Featured School
“Sometimes the problem that some
schools face when implementing ICT
is that, they are not able to establish a
balance between ICT and preserving
students’ literacy and numeracy
skills. These skills are crucial for
students to be able to function in the
world of work. We were very aware
of this, so we did a lot of background
work. Today, the children are more
discerning and critical about when
it is best to use the available ICT,”
disclosed Mrs Burke.
“In some instances our students have
excelled so much in ICT that they are
better at it than some of our educators.
I don’t think as educators we should
be scared of that,” says Mrs Burke,
“we have a group of students that we
call Tech Leaders. These students
really have a passion for technology
and are very skilled. We encourage
their skills by taking them to the KHDA
conferences where they can show off
what they know. We have them train
our parents and some of our teachers
in how to use ipads.”
She further explained that, ICT is also
utilised for revision and consolidation,
as Home Work is often linked to work
that can be done online via designated
websites. This has contributed to
improving students’ use of multimedia
software in their presentations.
She continued, “I also had a personal
Tech Leader, who would set me
specific ICT tasks once per week
and follow up to ensure that the tasks
were completed correctly. This has
significantly improved my skills on the
ipad. It goes to show that no matter
where you are or what job you have,
you still have to learn and very often,
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Nov - Dec 2014
Class Time
children are great at guiding us through
learning processes.”
Tech Leaders also assist parents who
may have difficulty in understanding
how to use the mobile technology that
the school offers. In one case where
parents were experiencing challenges
in how to use the D6 communicator
after its launch, the Tech Leaders were
given small kiosks at each gate of the
school and parents were invited in to
meet with them so as to be guided
through the process. The school
received an overwhelmingly positive
response from the parents who were
especially proud that it was students
who were doing this. This empowered
the students, resulting in them being
engaged learners equipped with
transferable skills.