Improve pupil digital media skillsEducation Secretary Michael Gove said today that the government will scrap the ICT curriculum and replace it with new courses in computer science. So what does this have to do with the Rockhaq school music journalism blog?

How Journalism is Changing

Interestingly, Gove mentioned his past as a journalist. He started out in journalism in the 1980s and says that newsrooms today are “almost totally unrecognisable” because of new technology. In all this time, education has barely changed to take account of the shifting technologies. He also recommended that IT and technology is embedded in various subjects throughout the school teaching curriculum, and said that gaming can help pupils gain skills and knowledge in an engaging and enjoyable way.

This is where Rockhaq blogs step in. As journalists ourselves, we’ve already seen the mistakes that are being made in teaching media studies to GCSE, A Level students and beyond. Teaching media and journalism is really no joke – and it is vital that the tools you use to teach your pupils are kept bang up to date. In addition, the learning experience that students are given also needs to be realistic, contemporary and tap into social media channels like Twitter and Facebook.

Train your pupils to use modern journalism tools

Of course, the Rockhaq blog can be used to improve pupil literacy skills, functional skills, attendance and engagement, but behind all this is a full, modern blogging experience that trains your students in how to use a real Content Management System. Sadly, many Universities that teach journalism are STILL not doing this and there really is NO excuse for it! Modern journalists, especially online and digital bloggers, will be expected to know how to use these technologies straightaway by their employers.

We also use simple gaming skills to reward and encourage students to join in and contribute on the site, to keep pupils engaged and valued. We’ll run blogs to show how teachers can use our gaming features in classes and for homework, so join our spam-free newsletter to keep up with these posts – they may help you in regular teaching and not just if you are using Rockhaq blogs.

Rockhaq blogs for media, marketing, PR and more

And what if you don’t want to be a journalist? As Gove has indicated, the teaching environment really is becoming blurred by technology. The fact is that the more skills you have at your disposal, the more literate and able you are with digital media and ICT technologies when you leave school or college, the better. We’re sure with the varied skills your students could pick up by using the Rockhaq music journalism blog, that they could be much better prepared for careers in marketing, PR, media and more. The sky is the limit.

Why not see how Rockhaq can improve your teaching or contact us for more information? We’re just about to launch our pilot with several colleges but we’d still love to hear from you with feedback and questions. We’re also on Twitter and Facebook, where we’ll announce more exciting developments shortly.

Whatever you do – don’t let your school or college slip behind. There are so many new tools and technologies to take advantage of, it really would be silly not to. Over and out!