Use of Technology at ANS

Through a thoughtful and balanced use of technology, our goal is to help foster the transferable skills and technological literacy necessary to take on the challenges of the future.  We are building an infrastructure and developing curricula that allow students to explore the meaningful application of technology to their work and their lives.  Developing Digital Citizenship is at the heart of all we do.

From Reception to Year 6, we have developed an evolving curriculum that covers programming, computational thinking, web 2.0 and the use of software and tools that can help students design and create.  These skills are taught through cross-curricular topics; linking Literacy, Maths, Theme, Science, Art & Design Technology.  This ensures that the use of technology enhances rather than dominates students’ thinking and learning.

Our teaching of computational thinking ranges from instructions in Year 1 to the opportunities our students have to explore Robotics and apply algorithms, with specialist engineering teachers, in the Primary Phase and advanced robotics in the Secondary Phase.  Furthermore, there is a range of after school clubs for all ages that focus on the design and coding of robotics.

All classrooms at Amnuay Silpa are equipped with static computers, interactive whiteboards and sound systems for multimedia presentation.  In the Foundation Phase, a Computer Lab is available for use by Nursery to Year 2 and there are two laptop carts available for the Primary Phase.  Furthermore, each year group makes use of 6 student iPads.

From Year 5 – Year 11, we have implemented a 1:1 Bring Your Own Device program (iPads) and the students actively work with Google Apps to collaborate with each other and with the teachers.  This has had a significant positive impact on the collaboration between groups of students working toward shared goals.

Through ‘Google Classroom’ (our main Virtual Learning Platform), all our students are now able to access teaching materials and resources appropriate to their learning 24 hours a day.  To allow them the freedom to prepare for further education, students from year 12 and 13 are able to bring any device of their choosing to school or make use of the Secondary Computer Lab.

Throughout the school, our teachers also collaborate, communicate, plan and share documents using the full suite of Google Apps for Education and cloud-based file storage.  All teachers in the Foundation and Primary Phases are provided with an iPad so that they can operate on the go and model the effective application of technology to information management and organisation.

Finally, we have developed an online network of WordPress Sites called the ANS Blogosphere.   Students use this network to communicate their ideas, peer assess work and respond to thinking tasks and teachers use it to further develop students’ thinking and communicate with parents.  This forum serves as a safe environment in which to learn about eSafety and Digital Citizenship.
Technology is fundamentally changing the way in which people work and live.  Critically, this has transformed the needs of our students.  Amnuay Silpa remains committed to exploring the growing research available on the role of technology in the classroom and we seek to integrate technology in ways that make the student experience relevant.