Preston North East prides itself on being innovative with the use of learning technologies across all aspects of school life. We take seriously the challenge of educating students for a digital world. Developing high level skills in using Information and Communication Technologies will allow them to participate effectively in the economic, social, political, artistic and social world of the new millennium.
In Foundation, our students are using iPads to make movies about people in their neighbourhood, to film the city that they live in, and to record comments on the blogs of other people through their teacher controlled classroom blogs. They teach each other to write and spell using a range of “apps” like photo babble. Turning on, logging in/out, sitting properly and internet safety are also skills taught in relation to using computers.
In Levels One and Two there is a continued focus on class blogging using both laptops and iPads, and students modelling various “apps” on iPads. Students create their own music score using GarageBand, and use imovie to make their own trailers, advertising, and action movies. They continue to use ipads and laptops to develop literacy and numeracy skills. Students will also be introduced to their own Preston North East Primary Google Apps for Education account throughout the year.
Levels Three and Four build on the work in the earlier grades and in addition are using ICT to communicate with the wider community, incorporating social media, videos, an exhibition on the class blog, project management tools, and Google Apps for Education. They also begin their own personal blog to upload their work in various subject areas for their parents to view.
Levels Five and Six continue their own blogs on an area of personal expertise. They make greater use of project management tools as they develop transdisciplinary projects (Project Based Learning) alongside focussed studies in Maths, English, The Arts, Sport & PE and Italian. They also use a variety of different reflection and sharing tools, for example using iPads to act as roving reporters concerning matters of personal interest.
