'In class, I have to power down'

Children have been quick to grasp the joys of new technology. Why are schools lagging so far behind, ask David Puttnam

At a recent digital education conference in San Francisco, one of the more memorable remarks quoted came from a child: "Whenever I go into class, I have to power down." That roughly translates as: "What I do with digital technology outside school - at home, in my own free time - is on a completely different level to what I'm able to do at school. Outside school, I'm using much more advanced skills, doing many more interesting things, operating in a far more sophisticated way. School takes little notice of this and seems not to care."
It is a sentiment that might (and should) shock educators, but one that an increasing majority of today's kids would understand and agree with. I have already tried it out on one 12-year-old of my acquaintance. It's a no-brainer, in his view.

"At school, you do all this boring stuff, really basic stuff, PowerPoint and spreadsheets and things. It only gets interesting and exciting when you come home and really use your computer. You're free, you're in control, it's your own world."

Most kids probably cannot tell you whether they are actually learning anything from that freedom and control, from the hours spent playing computer games, joining in chat forums and (for the more adventurous) setting up websites. But isn't that where the education system should take over and work out what the golden nuggets of learning might be?

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