From tiny seeds a forest is born...

Many months ago the aged computer used by the boys for gaming finally died. We agreed that it was time for a replacement, and set a budget limit. Ben, as the most technically savvy of the three, was given the job of sourcing a suitable replacement. Having browsed the internet intensively he found that all the available options that met his demanding specifications were too expensive. We then got a quote from our local computer man, but although this was relatively reasonably priced, was not good enough.

So a few weeks ago Ben decided that the best way to get the rig that he wanted for the price we could afford was to build it himself. Now this seemed quite ambitious to me, but I decided to trust his judgement and we agreed that he could go ahead. He has spent many hours researching components, checking their compatibility and watching YouTube videos showing how to build a computer. Over the past fortnight parcels have been arriving containing the motherboard, the processor, RAM, hard drive, solid state drive and the video card, not to mention the case and assorted cables.

During the last couple of days he put it all together (never having done anything like this before or having had any IT lessons) but wanted a professional to check it over before it was switched on, as he didn't want to damage any of the electronics. Our friend Mark, who's the IT Manager at the Local Education College came over today and gave it the all clear - so it was switched on and it works! Mark was very impressed, as he'd never built a machine from scratch himself, and jokingly offered Ben an apprenticeship!

I'm so proud of Ben. He struggles with GCSE type learning, much of which can be shallow and rather meaningless to a child on the autistic spectrum. This self-motivated project, which had no adult involvement, seems to me to be an example of much deeper experiential learning, involving skills such as research, planning, working to a budget, liaison with others and the manual skills of construction. Children such as Ben will be even more demotivated by Michael Gove's planned changes to the curriculum with its narrow scope and reliance on rote learning - and that will be such a waste...