Device use across the curriculum

Students are able to use their devices to access their Google accounts. One of the Google tools available to students is Google Documents which is an online word processing programme. They can use this tool to write, edit and publish a variety of texts. If a student does not bring a device to school, they take turns using the school devices so some will use a device for that entire writing task while others work on paper. Writing is done from scratch on a device rather than just being used to 'publish'. This is because a lot of the power of writing digitally is from the reworking of the text done during the writing process. Here are the advantages for students and teachers:

• They are easily able to make changes in order to improve the content of their writing. They are able to move around whole sections and add new sections when they realise more detail is needed.
• Editing is straightforward. Spelling errors can be fixed and then recorded in students' own personal spelling lists. It also becomes very easy to make other changes such as moving each new person speaking to a new line if they haven't formatted speech sections correctly.
• By creating their documents in their Google account, teachers then have instant access to student work. They are able to open documents and are able to add comments for students to read and action in relation to their writing. Comments appear to the side of the document and will enlarge when they click on the appropriate highlighted section of text. This means no red pen all over their work and students tend to take more notice of comments this way. They get to click the 'Resolve' button when they think they have actioned the teacher comment. Students and teachers no longer need to take books to and from school to work on and to edit documents.
• Some students are really motivated to write their stories and want to work on them from home. This becomes very easy when they are in Google as they can simply log in from home and continue working on them.
• They are able to easily share their writing with other students who are also able to comment and give them feedback. Some students are doing this from home!
• When the writing is finished, it is already published. Students don't have to spend a long time writing out their stories again or typing them up. This is really not a great use of their time when they are pages and pages long.

Students can read e-books and online texts using their devices. They can use digital dictionary tools to look up key words from their reading texts. As part of our PYP inquiry units, students are expected to use their information literacy skills to research inquiry topics. This involves reading, collecting information, summarising and presenting. They also learn how to correctly site their information sources. This is an example of a presentation made by students on a topic of their choice as part of an information literacy session.

Students are able to use devices to work on Mathletics tasks and to access a wide range of online maths resources and activities available on the school bookmark website. These allow students to practice at their own pace and to receive instant feedback and support. They also help to make repetitive learning tasks more enjoyable.

This also includes work on computational thinking as set out in the NZ Curriculum.

In visual art, students are able to research images and art form online in order to help give them inspiration for their own art works. Teachers can also collect useful images in advance and create a digital bank of these that can be easily shared to each student. In music, students are able to listen to a range of music and can also record their own compositions using digital tools. In drama and dance, students can view YouTube videos of performances to get ideas and to analyse techniques. They can also video their own performances in order to assess their own progress and to share their performances with a wider audience.