Our final speaker was Becta's Niel McLean. Niel's excellent presentation reminded us that techniques need to be used in a relevant context in order to build capability and that we should look to provide authentic experiences for our pupils. Learners, he suggested, need to be engaged, supported and recognised. This tied in nicely with some of the points that Alan November was making yesterday.

Niel put forward the idea that Learning cannot be 'delivered' - it is something that 'grows' inside someone. He suggested that ICT breaks the traditional link between craft and product; it also extends our 'reach' and draws together two important human qualities - language and technology. ICT, he said, should not (only) be viewed as a 'conduit for contact' but as a powerful tool for thinking.