20 Feb Ulidia to Launch ‘Learning for a Digital Life’ Strategy
From September 2018, all sixth form students in Ulidia Integrated College in Carrickfergus will be embarking on the ‘Learning for a Digital Life’ strategy, doing away with their traditional paper school planners, and each student will be loaned an iPad instead.
Principal Michael Houston said, “It is important that we train our 6th form students for university life and careers where digital technology is intrinsic to workflow. They will have learned the skills of planning and preparation in years 8-12, and we believe that traditional paper based diary skills are still vitally important. However, we also know that A level work requires a significant amount of research, time management and portfolio work and one of the best ways to manage that is through use of an iPad.”
The iPads will sit alongside the traditional textbooks and exercise books, they are not intended as a replacement. The purpose of the initiative is to make students’ study time more efficient, autonomous and engaging – whilst relieving pressure on the IT infrastructure across the school.
Mr Houston continued, “Our hope is that our students will leave Ulidia with the skill-set to enable them to choose the appropriate tool for the appropriate job. By loaning an iPad to our students for the duration of their 6th form study, we are bridging the digital divide and giving all students the opportunity to experience the use of technology to aid their studies both inside and outside the classroom. Ulidia welcomes applications for 6th form students from current pupils as well as from external applicants, and this programme will mean that all 6th form pupils will start with a level playing field in terms of access to technology.”
The philosophy for investing in the iPads to facilitate the ‘Learning for a Digital Life’ scheme is:
- To ensure equality of access to the internet at school and at home
- To prepare students for working and living in a digital age
- To support self-led research and problem solving
- To improve the quality of feedback, home-learning and collaboration
- To provide new and innovative ways for students to learn
Dominic Barnard, Ulidia Integrated College’s Head of ICT said, “The digital world is developing so fast, it is important that our lessons reflect the online trends of the students in our charge. If we do not embrace this technology students will not know how to effectively manage the balance of using technology to facilitate learning, revision and entertainment. Teachers are utilising iPads for learning activities which provide multiple pathways to subject knowledge and understanding in creative, engaging and exciting ways. Northern Ireland has over 1200 IT companies, including 100 global technology leaders who have established themselves here. I firmly agree that investing in the best technology for our students will open doors to some apprenticeships and university courses that they may not have previously considered.”
Over the past two years, Ulidia has implemented a significant shift to cloud-based learning, ensuring that all lesson resources and coursework tasks are shared and submitted online using the Google Classroom platform. Teachers have been given training to upskill them to ensure that the majority of lessons are interactive and all resources are browser agnostic – meaning they can be accessed on any device with a web browser at any time.