Mum keen for the opportunities computers bring
YEAR 3 student Jack Urquhart is excited about getting a new computer to use in his classroom when he starts back at Brightwater State School after the Christmas holidays.
His mother Rebecca Urquhart said her family had started putting money aside for an Apple Mac laptop for use in Year 4.
"Jack is very excited about it,” Mrs Urquhart said.
"I've got to go to work and earn a bit more money for it but... for his development and the way of the future I think that technology is very important and I'm quite pleased that the school supports that.
"I'm excited about what he will be exposed to now and into the future.”
The school encourages parents to supply Apple MacBooks for students in Years 4 to 6 as a part of its i-Learn 1:1 program.
Mrs Urquhart said she started looking into purchasing a device for Jack about a year ago, pricing options to find the best deal.
"We have just made decisions to fund that over time so that Jack can have that opportunity into the future.”
"We love Brightwater because of that fact because they are leading the way with technology.
"It's a great school and great opportunities in learning for the kids.”
Fellow parent Natalie Gould said she bought a $1300 MacBook for her daughter when she started Year 4 in January.
Mrs Gould supported the use of technology in the classroom but wasn't convinced the device was being used enough to justify the outlay.
"I think they could have gone without it for a year,” Mrs Gould said.
The school's insistence on the use of Apple products was also a concern.
"The school does not use any Windows - based computers in classrooms or for student use,” a school program policy document read.
"As such, the school does not provide any support for Windows based computers or their programs.”
Mrs Gould said she didn't understand why PCs were not acceptable for classroom use.
"Being a public school, I don't see why it has to be Apple,” Mrs Gould said.
But she said her daughter had done some important tasks on her computer like learning how to write a letter.
"She has learnt things at school she uses at home.
"It's given her good knowledge and she will need it.”
Brightwater State School principal Robyn Taplin said the school had a strong focus on integrating technology into classrooms from Prep to Year 6 since 2012.
"The use of technology has enabled our teachers to personalise learning for students, with teachers accessing the appropriate level of curriculum required for a child at any time in order to better respond to their needs,” Ms Taplin said.
"Our student achievement in key curriculum areas has been strong as result of this personalised approach.”
She said the use of technology had provided students with an audience and experts beyond their classroom as well as a real-life purpose for their learning tasks.
"The teaching strategies used are highly engaging for students and relevant to their current needs and interests.”
Ms Taplin said students in Years 4 to 6 without devices had access to the same resources throughout the day.
"These resources are mobile so that teachers can ensure students without their own device have easy and equitable access.”