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Re: learning the right things
by Jack on Tuesday 10/Jul/2007, @11:45
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Speaking as someone who did GCSE ICT last year, the whole thing is a farse.
Coursework has a large bearing on the final grade and the mark scheme is incremental and awful. If you miss out one of the first few marks on the scheme, you can't get any mark past that one. You could be an expert and still fail if you miss one of their ridiculously specific points near the beginning.
You are essentially told what to do for most of it, using only Microsoft software, and if you try to some up with your own method (as I did) even if it is a better way and more suited, the teachers don't understand what you are trying to do (I wanted to use Ruby on rails instead of MS Access and forms) so you have to do it their way, or risk losing the marks where they can't follow it.
The computers at my school have OSS alternatives to the commercial software also present (Paintshop pro/Gimp, MS Office/OpenOffice) but they aren't taught or even drawn attention to, a few friends and I use them, but we use them anyway.
I think it is a shame that nothing is done to dispel the myth that the is nothing but Microsoft (I know people who think that windows is part of the computer and is free, pah!). When asked to name 5 operating systems, the average member of the class would (after having the term operating system explained to them) probably say something along the lines of, windows Vista, windows XP, windows 2000, windows 98, windows 95.
Of course my experience might be entirely school/exam board specific but it still saddens me.
rant over |
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