It is indisputable that emerging and innovative technologies are driving profound change in many industries. While disruptive technologies continue to impact the way we shop, travel, order food and do our taxes, new opportunities and markets emerge for those with innovative ideas and creative solutions. Industries such as agriculture, delivery services, security, emergency response, construction, real estate and education are experiencing emerging or disruptive technologies which provides many opportunities to leverage time, resource, labour and financial efficiencies. Many other industries are impacted by far-reaching changes to the workplaces they support. Therefore, the operational structures of the educational spheres, work and market places our students will enter are shifting and reshaping.
Our learning platform
Preparing our students to adapt and thrive in this environment means developing our students’ learning skills so they can be flexible and critical thinkers, skilful communicators and strategic global citizens.
In Junior School the focus is ‘To create a future-focussed learning culture that empowers students to become independent, engaged, fulfilled, holistic learners’. The focus is on developing students in the ICT General Capability – creating, communication and collaborating with ICT, by immersing the learners in age appropriate, technology rich learning that is used to enhance teaching and learning.
Our teachers utilise Microsoft’s 21st Century Learning Design to ensure learning tasks challenge students to communicate and collaborate effectively, to think critically and find creative solutions for real-world problems.
Access to learning technologies starts from using iPads in Kindergarten through to Year 3, embedded into all learning areas. In Year 4, the students change to utilising Windows tablet notebooks in class. The College-owned Notebook program commences in Year 5 when all students are issued with a notebook which they bring to school every day.
Our College-owned program means all students in a year group have equal access to the same technologies, enabling consistency for teaching and learning purposes and ensuring all students can access learning opportunities. We focus on building students’ skills, so they can create with technology, to share their understanding and use specific technologies to support specific learning needs.
Office 365 tools enable a collaborative, online learning-platform which provides opportunities for blended learning and differentiation. OneNote is widely used to manage learning resources, as interactive learning tasks can be embedded, accessed and shared with different audiences. Students of all abilities can work with digital learning materials that challenge and extend them.
Innovative technologies in education
In addition to the classroom environment, we offer an extensive range of experiences and opportunities to use and master emerging or innovative technologies through the curricular and co-curricular programs. These include VR headsets and an HTC Vivi, through which students can explore interactive environments, 360’ video for student creations, drones and many, many more. Extensive use of learning technologies is also present in the STEM program from Kindergarten through to Year 12. We utilise these technologies for educational purposes to provide students with new experiences and the opportunity to develop practical skills to explore, build and create with new technologies. We aim to build students’ confidence and capacity to adapt to disruption so that instead of being fearful or overwhelmed by change, they can look for opportunities to progress and thrive.