A lesson in benefits of screentime
EDUCATION
LUNCHTIME on a wet and windy Monday at Holyrood Secondary, and inside the busy school, the Digital Ambassadors are already hard at work.
Their small HQ, a classroom tucked away in the Glasgow school’s admin corridor, is busy with staff and pupils keen to take advantage of the team’s expert knowledge and friendly advice,
“We help anyone who has questions about how to use the apps, or the iPad in general,” explains fifth year Simon Korzeniowski, 16.
“I have always been interested in technology so when I heard we were all getting tablets and would be using them at school and at home, I was keen to get involved.”
Holyrood Secondary is one of the pilot schools kicking off the biggest digital education project in Europe.
More than 50,000 iPads will be distributed to children and young people from primary six to sixth year in nurseries and schools across the city, as part a deal between Glasgow City Council and technology firm CGI.
Pupils from St Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Knightswood were the first in the city to receive the devices, and by 2021, every Glasgow primary and secondary teacher and their pupils will have access to them. Holyrood Secondary pupils have had the tablets since August.
Headteacher Sharon Watson explains: “The tablets are tools to enhance the excellent learning and teaching already taking place here.
“We want to use them to increase the pace of learning, and ultimately, to reduce the attainment gap.”
Teachers have been enthusiastic about the new technology, says Mrs Watson.
“Our staff are always coming up with new ways to use it in the classroom,” she adds. “We also held information evenings for parents, who, understandably, had many questions – does this mean no more jotters and books? Is digital technology suddenly more important than numeracy and literacy?
“It’s important to reassure parents that no, of course it does not mean the end of ‘traditional learning’ – it is an addition, rather than a replacement. Many children do not have access to this kind of technology at home, so this is a way to open doors for all.”
The iPads have access to a range of useful apps, with a focus on cyber safety, and allow teachers to set homework electronically and give recorded feedback on work that pupils can listen to.
Mary Gunn, Principal Teacher of Digital Learning and Communication, has played a pivotal role in the implementation of the programme at Holyrood.
“This is a really exciting project, which will equip our young people with the skills they need for their jobs and lives in the future,” she says. “I am especially proud of our young Digital Ambassadors.”
For fifth year Digital