IT in Action

It fascinates me to think of the digital divide that separates my own experience from that of our current students.

My high school had ‘a computer' which was spoken about in hushed tones of reverence, resided in a locked room behind the chemistry laboratory and was occasionally wheeled out for us to glimpse if we had behaved particularly well that week!

During my time at Southbank I have witnessed a seismic shift in the role technology plays in enhancing the teaching and learning at our school. As someone directly involved in the teaching of IT I am keenly aware of its inherent fluidity. This is attributable in part to the pace of technological change but also to the perceived ability of what our students are capable of achieving. Two pieces of software our students have used this year serve to illustrate this point, Photoshop and Micro spot Interiors.

Earlier in the year Grade 4 students were studying the Unit ‘Construction & Structures' and I was looking for software to support and extend what the students were learning in class. Micro spot Interiors is a high-end professional 3-D design package used by architects and interior designers. It has a very complex interface and is far from ‘child-friendly'. Never one to miss an opportunity to model the IB Learner Profile, I decided to be a risk-taker and introduce it to the children.

I was astonished by how quickly many of them became adept in using the basics of Interiors. After only four or five sessions with me they were able to independently use the program to impressively high levels.

Photoshop is another industry standard application which used to be confined exclusively to our middle school students. This year students as young as those in Grade 2 have been introduced to its creative possibilities.

Part of what fires the children up when they use such software is the notion that they are using ‘real-world' applications - they are much more likely to be enthused if they can see the relevance of learning beyond the classroom. Not so long ago the notion of a seven year old employing Photoshop or a nine year old employing a professional 3-D design application would seem fanciful. These children now grow up completely immersed in technology. They are truly ‘digital natives' and achieve a comfort level with computer applications at a far quicker rate than I witnessed in previous generations.

Of course, we can only speculate as to how technology will evolve but it is our continued mission to imbue our students with the necessary digital media skills which will give them the underlying confidence to be successful learners in the technology rich 21st Century.

By Stuart Bain, Assistant Principal at Southbank Hampstead