Technologies
ICT TO SUPPORT AND ENHANCE LEARNING
ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is an important aspect of learning and teaching at Kellands Primary School, providing a range of technologies, capabilities, and the creativity for transformative, lifelong learning in the classroom, across the school and in the community.
To best prepare our learners for success in tomorrow’s rapidly evolving and digital world, Kellands is aiming to deliver two key objectives:
• ICT is routinely and effectively embedded in all aspects of learning and teaching.
▪ Learners and teachers have personal access to ICT whenever and wherever it benefits learning and teaching.
Our digital learning helps meet these objectives by:
• Providing access to up-to-date, authentic information from a huge variety of sources.
▪ Allowing us to personalise and transform learning and teaching using a wide range of digital tools.
▪ Allowing us to extend learning, collaborate and publish beyond the classroom.
▪ Helping develop the learning, thinking and digital literacy skills vital for success in today’s rapidly evolving, technology rich society and understanding consequences of misuse.
Pupils with access to devices will:
• Have access to ICT whenever and wherever it is beneficial to support learning in school.
• Make effective use of online learning resources and tools and a wide range of ICT applications to demonstrate and improve their learning across the whole curriculum.
• Develop safe and responsible attitudes and aptitudes relating to technology that will enable them to engage effectively in lifelong learning and the world of work.
• Agree to a code of conduct for the use of ICT within the school.
Staff will:
• Raise the achievement of all pupils through the development of ICT and the effective deployment of a range of stimulating and creative technologies for learning across the whole curriculum and age range.
• Continue to improve their ICT capabilities through school development and sharing good practice.
• Consistent approach to ICT responsibilities, and regular reminders about keeping our kids respectful of ICT equipment.
• Use of widget software being developed
Parents will:
• Access information about the life and work of the school via the school website and keep abreast of their child's learning journey through online app, 'Learning Journals' .
• Work in partnership with the school to support learning.
DIGITAL WELLBEING
Children are growing up with the power of digital media and technology to explore, connect, create, and learn in new ways. With this power, young people have great opportunities, but they also face challenges and dilemmas. Schools are dealing with the ramifications, including issues such as online safety, cyberbullying, privacy, hate speech, misinformation, and digital distraction.
To address these issues, Kellands are working to create a positive culture around media and technology by incorporating digital wellbeing as part of our curricula. Below you will find our annual plan for digital wellbeing addressing topic areas that are based on academic research and concerns from children, educators, and parents. The lessons have been adapted and resourced from Common Sense Education and are intentionally designed to cultivate both skills and dispositions to help young people thrive in our interconnected world. This is all the more important because children face many decisions and dilemmas as they live their lives with and through media and technology, from what they're consuming and what they're sharing, to how they're interacting and communicating with others.
DEVICE / SOFTWARE PROGRESSION
At Kellands, we have developed a digital literacy progression so that children gain experience and build confidence in using hardware and software that is relevant to them.
The progression uses iPads and then Google Suite to furnish children with choice and core skills in how they are able to present their learning (video, poster, presentation, document etc).
The progression also explores Coding (from Beebots to Scratch and Microbits) and Digital Creativity (Green-Screen, Stop-Motion and digital sketching).
Please see the annual plan below.
We are delighted to say that our work in this area of the curriculum has been recognised nationally with a 'Digital Schools Award Scotland'. This is a very prestigious award which we worked towards for several years, presented to Kellands in recognition of our development of our digital technology and the impact on learning and teaching.
We are one of the first Digital Mentor Schools in Scotland and we are very proud of our achievement. Special mention to our Technology team who have driven this forward led by Stacey Taylor (and Christine Rowley previously), Lesley King, Ashleigh Cruickshank-Fritts, Lorna Grant and Alan Souter.