Schools are benefiting from the widespread introduction of technology, says the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA).

The BESA, which organises BEET, the world's largest technology in education event, asserts that classroom technology can not only provide a large amount of information but also a platform for discussion.

Media watchdog Ofcom recently reported that children represent one of the most enthusiastic and engaged of society's groups in terms of the range of media they consume.

"The arrival of the internet into everyone's lives has introduced another teacher resource into the learning environment," commented Ray Barker, director of the BESA.

He added that while the digital divide remains an issue, children who can access the internet, either at school or at after school clubs are able to research homework, take part in online learning activities and save their information back to their e-portfolio of learning material.

Research by BECTA, the government's lead agency for information and communications technology, found that 67 per cent of children are using computers during group work at school.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent)