iPads – extending digital competency and fluency
When iPads were first introduced I spent a day in School to see how they were being used; now that almost every Year Group uses them on a daily basis I wanted to see what had changed. Would enthusiasm for iPads still be as great, or would the novelty have worn off? Are they more useful in some subjects than others? Are new ways of using them still being discovered? I might not expect to find all the answers to these questions in a day, but another visit might give me some of them – and allow me to enjoy a day in School at the same time!
Increased opportunities for personal research afforded to pupils sitting at their own desks is one obvious use which has not changed – no need to go to the library and search for a book. And this continues to be a great asset. I saw a stimulating Sixth Form Philosophy and Ethics lesson in which a lively discussion on the ideas of the moral philosopher Peter Singer was expanded by a pause to visit his own website. Elsewhere, Business Studies students were conducting their own private research on the structure of large companies.
But the capacity for recording work, as a prelude to analysis and reflection, also makes a vital contribution to learning. In the art room pupils proudly showed me their portfolios – all conveniently stored on their iPads. A time-lapse sequence showed exactly how one student had drawn a self-portrait. In a Year Seven PE lesson, pupils were exploring the idea of how to achieve balance. One unexpected plus was that a boy who had an injury, and was unable to take part physically, recorded positions adopted by the others on his iPad and the class then studied his photos and what made for stability. He was engaged in the lesson, as were the others. Year Ten pupils dissected and then photographed kidneys and used an app to label the different areas on their photos – a swift and easy way to commit the information to memory.
The pupils I talked to were enthusiastic – “Have you seen the student planner – it’s really good” enthused one girl who liked the way homework appeared, sorted into the days it needed to be given in. The capacity to email homework to staff for marking, or enter a dialogue on the Showbie app, was also popular. We may think that the key quality of iPads is to give students access to information but the one subject that kept cropping up as being most useful was English. “It’s really good to write something and then change your mind and make it better and you can do that with an iPad” explained one pupil. Interestingly, in this class drafting takes place on iPads but then the final version is written in longhand in an exercise book. It has not been forgotten that essays still have to be written in examinations and it is vital to ensure the capacity to write accurately at speed is still taught.
I saw iPads being used in a multiplicity of different ways. IPads have clearly added a new and exciting dimension to teaching at RGS. But these are extras in the teacher’s toolbox – not a replacement for tried and tested methods of teaching. Most of my questions were answered: yes, iPads do contribute to stimulating lessons and pupils are learning to take them in their stride in a range of different ways; they see them as an asset in learning about the world. Digital competency and fluency will certainly be taken for granted as an essential skill for university and in the future fast-changing world of work. No doubt if I spend another day in School in two years’ time I shall find them contributing in more ways not even thought of yet. An enjoyable day and a very interesting one for me!
Mrs Rosemary Ham – Chair of Governors
