- Email: [email protected]
School and home: The British Computer Society's Schools Committee Working Party
117
School and Home: The British Computer Society's Schools Committee Working Party Brian SAMWAYS 1 and Sandra C R A P P E R 2 Birmingham Education Authority and e Inner London Education Authority
The School and Home Working Party of the British Computer Society was set up in April 1984 with the aim of producing a series of short reports on various aspects of the effects that computing at home could have upon the school curriculum and methods of learning. Its work has been divided into four tasks, all of which should be completed during 1986: (1) research and report on the microcomputers used in school and in homes; (2) research and report on the use of microcomputers in homes; (3) creation of a guide to "Accessing Remote Computers"; (4) creation of a guide for teachers on future computing. This paper sets out to describe the work of that Working Party.
Keywords: BCS (British Computer Society); School computer, Home computer; Questionnaire Brian Samways, a physics graduate, is
Director of the Birmingham Educational Computing Centre which supports schools and colleges in their introduction of microelectronics and computing. Currently he is seconded for seventeen months to the Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board, to develop a National Diploma in Information Technology for Teachers and Trainers. Prior to becoming Director of the Local authority Centre, he was a Development Officer in the microelectronics field for education, and he has substantial teaching experience both in comprehensive and in grammar schools. He has worked on the "Computers in the Curriculum" project for the Schools Council, and the "Industry in the 80's" project for the National Computing Centre, and has lectured extensively on education and the new technologies.
Addresses for correspondence: Brian Samways, Birmingham Educational Computing Centre, The Bordesley Centre, Camp Hill, Stratford Road, Birmingham, B l l 1AR, UK. Sandra Crapper, ILEA Educational Computing Centre, John Ruskin Street, London S E 5 0 P Q , UK. North-Holland Education & Computing 2 (1986) 117-125
Introduction The School's Committee of the British Computer Society was established as a Working Group within the BCS in 1964 with the purpose of providing a forum for those concerned with the introduction of computing into schools. Throughout its twenty-two years, it has represented mainly schools' interest as the scope and significance of educational computing has extended. It reports to the Education Committee of the BCS, and provides a link between the professional world of computing and the work in schools. This link enables a professional and detached approach to schools' computing, recognised both at a national and international level. The principle activities of the Schools' Committee take the form of working parties of which there are about six each year. Currently for 1985-86 these are: Resources Glossary School Administration School and H o m e Teacher Training Primary Membership of the committee is determined by a continuing commitment to working parties and the total number of members involved has tended to stabilise at about seventy. The School and H o m e Working Party was set up in April 1984
Sandra Anne Crapper has a BEC Na-
tional Diploma in Business Studies. She has been a Programme Manager for the Council for Educational Technology for two years; Assistant Regional Director for Microelectronis Education Programme Capital Region for four years; and is currently Resource and Information Manager at ILEA Educational Computer Centre. She has been interested in the use of computers in education since 1974. At present, she is involved in providing information and advice to educationalists within ILEA who wish to explore the potential use of microcomputers in the classroom.
118
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee Working Party
with the aim of producing a series of short reports on various aspects of the effects that computing at home could have upon the school curriculum and methods of learning. Its work has been divided into four tasks, all of which should be completed during 1986. 1. Research and report on the microcomputers purchased for schools and homes. 2. Research and report on the use of microcomputers in homes. 3. Creation of a guide to "Accessing Remote Computers". 4. Creation of a guide for teachers on future computing. There are more microcomputers per household in the United Kingdom than in any other country in the world. Unsubstantiated news reports during 1984 said that 1 in 4 households in the UK had a microcomputer and that over four million micros were sold during 1983 and December 1984 [1]. The BCS School and Home Working Party decided to try to obtain an overview of the number and type of computers purchased or used in UK schools and homes and how they were being used in homes.
1. Research and Report on the Microcomputers used in Schools and in H o m e s During Summer 1984 the Working Party contacted the main fifteen U K manufacturers of microcomputers whose products appeared to be aimed at the home market. Figures for sales to schools were sought from the three main computer manufacturers supplying equipment to educational institutions, including sales connected with the Department of Trade and Industry's half-price school microcomputer scheme. The working party also utilised the findings of a report relating to a survey [2] of microcomputers in the UK secondary schools prepared by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Microelectronics Education Programme carried out in Spring/Summer 1984. The fifteen companies contacted were: Acorn * Apple Atari Amstrad Commodore Dragon
Epson Lynx Oric Research Machines l t d * Sinclair Sharp Spectravideo Tandy Texas The asterisks denote companies which were also to provide details of sales to schools. Each manufacturer was asked for details of: (a) approximate number of machines sold since 1982; (b) make and model (c) if their sales were direct to customers or via retail outlets. The Working Party's aim in contacting these companies was to try to obtain approximate figures of computers sold to the home and school market, and to discover which machines appeared to be the market leaders. The Working Party also hoped to acquire some idea of the amount of money the home user was prepared to spend on a home computer. The responses from the companies were very poor and evasive. It provided impossible to obtain an accurate picture as the majority o f the companies either failed to reply or indicated that they considered this information to be confidential. The Working Party decided to produce a booklet [3] of our limited findings and to include a subjective view of the home market sales gained from news reports which appeared in the British press and computer magazines during the period September 1984 - January 1985. Details of the fifteen companies contacted are as follows: \
Non-repfies The following companies did not reply even though repeated approaches were made: Apple Atari Dragon Oric Sharp Spectravideo Tandy Lynx
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee WorkingParty
Of these, Dragon computers are no longer manufactured and Lynx and Oric have both since suspended trading, Oric with reported liabilities of something between £3.5m and £5.5m.
Rep~es Epson - N o longer involved in the home market. Texas - Ceased manufacturing their TI-99 range and were not prepared to give details of past sales. Amstrad - They considered that their arrival on the home computer market was relatively recent and therefore were not prepared to divulge sales figures. Research Machines Ltd - Indicated that their sales to the home market were negligible. Sinclair - Unable to supply figures as they utilised a variety of distribution methods. The two remaining companies, Acorn and Commodore, did supply figures. Commodore - 1 million Commodore 64s sold in the U K over the part few years. Acorn - 180,000 BBC Bs sold between January 1982 and April 1984. These figures were received prior to the results of the sales during the Christmas period 1984. Three of the companies involved, Acorn, Research Machines Ltd and Sinclair, had been involved in the Department of Trade&Industry's initiative which offered U K schools the chance to purchase a half-price micro and are the three
119
major suppliers of microcomputer hardware to U K schools. These companies were required to supply figures showing the number of machines they had supplied to schools in the U K under two headings (see Table 1); DTI assisted purchase scheme Non-DTI related sales The final section of the booklet contained part of the results of the B B C / M E P postal survey of microcomputers in secondary schools, (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) conducted during Spring/Summer 1984. The response rate was 75% (432 returns) and the findings showed that the average number of machines for all schools equipped was 8.7 per school. (See Appendix A for detailed breakdown of results.) The full survey report also gives a breakdown of - pupil-micro ratio by size of school - departmental use of the micro - hands-on experience school year 1983/84. These figures and others were not included in our booklet as we were only attempting to discover the types and numbers of machines. The Working Party felt that, based upon the lack of quantitative figures available for home sales and the inclusion of our subjective views in the booklet, circulation should be restricted to British Computer Society members only. However, the final conclusions of the Working Party were that it would appear that the report
Table 1. Educational Sales
Acorn Sales to Education (non-DTI) January 1982 to April 1984 DTI Scheme Secondary B B C DTI Scheme Primary B B C B Research Machines Ltd (Oxford) Sales to Education (Non DTI) Sec/HE 380Z Sales to Education (Non DTI) Primary 480Z Sales to Education (Non DTI) Sec/HE 480Z DTI Scheme Secondary DTI Scheme Primary Sinclair No figures for general sales to education DTI Primary Scheme
No. of Micros
%of market
120,000 2,948 22,545
45% 82.6%
12,000 6,000 6,000 3,566 3,805
55% 13.94%
945
3.46%
120
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee WorkingParty
that 1 in 4 UK households now have a home micro is as accurate a figure as we can expect to obtain at present. The three main suppliers of micros to the home market, in order of percentage unit sales are: Sinclair Commodore Acorn The majority of home computer owners have paid £200.00 or less for their computer. Home computer owners are now investing in peripherals and software and the boom in purchases of home computers may have reached its peak. It is difficult to judge how much of an effect the move by manufacturers to get home micro owners to upgrade their machines to 16 bit will have. It is the intention of the Working Party to update the booklet during 1986 but it will probably be a mainly subjective view following our previous problems, highlighted above, with obtaining any quantitative figures.
tionnaires. It was therefore decided to approach the 70 members of the British Computer Society's Schools Committee to seek their assistance as they are based throughout the UK. Each member was asked to approach two teachers (one primary and one secondary). The children were to complete their forms in the classroom and asked to take a copy of the adult questionnaire home for their parents to complete. Teachers were to collect from the children their completed questionnaires and any which the parents wished to return. Parents could return their questionnaires by post direct to BCS. The questionnaires were distributed to BCS members during April 1985 and returns were requested by July 1985.
2. Research and Report on the U s e of Microcomputers in H o m e s
Primary children Primary parents
Design of Questionnaires
Analysis of Questionnaires
In order to ascertain how computers were used in the home, the Working Party designed two questionnaires (see appendices B and C). Appendix B was designed to be completed by primary children aged 9-11 and secondary children aged 12-13. These were colar coded Blue=primary, Green = Secondary. Appendix C was designed to be completed by their parents. These were also colour coded Pink = parents of primary children, Gold = parents of secondary children. It must be emphasised that the membership of the Working Party did not include anyone with expert knowledge of designing questionnaires and time did not allow the Working Party to seek professional advice.
The analysis of the returned questionnaires is yet to be completed, but the primary children questionnaires have been completed. This paper gives the salient points drawn from the results of the primary children returns.
Dissemination of Questionnaires The Working Party wished to achieve the widest possible geographical dissemination of the ques-
Questionnaires Returned The committee received 1,730 completed questionnaires and we had distributed 8,400. The breakdown of returns is as follows: Secondary children 576 Secondary parents 290 518 346
Primary Children (518 returns)
Girls Boys (void 8 returns)
With a Micro
Without a Micro
% with a Micro
116 158
138 98
45% 68%
Overall, 54% of those primary children who completed the questionnaire had a microcomputer at home. The analysis of question 11 asking for type of home computer and peripherals showed that the majority owned Sinclair microcomputers (3 times as many), with Commodore as the next prevalent
B. Samways, S. Crapper / BCS Schools Committee Working Party
micro and the Acorn BBC and Electron machines as the third largest number. The remainder was a mixture of Atari, Amstrad, Dragon and other micros. The commonest peripheral ticked was TV, with a small percentage of children indicating they were using a monitor. It is not possible to state whether this is the only TV owned by the household or whether households had two or more TVs. Joysticks was the next most frequently ticked box and approximately on-sixth o f the children had a printer. Questions 5 and 6 asked pupils to indicate " t h e ways in which they had used a computer at home and in school". The majority indicated that in both environments they had mainly used the computer to play games. This was expected in the h o m e environment, but it is interesting to note that children appear to view their main usage at school as being "games". This is most probably indicative of the type of programs used in the primary area, which usually either involve the children in problem-solving activities which appear to the child as a " g a m e " or software which alleviates a child's tasks and is therefore " f u n " to use. The second most common use at home was programming, and this was considered to be an extremely high result due to the age of the pupils (9-11 years old). Question 12 asked the children " t o give two reasons why they would persuade someone to buy a home computer". The overwhelming majority said that it could help with school work and that it was good for playing games. It is the intention of the Working Party to complete the analysis of all the remaining questionnaires and to seek publication of the overall findings.
3. Accessing Remote Computers
With the advent of Telecom Gold, the electronic mail system offered by British Telecom,
121
and the availability of Mailbox on Prestel, the Videotex system offered by British Telecom, it Was expected that the potential of services and facilities offered b y other organisations would not readily be seen by teachers. The booklet "Accessing Remote Computers", now in its final draft and due to be published later this year, gives the contact number, a description of the service offered and the approximate costs of a large number of global educational databases. At the present time, schools are being wooed by one-line service providers, as they accept the government's offer of a free m o d e m to every middle and secondary school. This offer must only be seen as another ' p u m p priming' situation as schools will need an extra telephone line and a subsidy to offset the call charge; but maybe the aerial dish and radio waves are possible for schools and cable for homes.
4. Teachers' Guide to Future Computing
The Working Party's other booklet originated as an idea to help to teacher with the non-knowledgeable parent, though the ' n o n ' quickly became optional. It was designed not to point colleagues in a specific direction on the use of Informatics, but to initiate discussion and thought about where Education might be going with its support. In this way it is hoped they will be able to discuss, explain and justify present policies. Sections would include: - The use of computers in schools - The possible effects on the school curriculum
[4] - Standardisation/non-standardisation
- The use of 16-bit - The future potential of computers to education - The role of the home computer system The titles of the sections clearly show the content and, although n o t expected to be published until the end of the year, will, it is hoped, give our teachers the confidence to explain where today's use of informatics is leading.
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee Working Party
122
Appendix A
Number of Micros by Type of School N u m b e r of Micros
The percentage of schools in the 432 surveyed having at least one machine of the type indicated is as follows:
Type of School 1
2
Total 3
1 only 2- 5 6- 9 10-13 14-17 18 + (max 38)
18% 73% 6% 4% 0% 0%
3% 34% 35% 16% 5% . 8%
2% 25% 31% 18% 14% 10%
4% 33% 29% 16% 10% 8%
Total * (=100%)
51%
113%
252%
416%
Type of micros in schools
%
BBC A BBC B RML 380Z RML 480Z Sinclair ZX81 Sinclair Spectrum Commodore Pet
14% 76% 62% 18% 32% 18% 16%
* Inadequate responses and schools without micros omitted. Schools: Type 1 - with pupils up to and including 14-year-olds and therefore with no examinations. Type 2 - up to 16-year-olds and offering CSE a n d / o r ' O ' level courses Type 3 - up to and including 19-year-olds, offering 'A' level courses.
Appendix B
Questionnaire 1. Where is your school: Town 3. How old are you? 3. Are you? boy [] girl D 4. Do yo u find out about computers from:
County
sometimes Adverts Articles in papers and magazines TV School Using a computer at home Using friend's computer Talking to parents and friends
often
never
[] [] [] [] [] [] []
[] [] [] [] [] [] []
[] [] [] [] [] [] []
For the list of Computer uses, please mark the ways in which you have used a computer (more or less without help)
O'
~0
O
5. 6. 7. 8.
At home At school At other people's homes Which of these uses do you think are popular? 9. Which do you think can help with your education? 10. What do YOU think?
O ¸
Z [] [] []
~ [] [] []
[] [] []
[] [] []
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
H
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
(tick one box for each)
123
Computers are fun Computer games are silly Computers are really for people who enjoy programming I want one I don't want one at all I might get one next year I don't like them I am interested in them My parents are more interested than I am I think home is the best place for a computer I think school is the best place for a computer. I think I need one
Yes
No
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
11. If there is a computer in your home please answer the following questions: Type of computer(s) Do you have: a printer [] a television set [] a monitor [] a word processing package [] a disk drive [] Prestel links [] other bits & pieces
12. Please give two reasons you would use to persuade someone to buy a home computer.
13. Please give two reasons why people should not buy a home computer.
14. Would you describe your interest in computers as (tick one of these) Very interested [] Interested [] Not Interested [] 15. What did you expect to be doing now instead of filling in this questionnaire? (eg registration, computer studies, games, maths.)
Thank you for your help
Appendix C Adult's Questionnaire The British Computer Society's Schools Committee is interested in the ways that computers may be used at home and the effect this could have on the school curriculum. Please complete as soon as possible but certainly not later than 30 June 1985. Thank you for taking time to help with this work and for returning this form. 1. How would you describe your knowledge of computers? (pleas tick one box) Average [] Below average [] Above average [] Well below average [] Well above average []
124 2. Do you get information about computers from: Often Advertisements Articles in the newspapers, etc. Specialist magazines TV programmes Work experience Friends' experience Use of your own computer Evening classes or other training Other (please specify)
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
Sometimes [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
Seldom [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
3. Please tick the sentences that are true for you about computers. [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
I have one at home I might get one next year I hate them I am bewildered by them I don't understand them I feel I should have one I am interested in them I feel my children should have one My children often use my work computer I enjoy them I believe they are useful in school but not at home Other thoughts and feelings:
4. Are you
_
Male []
Do you have children under 18?
Female [] Yes [] No []
5. Please give one or two reasons in favour of buying a microcomputer for educational use at home.
6. Please give one or two reasons against buying a microcomputer for educational use at home.
7. Here is a list of computer uses, please circle your answers. (Y means Yes, N means No, and ? means Don't know) Have you Have you heard it? used it? YN YN A Games YN YN B Programming YN YN C Word processing D Personal Database YN (e.g. Xmas card list) Y N YN E Educational Use Y N F Distant Database YN (e.g Prestel) Y N YN G Accounts Y N YN H Other Y N
Is this popular? YN? YN? YN?
Can it be educationally YN? YN? YN?
YN? YN?
YN? YN?
YN? YN? YN?
YN? YN? YN?
8(a) If you have a computer please answer the following questions: Make of computer: Additional bits&pieces: e.g. printer/diskdrive/monitor/prestel link/word processing package
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee Working Party
125
8(b) What use(s) did you expect it to have? (Letters refer to the uses listed in question 7 above) A BC D E F G H
(please circle)
8(c) What do you mainly use if for? (Letters refer to the uses in question 7 above) A BC D E F G H
(please circle)
Thank you for your help Please return this to the person who gave it to you or you may send it to: Brian Samways, British Computer Society, 13 Mansfield Street, LONDON, W I M OBP.
Acknowledgements To
members
Working
of the BCS
Party on "School
Schools
Committee
and Home".
References [1] Personal Computer News, 19.1.85, No 95. [2] Educational Broadcasting Services (1984) "A Summary Report, prepared by the BBC, presenting the results of the B B C / M E P survey of Microcomputers in Schools" (Available from EBS, Room 308, Villiers House, Haver Green, London W5 2PA). [3] British Computer Society (1985) "School and Home Working Party Booklet". [4] British Computer Society (1984) "Curriculum for the Future".
Discussion P.S. Jensen: In the previous presentation it was said that the popular computer software was moving from games to simulations and utilities. Do you have the same impression about the situation in the UK?
Crapper: The types of games being used have changed and there is now a greater interest in the more constructive games such as adventure games. Often, homes are acquiring a second computer for serious use. Hebenstreit: How far are the questionnaires mentioned representative of the U K situation? Crapper: We have no way of knowing. The schools chosen were probably not representative, but within a school, there was likely to be a high response since in many cases children filled in the questionnaire as part of a class activity. Hebenstreit: What are the applications sufficiently useful in homes to justify buying a home computer? Samways: There is an increasing use of home micros for word processing and (in some cases) for such activities as managing home accounts. For the future, we must watch particularly the use of the home micro as a communications terminal for electronic mail. Some people are experimenting on small business applications at home before getting involved seriously at work. Hartsuijker: Comparing the U K situation with the Dutch experience, the percentage of microcomputers owned by girls is even worse. Nielsen: I find the number of girls and boys having computers in the U K surprisingly high. Do you feel that the sample was representative? Crapper: There are definitely a great number of computers in British homes. In the U K you can buy a computer (of some sort) for as little as £39.50 and it is a popular christmas present.
School and Home: The British Computer Society's Schools Committee Working Party Brian SAMWAYS 1 and Sandra C R A P P E R 2 Birmingham Education Authority and e Inner London Education Authority
The School and Home Working Party of the British Computer Society was set up in April 1984 with the aim of producing a series of short reports on various aspects of the effects that computing at home could have upon the school curriculum and methods of learning. Its work has been divided into four tasks, all of which should be completed during 1986: (1) research and report on the microcomputers used in school and in homes; (2) research and report on the use of microcomputers in homes; (3) creation of a guide to "Accessing Remote Computers"; (4) creation of a guide for teachers on future computing. This paper sets out to describe the work of that Working Party.
Keywords: BCS (British Computer Society); School computer, Home computer; Questionnaire Brian Samways, a physics graduate, is
Director of the Birmingham Educational Computing Centre which supports schools and colleges in their introduction of microelectronics and computing. Currently he is seconded for seventeen months to the Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board, to develop a National Diploma in Information Technology for Teachers and Trainers. Prior to becoming Director of the Local authority Centre, he was a Development Officer in the microelectronics field for education, and he has substantial teaching experience both in comprehensive and in grammar schools. He has worked on the "Computers in the Curriculum" project for the Schools Council, and the "Industry in the 80's" project for the National Computing Centre, and has lectured extensively on education and the new technologies.
Addresses for correspondence: Brian Samways, Birmingham Educational Computing Centre, The Bordesley Centre, Camp Hill, Stratford Road, Birmingham, B l l 1AR, UK. Sandra Crapper, ILEA Educational Computing Centre, John Ruskin Street, London S E 5 0 P Q , UK. North-Holland Education & Computing 2 (1986) 117-125
Introduction The School's Committee of the British Computer Society was established as a Working Group within the BCS in 1964 with the purpose of providing a forum for those concerned with the introduction of computing into schools. Throughout its twenty-two years, it has represented mainly schools' interest as the scope and significance of educational computing has extended. It reports to the Education Committee of the BCS, and provides a link between the professional world of computing and the work in schools. This link enables a professional and detached approach to schools' computing, recognised both at a national and international level. The principle activities of the Schools' Committee take the form of working parties of which there are about six each year. Currently for 1985-86 these are: Resources Glossary School Administration School and H o m e Teacher Training Primary Membership of the committee is determined by a continuing commitment to working parties and the total number of members involved has tended to stabilise at about seventy. The School and H o m e Working Party was set up in April 1984
Sandra Anne Crapper has a BEC Na-
tional Diploma in Business Studies. She has been a Programme Manager for the Council for Educational Technology for two years; Assistant Regional Director for Microelectronis Education Programme Capital Region for four years; and is currently Resource and Information Manager at ILEA Educational Computer Centre. She has been interested in the use of computers in education since 1974. At present, she is involved in providing information and advice to educationalists within ILEA who wish to explore the potential use of microcomputers in the classroom.
118
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee Working Party
with the aim of producing a series of short reports on various aspects of the effects that computing at home could have upon the school curriculum and methods of learning. Its work has been divided into four tasks, all of which should be completed during 1986. 1. Research and report on the microcomputers purchased for schools and homes. 2. Research and report on the use of microcomputers in homes. 3. Creation of a guide to "Accessing Remote Computers". 4. Creation of a guide for teachers on future computing. There are more microcomputers per household in the United Kingdom than in any other country in the world. Unsubstantiated news reports during 1984 said that 1 in 4 households in the UK had a microcomputer and that over four million micros were sold during 1983 and December 1984 [1]. The BCS School and Home Working Party decided to try to obtain an overview of the number and type of computers purchased or used in UK schools and homes and how they were being used in homes.
1. Research and Report on the Microcomputers used in Schools and in H o m e s During Summer 1984 the Working Party contacted the main fifteen U K manufacturers of microcomputers whose products appeared to be aimed at the home market. Figures for sales to schools were sought from the three main computer manufacturers supplying equipment to educational institutions, including sales connected with the Department of Trade and Industry's half-price school microcomputer scheme. The working party also utilised the findings of a report relating to a survey [2] of microcomputers in the UK secondary schools prepared by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Microelectronics Education Programme carried out in Spring/Summer 1984. The fifteen companies contacted were: Acorn * Apple Atari Amstrad Commodore Dragon
Epson Lynx Oric Research Machines l t d * Sinclair Sharp Spectravideo Tandy Texas The asterisks denote companies which were also to provide details of sales to schools. Each manufacturer was asked for details of: (a) approximate number of machines sold since 1982; (b) make and model (c) if their sales were direct to customers or via retail outlets. The Working Party's aim in contacting these companies was to try to obtain approximate figures of computers sold to the home and school market, and to discover which machines appeared to be the market leaders. The Working Party also hoped to acquire some idea of the amount of money the home user was prepared to spend on a home computer. The responses from the companies were very poor and evasive. It provided impossible to obtain an accurate picture as the majority o f the companies either failed to reply or indicated that they considered this information to be confidential. The Working Party decided to produce a booklet [3] of our limited findings and to include a subjective view of the home market sales gained from news reports which appeared in the British press and computer magazines during the period September 1984 - January 1985. Details of the fifteen companies contacted are as follows: \
Non-repfies The following companies did not reply even though repeated approaches were made: Apple Atari Dragon Oric Sharp Spectravideo Tandy Lynx
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee WorkingParty
Of these, Dragon computers are no longer manufactured and Lynx and Oric have both since suspended trading, Oric with reported liabilities of something between £3.5m and £5.5m.
Rep~es Epson - N o longer involved in the home market. Texas - Ceased manufacturing their TI-99 range and were not prepared to give details of past sales. Amstrad - They considered that their arrival on the home computer market was relatively recent and therefore were not prepared to divulge sales figures. Research Machines Ltd - Indicated that their sales to the home market were negligible. Sinclair - Unable to supply figures as they utilised a variety of distribution methods. The two remaining companies, Acorn and Commodore, did supply figures. Commodore - 1 million Commodore 64s sold in the U K over the part few years. Acorn - 180,000 BBC Bs sold between January 1982 and April 1984. These figures were received prior to the results of the sales during the Christmas period 1984. Three of the companies involved, Acorn, Research Machines Ltd and Sinclair, had been involved in the Department of Trade&Industry's initiative which offered U K schools the chance to purchase a half-price micro and are the three
119
major suppliers of microcomputer hardware to U K schools. These companies were required to supply figures showing the number of machines they had supplied to schools in the U K under two headings (see Table 1); DTI assisted purchase scheme Non-DTI related sales The final section of the booklet contained part of the results of the B B C / M E P postal survey of microcomputers in secondary schools, (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) conducted during Spring/Summer 1984. The response rate was 75% (432 returns) and the findings showed that the average number of machines for all schools equipped was 8.7 per school. (See Appendix A for detailed breakdown of results.) The full survey report also gives a breakdown of - pupil-micro ratio by size of school - departmental use of the micro - hands-on experience school year 1983/84. These figures and others were not included in our booklet as we were only attempting to discover the types and numbers of machines. The Working Party felt that, based upon the lack of quantitative figures available for home sales and the inclusion of our subjective views in the booklet, circulation should be restricted to British Computer Society members only. However, the final conclusions of the Working Party were that it would appear that the report
Table 1. Educational Sales
Acorn Sales to Education (non-DTI) January 1982 to April 1984 DTI Scheme Secondary B B C DTI Scheme Primary B B C B Research Machines Ltd (Oxford) Sales to Education (Non DTI) Sec/HE 380Z Sales to Education (Non DTI) Primary 480Z Sales to Education (Non DTI) Sec/HE 480Z DTI Scheme Secondary DTI Scheme Primary Sinclair No figures for general sales to education DTI Primary Scheme
No. of Micros
%of market
120,000 2,948 22,545
45% 82.6%
12,000 6,000 6,000 3,566 3,805
55% 13.94%
945
3.46%
120
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee WorkingParty
that 1 in 4 UK households now have a home micro is as accurate a figure as we can expect to obtain at present. The three main suppliers of micros to the home market, in order of percentage unit sales are: Sinclair Commodore Acorn The majority of home computer owners have paid £200.00 or less for their computer. Home computer owners are now investing in peripherals and software and the boom in purchases of home computers may have reached its peak. It is difficult to judge how much of an effect the move by manufacturers to get home micro owners to upgrade their machines to 16 bit will have. It is the intention of the Working Party to update the booklet during 1986 but it will probably be a mainly subjective view following our previous problems, highlighted above, with obtaining any quantitative figures.
tionnaires. It was therefore decided to approach the 70 members of the British Computer Society's Schools Committee to seek their assistance as they are based throughout the UK. Each member was asked to approach two teachers (one primary and one secondary). The children were to complete their forms in the classroom and asked to take a copy of the adult questionnaire home for their parents to complete. Teachers were to collect from the children their completed questionnaires and any which the parents wished to return. Parents could return their questionnaires by post direct to BCS. The questionnaires were distributed to BCS members during April 1985 and returns were requested by July 1985.
2. Research and Report on the U s e of Microcomputers in H o m e s
Primary children Primary parents
Design of Questionnaires
Analysis of Questionnaires
In order to ascertain how computers were used in the home, the Working Party designed two questionnaires (see appendices B and C). Appendix B was designed to be completed by primary children aged 9-11 and secondary children aged 12-13. These were colar coded Blue=primary, Green = Secondary. Appendix C was designed to be completed by their parents. These were also colour coded Pink = parents of primary children, Gold = parents of secondary children. It must be emphasised that the membership of the Working Party did not include anyone with expert knowledge of designing questionnaires and time did not allow the Working Party to seek professional advice.
The analysis of the returned questionnaires is yet to be completed, but the primary children questionnaires have been completed. This paper gives the salient points drawn from the results of the primary children returns.
Dissemination of Questionnaires The Working Party wished to achieve the widest possible geographical dissemination of the ques-
Questionnaires Returned The committee received 1,730 completed questionnaires and we had distributed 8,400. The breakdown of returns is as follows: Secondary children 576 Secondary parents 290 518 346
Primary Children (518 returns)
Girls Boys (void 8 returns)
With a Micro
Without a Micro
% with a Micro
116 158
138 98
45% 68%
Overall, 54% of those primary children who completed the questionnaire had a microcomputer at home. The analysis of question 11 asking for type of home computer and peripherals showed that the majority owned Sinclair microcomputers (3 times as many), with Commodore as the next prevalent
B. Samways, S. Crapper / BCS Schools Committee Working Party
micro and the Acorn BBC and Electron machines as the third largest number. The remainder was a mixture of Atari, Amstrad, Dragon and other micros. The commonest peripheral ticked was TV, with a small percentage of children indicating they were using a monitor. It is not possible to state whether this is the only TV owned by the household or whether households had two or more TVs. Joysticks was the next most frequently ticked box and approximately on-sixth o f the children had a printer. Questions 5 and 6 asked pupils to indicate " t h e ways in which they had used a computer at home and in school". The majority indicated that in both environments they had mainly used the computer to play games. This was expected in the h o m e environment, but it is interesting to note that children appear to view their main usage at school as being "games". This is most probably indicative of the type of programs used in the primary area, which usually either involve the children in problem-solving activities which appear to the child as a " g a m e " or software which alleviates a child's tasks and is therefore " f u n " to use. The second most common use at home was programming, and this was considered to be an extremely high result due to the age of the pupils (9-11 years old). Question 12 asked the children " t o give two reasons why they would persuade someone to buy a home computer". The overwhelming majority said that it could help with school work and that it was good for playing games. It is the intention of the Working Party to complete the analysis of all the remaining questionnaires and to seek publication of the overall findings.
3. Accessing Remote Computers
With the advent of Telecom Gold, the electronic mail system offered by British Telecom,
121
and the availability of Mailbox on Prestel, the Videotex system offered by British Telecom, it Was expected that the potential of services and facilities offered b y other organisations would not readily be seen by teachers. The booklet "Accessing Remote Computers", now in its final draft and due to be published later this year, gives the contact number, a description of the service offered and the approximate costs of a large number of global educational databases. At the present time, schools are being wooed by one-line service providers, as they accept the government's offer of a free m o d e m to every middle and secondary school. This offer must only be seen as another ' p u m p priming' situation as schools will need an extra telephone line and a subsidy to offset the call charge; but maybe the aerial dish and radio waves are possible for schools and cable for homes.
4. Teachers' Guide to Future Computing
The Working Party's other booklet originated as an idea to help to teacher with the non-knowledgeable parent, though the ' n o n ' quickly became optional. It was designed not to point colleagues in a specific direction on the use of Informatics, but to initiate discussion and thought about where Education might be going with its support. In this way it is hoped they will be able to discuss, explain and justify present policies. Sections would include: - The use of computers in schools - The possible effects on the school curriculum
[4] - Standardisation/non-standardisation
- The use of 16-bit - The future potential of computers to education - The role of the home computer system The titles of the sections clearly show the content and, although n o t expected to be published until the end of the year, will, it is hoped, give our teachers the confidence to explain where today's use of informatics is leading.
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee Working Party
122
Appendix A
Number of Micros by Type of School N u m b e r of Micros
The percentage of schools in the 432 surveyed having at least one machine of the type indicated is as follows:
Type of School 1
2
Total 3
1 only 2- 5 6- 9 10-13 14-17 18 + (max 38)
18% 73% 6% 4% 0% 0%
3% 34% 35% 16% 5% . 8%
2% 25% 31% 18% 14% 10%
4% 33% 29% 16% 10% 8%
Total * (=100%)
51%
113%
252%
416%
Type of micros in schools
%
BBC A BBC B RML 380Z RML 480Z Sinclair ZX81 Sinclair Spectrum Commodore Pet
14% 76% 62% 18% 32% 18% 16%
* Inadequate responses and schools without micros omitted. Schools: Type 1 - with pupils up to and including 14-year-olds and therefore with no examinations. Type 2 - up to 16-year-olds and offering CSE a n d / o r ' O ' level courses Type 3 - up to and including 19-year-olds, offering 'A' level courses.
Appendix B
Questionnaire 1. Where is your school: Town 3. How old are you? 3. Are you? boy [] girl D 4. Do yo u find out about computers from:
County
sometimes Adverts Articles in papers and magazines TV School Using a computer at home Using friend's computer Talking to parents and friends
often
never
[] [] [] [] [] [] []
[] [] [] [] [] [] []
[] [] [] [] [] [] []
For the list of Computer uses, please mark the ways in which you have used a computer (more or less without help)
O'
~0
O
5. 6. 7. 8.
At home At school At other people's homes Which of these uses do you think are popular? 9. Which do you think can help with your education? 10. What do YOU think?
O ¸
Z [] [] []
~ [] [] []
[] [] []
[] [] []
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
H
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
[]
(tick one box for each)
123
Computers are fun Computer games are silly Computers are really for people who enjoy programming I want one I don't want one at all I might get one next year I don't like them I am interested in them My parents are more interested than I am I think home is the best place for a computer I think school is the best place for a computer. I think I need one
Yes
No
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
11. If there is a computer in your home please answer the following questions: Type of computer(s) Do you have: a printer [] a television set [] a monitor [] a word processing package [] a disk drive [] Prestel links [] other bits & pieces
12. Please give two reasons you would use to persuade someone to buy a home computer.
13. Please give two reasons why people should not buy a home computer.
14. Would you describe your interest in computers as (tick one of these) Very interested [] Interested [] Not Interested [] 15. What did you expect to be doing now instead of filling in this questionnaire? (eg registration, computer studies, games, maths.)
Thank you for your help
Appendix C Adult's Questionnaire The British Computer Society's Schools Committee is interested in the ways that computers may be used at home and the effect this could have on the school curriculum. Please complete as soon as possible but certainly not later than 30 June 1985. Thank you for taking time to help with this work and for returning this form. 1. How would you describe your knowledge of computers? (pleas tick one box) Average [] Below average [] Above average [] Well below average [] Well above average []
124 2. Do you get information about computers from: Often Advertisements Articles in the newspapers, etc. Specialist magazines TV programmes Work experience Friends' experience Use of your own computer Evening classes or other training Other (please specify)
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
Sometimes [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
Seldom [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
3. Please tick the sentences that are true for you about computers. [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
I have one at home I might get one next year I hate them I am bewildered by them I don't understand them I feel I should have one I am interested in them I feel my children should have one My children often use my work computer I enjoy them I believe they are useful in school but not at home Other thoughts and feelings:
4. Are you
_
Male []
Do you have children under 18?
Female [] Yes [] No []
5. Please give one or two reasons in favour of buying a microcomputer for educational use at home.
6. Please give one or two reasons against buying a microcomputer for educational use at home.
7. Here is a list of computer uses, please circle your answers. (Y means Yes, N means No, and ? means Don't know) Have you Have you heard it? used it? YN YN A Games YN YN B Programming YN YN C Word processing D Personal Database YN (e.g. Xmas card list) Y N YN E Educational Use Y N F Distant Database YN (e.g Prestel) Y N YN G Accounts Y N YN H Other Y N
Is this popular? YN? YN? YN?
Can it be educationally YN? YN? YN?
YN? YN?
YN? YN?
YN? YN? YN?
YN? YN? YN?
8(a) If you have a computer please answer the following questions: Make of computer: Additional bits&pieces: e.g. printer/diskdrive/monitor/prestel link/word processing package
B. Samways, S. Crapper/ BCS Schools Committee Working Party
125
8(b) What use(s) did you expect it to have? (Letters refer to the uses listed in question 7 above) A BC D E F G H
(please circle)
8(c) What do you mainly use if for? (Letters refer to the uses in question 7 above) A BC D E F G H
(please circle)
Thank you for your help Please return this to the person who gave it to you or you may send it to: Brian Samways, British Computer Society, 13 Mansfield Street, LONDON, W I M OBP.
Acknowledgements To
members
Working
of the BCS
Party on "School
Schools
Committee
and Home".
References [1] Personal Computer News, 19.1.85, No 95. [2] Educational Broadcasting Services (1984) "A Summary Report, prepared by the BBC, presenting the results of the B B C / M E P survey of Microcomputers in Schools" (Available from EBS, Room 308, Villiers House, Haver Green, London W5 2PA). [3] British Computer Society (1985) "School and Home Working Party Booklet". [4] British Computer Society (1984) "Curriculum for the Future".
Discussion P.S. Jensen: In the previous presentation it was said that the popular computer software was moving from games to simulations and utilities. Do you have the same impression about the situation in the UK?
Crapper: The types of games being used have changed and there is now a greater interest in the more constructive games such as adventure games. Often, homes are acquiring a second computer for serious use. Hebenstreit: How far are the questionnaires mentioned representative of the U K situation? Crapper: We have no way of knowing. The schools chosen were probably not representative, but within a school, there was likely to be a high response since in many cases children filled in the questionnaire as part of a class activity. Hebenstreit: What are the applications sufficiently useful in homes to justify buying a home computer? Samways: There is an increasing use of home micros for word processing and (in some cases) for such activities as managing home accounts. For the future, we must watch particularly the use of the home micro as a communications terminal for electronic mail. Some people are experimenting on small business applications at home before getting involved seriously at work. Hartsuijker: Comparing the U K situation with the Dutch experience, the percentage of microcomputers owned by girls is even worse. Nielsen: I find the number of girls and boys having computers in the U K surprisingly high. Do you feel that the sample was representative? Crapper: There are definitely a great number of computers in British homes. In the U K you can buy a computer (of some sort) for as little as £39.50 and it is a popular christmas present.