Digital Learning Strategy
Digital learning is an aspect of education that must be embraced in today's classrooms. Technology has tremendous potential to engage, excite and inspire young people. It makes learning more flexible and helps to support different learning styles and abilities. Digital skills are critical to the educational vision of the School as we look to equip our students with the transferrable skills needed to flourish in their future careers.
Our digital strategy has become an intrinsic part of teaching and learning. In subjects where technology is an essential part of the course, (Media Studies, Computer Science, Music and others), our digital resources are outstanding. In subjects with less of a digital focus, we are always on the lookout for new ways in which we can implement digital technology.
We promote transformational digital learning across all of the curriculum to support teachers, students and parents. Staff and students benefit from Office 365, utilising the whole Office suite, including OneDrive and SharePoint, enabling students to share and access digital files from any device, anywhere, anytime. Sixth Form and SEND students can also access virtual desktops through their own devices in school or from home, enabling them to use specialist school software.
Digital Learning Team
- Mr Stefan Hagen, Director of Digital Learning
- Mrs Shelley Fallows, Librarian and Learning Manager
- Mr Ben Monk, Director of Digital Learning Infrastructure
Mr Stefan Hagan is a full-time teacher, which affords him a valuable perspective when leading on digital learning matters within the school. He works with the IT engineers at the School, and considers himself a 'keen tech user' rather than an expert, which places him perfectly in understanding the practical needs of staff and students and explaining things to the less tech-savvy. He works closely with Mr Ben Monk, Head of Computer Science and Director of Digital Learning Infrastructure and Mrs Shelley Fallows, Librarian and Learning Manager to ensure a well-balanced decision-making team.
I am excited by what the future holds for educational technology and believe it is vital that students develop these 21st-century skills to enable them to be successful in their future career paths
Digital Classrooms
Teachers use a mix of desktops, Inkpad laptops and iPads to move beyond the static whiteboard. For example, the Science Department makes excellent use of engaging data loggers (devices that record data over time or in relation to a location, such as temperature), whilst Maths use iPad stands to create live demonstrations of calculating equations which can be re-visited. Using the School iPads in the classroom, students access apps such as Plickers, Nearpod, Explain Everything, Quizlet and Book Creator for different experiences of learning, feedback and revising.
The Virtual Learning Environment
The School's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is via Firefly, a collaborative platform for the school community. This is available on desktops or as an app and is used by teachers, students and parents. The site not only contains up-to-date information such as sports fixtures and calendar dates, but it is also where students and parents can access homework, extension material, exam preparation guidance and assessment support. We have found it to be an excellent platform for clear communication between teachers, students and parents.