The Learning Curve

As Computers become an integral part of modern society, children today must become familiar with technology at an early age. Recently at ‘Mougins British International School’ a laptop scheme has been provided to all children in our secondary school and across Year 6. It has been clear that this scheme has rooted itself into our school’s daily life and its implications for  learning are profound. 
 

A Laptop’s Life in Year 6 

We all know that Year 6 is a transitional year, preparing students for their next step into their next venture; life in secondary school. Thus,In Year 6, it is necessary to demand more from our students, and their management of the computers is integral and guides them in a direction to being more autonomous. It also gives them a means for daily organisation, being able to check their homework daily and have a tool to complete this, maintaining their  progress through consolidation of previous learning. 

The platform we use to transmit our learning resources and information is Google Classroom, a revolutionary tool in how a lesson structure and content can be delivered, facilitating quicker learning. Not only being able to post on Google Classroom with resources, questions, support pages, suggested pages has allowed the children a wealth of information to help them with their activities, but it has also reduced our carbon footprint, reducing our need to use as much paper in school. Our Printers have certainly appreciated having their own coffee break now and this steers us into the right direction in becoming a more efficient Eco-School. 

Collaborative, Intuitive and Fun

There are numerous tools on computers that allow teachers to teach to be fun and aid the learning of their students. In Year 6, we have been using numerous different websites to make their learning more interactive. They have been using quizzes and study websites such as Quizlet, Padlet and Kahoot. This also enhances children’s collaboration with each other on group projects. This was evident when our students were creating their own Google Slides for a project for ‘Black History Month’, being able to simultaneously develop their content and synthesise their research on Google Docs by sharing work permitting each other to each edit the same project. Having near limitless information for research purposes has shown that this medium serves as a virtual library and can have more utility, in some senses, then a library itself. 

Computer Literacy in Mind

Students need to be prepared for the ever changing professional world. Computer skills are paramount for their academic success allowing them an interesting and successful career. This is why in Year 6, so far, we have been developing their familiarity in understanding how to use computers effectively as a tool. For instance, teaching them how to access their Google Classroom, using the internet effectively  and how to create intuitive Google Slides and Docs. With computer fluency in mind, Year 6 have been developing their touch typing skills which has had many benefits to them in their learning. It allows increased attention spans, finger dexterity, spatial awareness, spelling reinforcement and accessibility to computers in terms of speed and clarity in thinking. 

Mougins in a Web

The International School of Mougins is excited to announce we will be expanding our laptop program for our primary department and will have a class set of  laptop trolleys available to Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This trolley has now arrived and staff are beginning to incorporate the laptops into their weekly ICT lessons. This will only deepen the whole school's computer literacy, with students already primed and prepped for the next year, making each year's learning accelerated and more meaningful. 
 

Rhys Wright

Year 6 Teacher