So @OCR suggests @Google in UK Exams ... really!!! ...

Yes, I have used the fateful three exclamations ... Mark Dawes former principal of Oaklands College is suggesting on Radio 4's today programme that students on some examinations could use Google as we all do.

While I do agree with the campaign for real education on many of their points - may I add another. Surely this becomes another mechanism for educators to attempt to manipulate the results as they are so desperate to manipulate the league tables.

As the students sit the exam I dive into my blog and write some tips for searching and potential good answers. Having primed the students on their search etiquette and the best terms to use. Even with tracking, virtualisation and locked desktops systems we cannot control what they may encounter on the wilds of the web.

So, please, stop and think. Examinations are about recall, synthesis and scoping how the student shares their ideas and understanding. Yes, we all search the internet while learning and fits with continuous assessment, but when we are being tested - how good we are at finding the answers is not the primary goal.


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