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LIFE&FAMILY
130
January14
MIGNON WECKERT, Head of Elementary at the
Australian International School (AIS), talks us
through two new initiatives being unrolled at the
school in 2014.
TECHNOLOGY: Apple at AIS
Tell us about the introduction of an Apple platform
this year.
We’ve had a 1:1 laptop programme at AIS in Secondary
School since 2011, using Acer and Dell laptops. For 2014,
we’ve taken the opportunity to begin with a deeper vision for
ICT (information and communications technology) across the
whole school. The two key elements of the programme are
to get technology “out of the way” of learning and teaching,
and to get better educational return on investment from
our devices.
Given this, we’ve decided to move to an Apple platform.
Beginning on the first day of the 2014 school year, AIS will
be a 1:1 technology school, with a 1:1 iPad programme for
all Elementary students (Prep to Year 5) and a 1:1 MacBook
programme for all Secondary students (Years 6 to 12).
Preschool students will move to a 1:4 iPad programme.
To mirror these learning devices in their classrooms,
Elementary and Preschool teachers will be using an iPad as
their central teaching device, while Secondary teachers will
be using MacBooks. We will also have a mapped professional
development path for our teaching staff, which is supported
by Apple.
How will the iPads be used by the Elementary
School students?
Our initial focus has been on teacher development, ensuring
all teachers have lesson plans that leverage iPad apps.
Following this, we will expect to find students engaging
strongly in content production like video production, stop-
motion photography and student-created books and texts.
These educational “products” will be very strongly linked to
the IB Primary Years Programme Units of Inquiry.
Will students take their iPads home each day?
As we embed iPads into our daily learning, our primary focus
will be on strong device management. During this time, the
iPads will not be taken home; however, as the programme
progresses we will be investigating ways which will allow our
older Elementary students to continue the learning at home
with the iPad.
School Report :
MacBooks & Mandarin