One of the most eye catching applications of ICT in recent times has been communication between learners within and beyond the classroom. However the general theme of using ICT to communicate goes back pre-internet for example to the use of word processing in classrooms. Many of us can recall heated arguments over whether the technology was being used for presentational purposes (typing out and printing off a professional copy of pupil work ) or as a tool for learning for example making use of opportunities for amending following audience feedback. Not for the first time the sensible conclusion was it depended on how the tools were being used and the model of writing that the teacher was putting across.

New literacy research has asked us to look at communication with digital technology. Undoubtedly the use of multi media is engaging for young learners who often have a flair for communication based on their extensive exposure to posters, advertisements, jingles, music and so on. The focus on audience and purpose is right in different areas of the curriculum including ICT, English and MFL and within integrated projects. Communication is about giving a message using the appropriate tools with your audience's needs and interest uppermost. It is not about producing 'all singing and all dancing' presentations. One useful way of raising awareness of audience is is to prepare a similar message for different audiences - for example a guide to the new school for parents of Y6 children as against a guide for the children themselves. However evaluation of communication remains difficult. For example how concerned should we judge the selection of images, how should we assess a technically accomplished piece of work in which the content is weak?

Communication with images in schools tended to focus on first PowerPoint presentations and then Web pages. It is frustrating that with pressure of time many children do not go into the subtleties of communications as much as they could. For example what makes an appropriate image (when, say, is a drawing more appropriate than a picture?), what makes inappropriate juxtaposition of images (for example newspapers may place an advertisement of a glamorous product next to one of a starving child), why can images posted quite innocently on social networking sites be taken out of context. A key area to open up is communicating within social networking contexts including the use of blogs and wikis for sharing and new forms of communicating. The ground breaking work is not necessarily being done in ICT lessons as the Teachers TV films below on Wikis and podcasting show. There is a further story to be written about discussion forums.

The first of the these files which can also be found at http://www.teachers.tv/videos/blogs-wikis looks at the use of blogs in the teaching of MFL and geography and then at work in a primary school involving different types of communication tools in and beyond the classroom.

The follow up film looks at podcasting

To read further

Andrews, R. (2003) was an eye catching piece of research that suggested ICT did not have much of an impact in itself on literacy in itself while Coffin et al (2009) was unusual as an example of reporting on line discussion

Andrews, R. (2003) Where Next in Research on ICT and literacies? English in Education, 37, 3, 28–41.

Coffin, C., North, S. and Martin, D. (2009) Exchanging and countering points of view: a linguistic perspective on school students' use of electronic conferencing, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25, Issue 1, pages 85–98