Linking school with home use

This chapter demonstrates that how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can meaningfully be used for bridging the gap between school and home learning. One obvious opportunity of linking home and school use of ICT is through ICT-enhanced homework. Encouraging the use of ICT for homework purposes is one way of capitalising on the motivational potential of new technologies. In the context of ICT use for increased home-school links the issue of familiarity on the part of parents with new technologies also comes into play. New technologies have the potential for fundamentally changing home-school relationships not only by enabling better access to information but also by providing tools for knowledge creation and participation in new cultural practices. A study by Department for Education and Skills reporting research on home use suggests that primary school pupils tend to use computers less for school work at home than secondary.