A very interesting and important experiment is being carried out in Denmark at the moment.

Sixth-form students at 14 colleges are sitting their Danish language and literature finals while being allowed access to the Internet during the examination.

The primary concern for the authorities – quite reasonably - was that cheating would ensue. For context, some of us will vividly remember the giant leap of permissiveness in allowing calculators into the classroom, let alone the exam room. The worlds of education/mathematics/engineering/science were going to end … children would become stupid/lazy/disaffected and so on.

Well, they didn’t, and we’ve all seen the huge leaps in science and technology that have transpired from this facilitation and sharpening of our powers to calculate. There probably was some cheating but more power to industrious ingenuity in my mind, and those who are going to cheat are always going to cheat whatever tools they have at their disposal. Teachers just have to be much sharper and completely up to date which surely is a good thing in this rapidly changing world of ours.

The answer in Denmark has been remarkably simple - they educate the kids and identify very clearly what cheating is and what the consequences will be. They also spot check but, in essence, its pretty self governing; maturity and trust is key and the results will speak for themselves in any case.

The students can’t communicate directly with anyone but have access to research and online resources. The pupils are not being tested on pure facts and figures but on the ability to research, analyse and extrapolate the data they uncover and, latterly, on the way they present the results clearly and intelligently in response to the questions that have been formulated.

Quotable quote by an English professor of education polled for the article: "Why should children be capped on how far they can go? Why should they be capped on the breadth of what they can do..?" and thus: "Why shouldn't we prepare them for the 21st century ..? Right now we're preparing them for the 19th."

I can’t wait to see this proliferate and become an integral part of our academic portfolio. Let's prepare our children to ride the crest of the technology wave, not cloud their potential with our own inadequacies.

The internet and a readily accessible abundance of information is part of their everyday lives now. Just imagine, if you can, the benefits to future business of a fully engaged and technically astute workforce completely at home with the informatics based tools of their trade - and qualified to use them.

Let's open our minds to possibility and recall Michelangelo who said: "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free".