When IT first started to be taught in schools, the facilities were very much developed and implemented in a way that thought almost exclusively of the student.

Due in part to the high cost associated with the equipment – there simply wasn’t the budget to take into account what teachers may require – the other reason was that traditional teaching methods continued to be used and in some ways, teachers didn’t need to have regular access to equipment themselves.

Generally speaking, as long as they could gain access to the equipment the students were using, this would be sufficient in satisfying their teaching style – they could present at the front of the class if need be and then work their way around each pupil as and when required.

And for anyone who was taught IT at school during ‘the early years’, they’ll no doubt have fond memories of the lessons. Sure, they may have been basic by today’s standards, but at the time, the whole setup was more than suitable.

If we look at it now, however, whilst there’s still a need to focus largely on the equipment students have access to, the growing requirements and expectations of students have meant teachers now also need to be able to utilise technology within their lessons.

For example, there need to be interactive whiteboards where documents can be edited on the screen, showing the whole class at once how something can be done.

Although this still comes back to a basic method of teaching, it’s incorporating the technology into the learning experience, something that is being urged and promoted more and more as time passes.

Whilst it’s still possible to deliver successful lessons without IT in schools that satisfies teachers and students alike, the simple fact is it’s likely to be much easier – and more effective – if the technology is available.

In many ways, it’s like our expectations as consumers when we’re shopping. If an organisation doesn’t have a mobile website, it doesn’t mean we won’t shop with them or have a positive experience, but if there was one in place, the whole experience would be more satisfying and we’d be more likely to leave with a positive impression of the brand.

When IT is being implemented within schools today, whilst the students’ needs do have to take centre stage, the teachers’ can’t be forgotten either, for one simple fact – if the IT equipment doesn’t satisfy them, they’re going to struggle to deliver the first-class experience that’s expected of them not just by the school, but by the students.