Balbardie PS in West Lothian has been working closely with their Local Authority development team in order to develop a learning strategy to ensure that their Anytime Anywhere Learning channel can have real impact on the life of learning in the school. Greg Welsh (headteacher) took time to explain that after consultation with staff and pupils it was decided that a focus on numeracy and literacy would be a main target for their learning strategy. This curricular focus was complemented by the determination to establish a learning culture in the school that would enable learners to be comfortable with any connected device that they could access and use to support their learning.
…a huge focus on not teaching around a device. The device is there to support the learning that is taking place.
Mr Welsh pointed out that he and his staff did not feel that there was any real need for the children at the school to be trained in the use of any of the devices that were available.
Balbardie PS: Impact and vision Mr Welsh discusses the vision for the AAL channel and the impact that he is seeing
The school has a range of devices for use to support learning and teaching including netbooks, laptops, iPads and Nintendo DS. These devices can be seen to be in the same class at the same time in a mixed economy style. Mr Welsh took us to visit to a P7 class to see this policy in action and during this time he again explained the rationale for encouraging the use of a range of devices to be used across the fabric of learning in his school.
Balbardie PS: Mixed economy of devices Mr Welsh discusses the rationale for having a mixed economy of devices
We visited a number of other classes at Balbardie PS to see the school’s policy on using a range of devices being put into practice. In one of the classrooms we visited we saw the children in groups where there were netbooks and iPads available for use. This discussion with them shows how at ease they are in using any device to assist them with their learning and it helps to show how the school’s aims are becoming realised by the way learners are confidently using any device to help support their learning.
Balbardie PS: Learners and a mixed economy of devices Learners discuss their experience of a mixed economy of devices at their school
Similarly, this short interview with a P7 learner who is using the Pictochat facility on a Nintendo DS gives us an insight into this confident attitude and ‘at ease’ nature of learners with devices that appeared to permeate the classrooms that we saw during out visit to this school.
Balbardie PS: Learner with DS in a mixed economy device classroom Discussion with P.7 learner using Nintendo DS in a spelling lesson
Some food for thought on how such an approach to using a variety of learning devices in your school and helping to develop the associated learning culture can be planned for and nurtured.
