School leads way with IT
A school is using pioneering information and computer technology to change the way pupils learn.
The Minster School, Southwell, is hoping to use IT to better communicate with pupils and parents and expand its use into subjects such as maths, art and geography.
The assistant head with responsibility for elearning, Mr Richard Pierpoint, said the school was developing a website so that pupils, staff, parents and governors could find information relevant to them.
Mr Pierpoint said: “Students will be able to look at their timetable and homework on the internet.
“The students’ grades, teachers’ mark books and learning materials that were used in the classroom will also be available online.
“We did some work with a parent group which helped us plan our strategy for this because we are hoping they can use the website as a way to be involved in their children’s education so they know how well they are doing in each subject.”
The school is also hoping to establish links with other schools in the county and one in Belgium using internet video-conferencing.
“We will be able to take part in their lessons and also record them and broadcast them later to other students.
“This will provide brilliant learning opportunities for our students and allow them to experience what lessons are like for students in other countries.”
Mr Pierpoint said they were also working on an art project with Southwell Artspace.
He said pupils would be given a portable global positioning device. They would walk outside the school and their route would be plotted as an image that they could download.
He said: “We are looking at how we can use this technology for other subjects such as graphics and geography for drawing buildings or mapping areas.”
The lead member of staff for information and computer technology, Mr Paul Stevens, said using a new projection system was helping teachers to make lessons clearer for pupils.
He said: “Teachers have got projection systems in their classrooms which use videos and allows them to demonstrate more clearly what they are doing.
“For example, if an art teacher is doing fine art work he can show, in detail, what he is doing on the screen behind him so the pupils don’t have to crowd round to see.
“It can also help in maths for projecting shapes and demonstrating concepts like symmetry.
“The teachers can also save what they have recorded and put it on the website for the students to view again or reuse it next time they teach that topic.”
The Minster School was the first secondary school in Nottinghamshire to be presented with an ICT mark by Becta, a government agency responsible for IT and communications technology in education.
The award recognises the school’s achievements in the use of technology and the way the school uses ICT in lessons.
Mr Stevens said they would be happy to help other schools who were hoping to set up similar technology or work towards the ICT mark award.