On Tuesday 12th June Staff and pupils from Port Ellen Primary attended a glittering ceremony at the Hilton hotel in Glasgow as finalists for the Scottish Education Awards in the learning through technology category. There were schools and representatives from all over the country present and the winners from three finalists in each category were announced by Jackie Bird.  The finalists had been chosen from over 650 nominations, so it was a great honour to have made it this far.

Sitting at our table we were all nervous, excitedly waiting for our category to be announced.  Emily felt so nervous her legs were shaking and Eilidh was worried about what she would have to say on stage.

When our name was finally called out we all jumped up with excitement and made our way to the stage to collect our shiny new award.  Jackie talked to Emily and Eilidh on tweeting and their use of technology at school and both girls answered very well.

We were all very proud of our achievement, and promptly tweeted the news live.  We then went to have our photos taken and ate a lovely lunch before making our way home, tired but happy.

This was and is still a real team effort and it was fantastic to have this hard work recognised.   Technology is integrated into the daily life of Port Ellen Primary School.  It is used as a tool to create a positive learning community, which removes geographical barriers and provides a rewarding context to enable children to become responsible digital citizens of the future.

The school actively uses technology to celebrate achievement via the school website, blogs and social network twitter.  Twitter has also been used successfully as a medium for children to share their Gaelic learning with the wider community. Meanwhile, parents have taken part in internet safety training, delivered by staff and children.

Glow has enabled the school to overcome its geographical isolation. Glow meetings with astronauts, authors, historians and scientists have facilitated children’s learning, placing it in a real-life context. The events have connected children with their peers on Islay to discuss Viking and science learning, and with Shetland and Edinburgh on Egypt and dinosaurs. Technology has also been used to inspire contexts for learning and to develop creativity.