Bit by Bit versus computer control

Change provides excitement of new challenges for the design and technology teaching profession. New technology, materials and resources provide our profession with the stimulus for change, therefore at Sheffield Hallam University we provide students with the opportunities to evaluate and compare new products with the focus of using them in their teaching. The implementation of the new GCSE design and technology syllabuses has recently provided a further impetus to this work of research and evaluation for the design and technology student teacher. This article is about teaching one aspect of the new Systems and Control GCSE syllabuses using either conventional computer control, already established in many schools, or the more recently introduced Technology Enhancement Programme's (TEP) Bit by Bit controller. Examples of projects developed for Key Stage 4 teaching are used to illustrate how the work progressed together with extracts from the students' evaluations and their conclusions