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The internet has been a huge game-changer for everyone across the UK, dramatically impacting the landscape for businesses and the home alike.
The ubiquitous nature of the internet means possessing the relevant skills has never been more important. It is therefore no surprise that the internet has found itself having a much stronger influence in schools across the UK, providing valuable resources for pupils and teachers alike.
This situation has largely been driven by a greater shift towards a truly digital world, with almost every facet of people's daily lives now immortalised into an online platform.
Connections are not only becoming more mobile, but they are also increasing in speed, providing a driving force behind the rise of trends such as the internet of things (IoT) and bring your own device (BYOD).
Laptops replacing exercise books
Whereas in the past many pupils would have carried around a bag bursting with exercise books, files and notepads, the rising importance of staying connected means an increasing number of IT devices could soon be set to appear at the desks of students up and down the country.
Tom Paes, network manager at Tomlinscote School & Sixth Form College, recently rolled out Wi-Fi at his school, while also implementing a policy allocating one laptop to every child last year.
He told Computer Weekly the move was put into motion by the closure of the school's computer room, adding that it has already had a noticeable impact on the school's learning environment, focusing on not just having a strong IT curriculum, but also an ability to incorporate IT into a wide range of other subjects.
"I like to think that made a very positive impact, for the first year we got an outstanding grade from Ofsted," he said.
"The aches have mainly been with staff, who have to change the way they teach. All our education material is on the virtual learning environment, which is the key to ensuring the use of wireless.
"We set ourselves targets after two terms that 20 per cent of lessons would involve the full use of laptops and 30 per cent of homework would be handed in online. The latest target is to see 50 per cent of lessons using IT in some manner."
Long road to innovation
While the outside world has undoubtedly played a key role in influencing how IT skills are taught in schools, the UK has not always provided such a hospitable environment for moving with the times.
Indeed, 2011 saw Google chairman Eric Schmidt tell the MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival: "The UK is home of so many media-related inventions. You invented photography. You invented TV. You invented computers in both concept and practice.
"It's not widely known, but the world's first office computer was built in 1951 by Lyons' chain of tea shops. Yet today, none of the world's leading exponents in these fields are from the UK.
"Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made. That is just throwing away your great computing heritage."
Those comments have preceded what has been a rapid level of growth that shows little sign of easing over the course of the next few years.
Experts seem certain that the BYOD trend is going to be the next big thing for British schools, citing a number of possible advantages in terms of the learning experiences of pupils.
One of the main positive impacts could be the use of apps and devices to enhance certain aspects of lessons.
For example, students may soon be able to record science experiments or take pictures of diagrams on the whiteboard, allowing them to have a greater focus and watch them back with clarity, rather than relying on scribbled untidy notes.
However, issues such as online safety and the affordability of devices could still present some unwanted challenges and barriers to adoption that will need to carefully assessed and considered before a solution is found.
