The book draws on material from a range of case studies and focuses on areas of concern for teachers and researchers.

Challenges of Using IT in Education

Using IT effectively continues to be a problem for many teachers, and there is still a long way to go toward organising this properly. The book takes a thorough look at IT in the school, discussing and examining issues such as:

• IT and the National Curriculum
• foreign language teaching
• differing curricular needs
• opportunities and constraints of groupwork
• talking books and primary reading
• ways in which multimedia supports readers

Philosophical and Future Considerations

The book also looks at some of the more philosophical issues such as the implications of home-computers and the limits of independent learning, and the notion of "edutainment" - the relationship of motivation and enjoyment to learning.

Finally, the book makes comparisons across the curriculum and between primary and secondary sectors and raises questions about the future of IT in schools, arguing that teachers should make a significant contribution to decisions about future development.