Guidelines for Parents: Technology at St Benedict s Prep

Transcription

1 Guidelines for Parents: Technology at St Benedict s Prep 1. INTRODUCTION essive academic curriculum and technology is recognised as a very necessary and useful tool in the learning process. It is also important that boys make us of technology in a way that reflects the way of the world. The use of particular technological systems is therefore not expressly taught except where it is the medium that enhances the learning objectives. We are particular about what methodologies we use at what time, and so use IT when it is an effective strategy. There are also many times when boys are required to learn skills sans technology and lessons are structured deliberately low-tech. Boys must be able to problem solve, demonstrate and apply thoughtful cognitive processing, and be independent and resourceful without reliance on technology. s. 2. TECHNOLOGY AT SCHOOL CLASSROOM HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE All classrooms are outfitted with an internal server and internet-connected desktop. These are linked to projectors, airserver, audio and ebeams, which allow for an interactive classroom that can make excellent use of visuals, sound and video and digital resources. COMPUTER LABS AND MULTI-PURPOSE VENUES -resourced IT lab that is linked particularly to technology in the subject access to individual computers or a variety of co-operative strategies making use of technology. Boys are expected to be hands on, practical, creative, resourceful, appropriate and to connect theory with application when using IT. The auditorium and library are also used as multi-purpose areas equipped with the relevant IT to facilitate learning opportunities. IPAD BANKS The school possesses a large bank of ipad that teachers book out for classroom use. They are loaded and regularly updated with APPS to make learning engaging, relevant and progressive. Boys will use them to do research, create projects, read, film, ning task that is best facilitated by this format at the discretion of the teacher. We have good Wi-Fi which allows for sharing via apps like Airserver to link Ipads to enhance visible thinking strategies. Occasionally boys will access video and so having idea. 3. TECHNOLOGY AT HOME The school does not stipulate IT requirements for home, but boys are occasionally tasked to complete activities where accessing technology is helpful. Monitored and structured access to a computer with internet access is beneficial. Boys who have no access should indicate such to their teacher and make use of the school homework periods to request access to a computer. At times, boys may choose to enrich their learning experiences with their own creative requests via access to view class resources, video clips, hyperlinks or streaming practice activities like Mathletics. Please be aware of sites, like YouTube, that carry an age restriction of 18+ or require parent permissions to sign up. While there are lots of great resources on these sites, there should be strict rules and supervision. We strongly recommend that a boy does not have access to technology in his room at night.

2 Boys are often more tech savvy than adults so if you would like to confirm what they are telling you about IT use at home and school, please drop the teachers a mail and check. We occasionally make use of Flipped Classroom strategies where we ask boys to do the research at home and bring ideas to the classroom for discussion and application. Google chrome is increasingly becoming the platform icial if this is the access platform for online learning. Boys are regularly reminded of the problem of plagiarism and are expected to make their own notes receive 0. Boys receive talks every year on using technology appropriately and on the dangers of social media. Any boy who abuses his access to school technology will be subject to serious repercussions as per the code of conduct. After school IT use is the responsibility of the parent. Should school relations become negatively affected or the school be brought into disrepute by a boy using social media, he is subject to the rules of the code of conduct. (Please see the IT and Device policy). 4. ONLINE SITES We believe in high or no-ceiling tasks at times, and boys can access reading, resources or useful sites to help them with their research, project work or any part of the several programmes linked to school, from a cricket tutorial, a poetry reading, a maths selfpossibilities are endless. Some of the online sites your son can visit with the school subscription are: The Day (Youth newspaper UK based) Username: stbenedicts Password: theday Mathletics 5. The school is also implementing Google Classroom, outlined below. This platform allows for e- learning and the effective sharing of information, activities, tasks etc. between home and school and even between boys. Having the Google Suite installed on your home computer is essential.the collaborative aspect is excellent. It is managed by subject teachers and parents are invited and encouraged to have their sons show them their digital profile. While parents are encouraged to monitor the digital portfolio, the platform is for boy/teacher use only. book, only in digital format. The philosophy is NOT to simply send more work via Classroom, but to offer enrichment, to share ideas and to have occasional tasks performed digitally so as to prepare boys for the 21 st century environment. The learning space 2.0 With GAFE (Google Apps for Education) Google Apps for Education offers many new opportunities for the boys to better their learning experience at their own pace. Boys have complete access to research, videos, documents and much more in a safe, th Google Education to create a monitored portal for our boys to enjoy the possibilities of a digital class. This document should help settle any concerns or queries around the digital Preparatory Boys and Google Education The boys will be using Google as the main platform or medium to prepare, create, collaborate and share data with each other and with their educators. Boys have been assigned addresses which are part domain. Each boy receives his address when they become a St Benedi Boys address are as follows: username@student.stbenedicts.co.za ample: joe.blogs@student.stbenedicts.co.za.

3 by the IT administrator. Requirements at school for Google Education In the Preparatory school we have made sure the boys have full access to the Google education platforms and apps on both the school computers and ipads. Boys have be shown and taught all the skills needed to use the variety of apps. The basic list of apps and their uses will be discussed further down in the document. Boys will use the Google for Education apps in all of the subjects at some time during the year. The teachers will book out the ipads and boys will complete work on the ipads through the Google apps. The Google apps will automatically update the boys Google profile, allowing them to access their work anywhere and on any device as long as there is an internet connection. Requirements at home for Google Education other than a steady internet connection, a mobile device (android or apple), and Google Chrome as a web browser. If the boys are using a computer (desktop) or laptop they would sign into Google through the browser. If the boys are using a mobile device (tablet or cell phone) they download the following Apps: Google Chrome Google Docs Google Sheets Google Slides Google Drive Google Classroom YouTube Gmail These apps make it easier for boys to complete work as they only need to sign in once into either one of the apps. The basic use and benefits of the Google Apps Google Docs, Sheets and Slides Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are free Web-based programs in which documents and spreadsheets can be created, edited and stored on the Google Drive. Files can be accessed from any computer or device with a basic Internet connection and Google Chrome as a Web browser. When the boys use Google Docs, Sheets or Slides they can import, create, edit and update their documents, spreadsheets and presentations in various fonts and file formats, combining text with formulas, lists, tables and images. The Google Suite is compatible with most presentation software and word processor applications like Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Users can control who sees their work and who they want to share it with. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides allow boys to share documents, sheets and slides, by sharing the boys can collaborate on one working document at the same time no matter where they are at the time. Boys could be at home working on the same document in real time. Every boy who is an active collaborator is saved online in the cloud and can be downloaded at any stage to the computer or device they working on. This allows for no risk of loss when it comes to the boys work.

4 Google Chrome Chrome as a browser will work the same as any other browser for the boys to search the web. Google Chrome has built in filters and security to protect the boys as they sign in to Google Chrome. Chrome stores all the boys activity from web searches, document creations and file uploads. Google Drive Google Drive is an online cloud storage medium for every boy. Every boy has an unlimited storage space where they can store their videos, documents, presentations, spreadsheets and pictures. If a boy forgets his homework at home, he simply signs into Google and download it for the teacher or shares it to the teacher who is expecting a task. Google Classroom The great thing about Google Classroom is that it provides a safe environment for both teachers and the boys to communicate with each other. The Benefits of Google Classroom are endless, but to name a few: 1. Google Classroom eliminates the need for books and notepads, as teachers can create online documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more, and distribute them to the boys digitally. We as teachers have instant access to the work of the boys, mark it, and return it as soon as it is finish. Teachers can attach videos, documents, web links and more to the classroom to help boys prepare for each and every section of work. 2. Teachers save time in the process of collecting homework from the boys as the boys submit their completed work online and the teacher receives it in real times. Because the boys can submit their work digitally time is saved chasi 3. With teachers having access to boys work instantly it allows teachers to give effective feedback after they have submitted their work online, or while they are still working on them. Because teachers can give effective feedback in real time, boys have more opportunities to better their work before final submission. 4. Google classroom allows for a personalised learning experience as each boy can progress at his own pace. The classroom environment can be adjusted to suit any level of learning which allows the

5 shy quiet boys to feel more confident to answer questions. Through the digital classroom assessments, questionaires and much more can be shared to the boys instantly. 5. Google Classroom allows the boys to easily upload their own real world data, for instance pictures or videos they take with their mobile devices, and they can create presentations that include real life examples that spark interesting collaborative conversations. This benefits the boys as they share their experiences with the class even if they half way around the world, this helps teach the boys how to implement what they have learnt to their everyday lives. 6. Google Classroom can be accessed on any device with an internet connection. Boys access the classroom either through the App on their mobile device or from the web browser on a computer or laptop. We are aware that Prep boys are young and while they can learn through a digital platform, we are committed to using several learning strategies that are deliberately low-tech, for all the right reasons. Teachers will use IT and Google Classroom as and when it the most suitable learning strategy. world that belongs to them. The pace of technological change is rapid and we must be adaptable in the way we move forward with technology without losing our independent abilities to communicate, adapt, problem solve and create. SC/TF/2016