At the launch of a national curriculum for teacher training colleges, the government has announced that in future, trainee teachers must know how to use and apply computers, the internet and CD-roms within their specialist subject areas, before they become qualified.

Pupils will need to be able to interpret information delivered in this way, and integrate it into their work. Teachers will be expected to distinguish between pupils¹ original work, and ideas simply copied from new technology sources.

Ministers believe that two-thirds of all teachers know less about computer technology than their pupils.