St Mary's North Sydney - Students can use technology in many ways

Some examples of how devices are used at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School
Kindergarten

Kindergarten use ipads for writing, mathematics using a variety of apps. Kindergarten students access learning resources in an app called Google Classroom. Teachers individualise learning for their students and provide video links and animations for them to watch for History and Geography lessons. Students also receive their google accounts and can begin to explore these with their parents. A BYOD device makes this easier as they can be logged in to all of their apps using their secure account. Students begin to use their devices to create multimedia such as video and audio recordings which assist with talking and listening. These tools are used by teachers and students.

Years 1 & 2 and onwards to 3, 4, 5 and 6

As children move through the grades, students use their google accounts more regularly. They use these for mapping, presentations and writing. They use google docs to write different texts such as information reports and they insert pictures. Students research using links supplied by their teacher which can be emailed to them and save time. They gather information from a variety of sources including carefully selected websites and videos. Students share their work with their teacher and their peers. They can also collaborate on the same document using different screens.  This is particularly useful when gathering information in teams. Students also use spreadsheets and tables to record data.

In the early years, Students use ipads to access their eReaders for literacy block. They have 5 personal accounts for Google Apps for Education, Mathletics and PM ecollection readers. They use a website called Skwirk to access learning resources such as videos, animation and text that is specifically written for the child at their reading and comprehension level. In 2017 students will begin using their Clickview account. ClickView offers thousands of educational videos designed to support the curriculum and engage students. Students begin to create multimedia content and digital products to show their learning. This is shared with their teacher. Students enter competitions creating movies and use their devices to produce digital art. Students also work through specially designed learning sequences using online resources. As with all learning at St Mary’s, there is a personalised approach to digital learning, allowing for student personal choice and product.

Code Clubs In 2016, a code club led by Parent Volunteers explored coding for students from Kindergarten to Year 2. Students have worked on weekly projects, In the upper grades children have explored creating environments and creating original characters to place in their projects.