 | LEARNING FROM THE PAST 2 | | | | | Learning programmes for students ... | Posted by Andrew Spencer on 28/12/2011 @ 08:00 |
I have written about what The National Museum of Computing offers the general visitor to the museum but what about for school and college students? There is a developing learning programme for students, particularly those 16 years old and beyond ...
 think these are washing machines? wrong! they're disc drives for an ICL mainframe!
The educational programme is still evolving and there is much to be done (something that is dependent on volunteer and financial resources being available) but it already offers significant benefits to the student visitor. Whilst resources are built up, the number of visits per week is having to be limited and the calendar for 2012 is filling up! One of the key reasons for the successful impact of the TNMOC learning programme is that current ICT and computer science teaching in schools is not imparting a true knowledge of computing to students.
Current teaching focuses on learning the use of packages such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint with no - or very little - focus on programming, or on what makes computers work. There is a major lack of understanding amongst young people about what a computer actually is! Programming is usually limited to a bit of macro work in these high level packages. This is deeply worrying for the future of this country's computer industry and in particular the future of the software development industry.
There is a some hope that this is changing with a revised ICT GCSE coming on stream that requires some knowledge of the history of computing, but the roll-out of this course will take ages. This is in sharp contrast to the impact of the BBC computer literacy programme in the 80s which saw the first big wave of computers introduced to schools - the BBC Micro, Master and many many thousands of students introduced to programming - in BBC Basic.
The boost to the software industry was immense and, for example, Britain leads the world today in software games production. This is no accident. So a key theme of TNMOC's learning programme is taking students back to the "basics".
One of the main aspects of this takes place in a specially re-created 80s classroom full of working BBC Micros and Masters from the period. Students on a visit to the Museum spend at least 40-45 minutes in this room writing a couple of programs. For most, it is their first taste of programming and a real eye opener for them. They learn that computers are fundamentally stupid and have to be told what to do, but at the same time they can be made to do interesting things like make a lot of noise! Some students take to programming very fast and all of them love doing it.
It is also interesting to watch the teachers whilst this is going on. Some get really involved in the programming, others hang back but for most there is the realisation if they didn't already know that computing learning should be more than knowing how Word operates! Other key themes reinforce this process and greatly increase students' understanding of computing; an understanding gained in a fraction of the time they spend in the year on ICT learning.
A key part of the day at the Museum is a tour of the galleries, starting with Colossus and then travelling through the history of computers from the 40s to today. The development of computers is set in a meaningful timeline. Students get to see how development progressed over the decades. Core components of computers are discussed.
Very little is taught in schools about what makes up a computer - the operating system, hardware, peripherals etc. Students all get to see punch cards, paper tape and floppy disks which are natural progressions of storage systems over the years. In addition the question "What is a computer?" is posed. This is almost impossible to answer. Why is a big valve driven beast of a machine with no monitor, keyboard, RAM, motherboard and no operating system still classed as a computer? When does a calculator (mechanical or electronic) become a computer or are they all computers? This challenges both students and teachers to think.
By the way we don't give the answer because there probably isn't a definitive one! We also chart the rise of the personal computer. Early computers were exclusively built for an organisation to use. Now computers are for personal use. No student today has seen a dumb terminal either!
As well as the serious aspect to this fundamental shift, students do have fun experiencing playing games on the early home computers of the 70s and 80s - the machines their parents cut their teeth on. Above all we try and get across that people are behind all of the machines we display and demonstrate! There is much more that the visiting student can take away with them. Too much for a single day!
But it is hoped that they gain enough to get them thinking and to gain a desire (at least amongst some of them) to get involved in programming.
To find out more about our learning programmes and how you can help inspire your students into IT based careers, please visit The National Museum of Computing website.
Until next time ... 
ANDREW SPENCER
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 | During Andrews extensive business career he has worked in a wide cross section of companies, specialising in the creation of contact centres and business systems, software development, telecommunications and project management. Andrews key skills are:
Business planning and strategy
Matching technology to business needs
Project management
Software development and implementation
Designing and implementing business systems
His work has included sourcing and implementing a new integrated telecoms system for National Energy Services, designing and project managing a new IT and telephony structure for the Greyhound Racing Association, and directing technology development for Wembley plc.
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