Many of today’s children have been shaped by the digital environment in which they have grown up. They are digitally fluent. They are fundamentally different in the way that they think, in the way that they access, absorb, interpret, process and use information and in the way that they view, interact and communicate in the modern world. This holds profound implications for us both personally and professionally.
Today’s students need to be able to handle knowledge and manage their own learning. We have to ensure that we contribute to bridging the digital divide. We also have to ensure that we keep them safe.
At Bryandale, we are fortunate to have a well developed IT infrastructure. Our network covers the whole campus, including the Knowledge Base and the Pre-Primary. Each teacher has a computer in the classroom and has remote access to the school. We follow the Ingots programme for the Learners. Ingots are qualifications designed to motivate students and reduce administration, which is mostly done on-line.
The Ingots are International Grades in Open Technologies. Ingots are accredited in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are also part of the Global Schools project, initiated by University of South Carolina Upstate. Here learners and teachers can participate in a global classroom, video conferencing and digital story telling.
The Foundation, Intermediate and Senior Phase classes are taught various skills using a number of open applications as well as licensed products, including the Microsoft Office Suite of programs. Grade 6 and 7 learners are encouraged to write the ICDL exams
Extension courses are fun at the Knowledge Base during the holidays. The children have learn how to create web sites using Front Page and HTML. We have access to three computer classrooms. Two are situated in the school and the other, at the Knowledge Base
All computer centers have access to the internet and each learner is given an e-mail address. The school has 8 Smartboards.