12 factors to consider when evaluating books and other paper resources

ICT is not just about using computers, and it is useful to have teaching resources such as books from which you can set work. Unfortunately, ICT is still very much in its infancy in this context, compared with other subjects such as Mathematics, Science and English. Nevertheless, there are books out there, and there seem to be more and more titles coming out all the time.

Obtain inspection copies where possible, and ask other ICT teachers what they think of the books or resources you are interested in purchasing. (In the interests of not making life difficult or more expensive for others in the long run, please buy or return inspection copies, and only ask for them in the first place if you are both genuinely interested and have an influence on purchasing.)

• Will users be able to understand it?
• What is the layout like? Is it confusing?
• Is it accurate?
• Does it meet the National Curriculum requirements?
• Where appropriate, is it suitable for the examination?
• Is it suitable for the scheme of work being followed?
• How easy is it to use for finding information?
• Is it interesting?
• Is it challenging?
• Does it have non-computer based exercises?
• Are the tasks realistic for the people in your class?
• Is it good value for money? (It may be cheaper in the long run to buy sets of photocopiable resources than sets of textbooks.)

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not read "23 Factors to consider when evaluating digital resources
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