Windsor Hill champions innovation in primary school ICT
Newry-based Windsor Hill Primary School champions innovation in primary school ICT with a fun after-school Coding Club and the appointment of pupil Digital Leaders.
We are delighted to support Windsor Hill Primary School in the purchase of resources for the ICT & Coding Club, a new venture which began in May 2016.
The aim of the club is to foster an interest in basic coding and to further develop the school’s ICT provision in an ever-online-and-digital age. With the funding, the newly formed Coding Club were able to purchase a variety of resources, including: flying and programmable drones, robotic ‘Spheros’, a digital Weather Station and associated iPad accessories.
The school have further gone on to develop a ‘Digital Leader Team’, who will assist in delivering the Coding Club for the new Primary 6 group this Spring term (2017). It is envisaged this will have a rolling effect with the current P7 Digital Leaders teaching the new Digital Leaders moving on.
WINDSOR HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL – CODING CLUB
Coding robotic Spheros and programming drones to fly using apps such as Tynker on iPads, enables the children to learn about computer programming in a fun and imaginative way. The Coding Club gives the children the basic concepts and knowledge of coding programmes using robotics, games and animations. Projects such as this, along with Minecraft for schools, introduce coding and develop ICT concepts which allow children to build their knowledge incrementally…and they soon become the experts.
Children love to code – persevering through adversity is perhaps one of the most important characteristics they learn from programming. With coding, the children learn to be problem solvers and they learn to be independent while developing their ideas led by teachers and the Digital Leaders.
DIGITAL LEADERS IN WINDSOR HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Digital Leaders are pupil leaders/support for the technology that is used in school. The appointed children are interested and enthusiastic about using technology, with a willingness to learn and share. They spread good behaviour with technology, support teachers, support fellow pupils and are able to showcase what is possible. More importantly, they develop their own skills and become examples for what is achievable in school.
Why appoint Digital Leaders?:
- Gives pupils the opportunity to extend their skills
- Gives them young leadership opportunities
- Gives them the confidence to support other children and develop their own independent learning
- They provide CPD for teaching staff
- It supports the interests of the more tech-savvy pupils
To see what’s going on and read more about the excellent work in the school and the club – click the link to see the Windsor Hill Coding Club in action!
*images copyright to Windsor Hill and Tynker.com