November 18th 2016
Planning strategically for IT and ICT in any school is a difficult task. Who knows what technology will look like in two years’ time, let alone ten? One thing that is certain is that all pupils will need solid IT skills for both their future education and in the workplace. We are preparing boys for jobs that do not exist yet, and all will involve IT in some shape or form.
Here at Moulsford we are keen for the boys to be exposed to as many IT environments as possible. In our two computer suites, we have Macs which run both OSX and Windows operating systems. We are a Google Apps for Education school, and we use mobile devices: iPads and ChromeBooks. The boys therefore have the opportunity to use all of these applications, to learn to pick the 'right tool' for the job, and to consider efficient and effective ways of working when using technology. One example of this is the use of Google Classroom, a virtual environment where discussions about work can take place and assignments posted, created, handed in and marked. We are now at a stage that, given a project to complete, boys can consider their past technological experience and choose the best approach.
Learning to understand how this technology comes to exist in the first place is very important and the boys have the opportunity to program in a variety of languages by the time they leave Moulsford in Year 8. As a result of this, we have had many boys over the years who have started to develop their own software and websites in the real world.
Using technology safely and responsibly is another area of great importance, and we deal with this area continually throughout the curriculum as well as part of special focus days.
Finally, we strive to get the balance right between pushing ahead with technology, while maintaining and developing very sharp focus on the core skills of handwriting, presentation and face to face communication.
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