How is Hatherop’s use of technology evolving?

There can be little argument that, whatever our students choose to do beyond Hatherop Castle, technology is going to play a big part. Whether they are accountants, doctors, actors, sculptors, astronauts or a profession that doesn’t yet exist, digital literacy skills will be essential.

Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills. We aspire to provide our students with an arsenal of knowledge and skills that will equip them with the confidence to tackle any technical challenge. This term marks the start of our Digital Strategy – our long term goal to meet the objectives set out above. Our weapon of choice is the Microsoft Surface Go – an incredibly versatile digital tool built on tried and tested technology.

As part of our evolving digital strategy for the school, our Prep 5 and 6 students now have their own Microsoft Surface Go to take to their lessons and to use whenever and wherever required. Currently the rest of the school share a class set. Now that we are no longer restricted to using computers solely in the Computer Room, a world of teaching and learning possibilities is open to us. Students can take photographs of their science investigations to include in their write-ups, explore the natural world, create presentations of their findings from a Geography field trip, engage in mental maths lesson starters, present their poems, complete their homework, turn their English story into a stop-motion animation, research world religions, program Lego robots and so much more – all from their Surface Go.

And this is just the tip of the technological iceberg. We are just in the nascent stages with our employment of the Surface Go’s – the longer we have them, the more ways we will find to make the teaching and learning memorable, interactive, engaging and fun! The best is still to come.