By Katherine Donnelly Irish Independent Monday October 19 2009
A SCHOOL has recorded stunning improvements in exam results and attendance levels among pupils after they were given their own laptops.
A big turnaround in student engagement has been tracked since a ground-breaking technology project was introduced four years ago in the school, which is in an area of serious disadvantage.
The 500-pupil St Aidan's Community School, Brookfield, Tallaght, Co Dublin, had some of the highest levels of student absence in the country.
The results underline the value of computers in schools as Ireland languishes close to the bottom of the world league when it comes to technology in the classroom
A 2006 survey found that one in three Irish 15-year-olds hadn't used a computer in school, twice the average in the rest of the developed world.
St Aidan's principal Frank Moran said the laptop programme could not take all the credit for the impressive changes at the school in recent years, but it was a factor.
Four years ago, the first laptops arrived in the co-educational school thanks to South Dublin Co Council's Connect initiative, aimed at embedding technology in the community.
The change in attendance statistics at St Aidan's between 2004/05 and 2008/09 is startling:
• Days lost through student absence fell from more than 9,000 a year to less than 4,000.
• The number of students absent for 20 days or more halved from almost 200 to below 100.
• The number of students suspended in a year fell from almost 70 to about 40.
Connect is being phased in, with each first-year pupil given a laptop -- which they retain throughout their schooling -- while teachers have embraced a professional development programme to bring them up to speed with how to use technology in the classroom. Part of every class is now devoted to teaching and learning how to use the technology and, from second year on, the pupils are allowed to bring the laptops home and use them for project work.
The first cohort of pupils to receive a laptop sat the Junior Cert this year and Mr Moran said there had been a significant improvement in results, most particularly among weaker students.
Factor
Mr Moran said it was hard to say that the changes could be attributed exclusively to the Connect initiative, but it had been a factor in student attendance, student engagement and in making St Aidan's a school of choice in the area.
However, he said that the school had also been working hard in recent years on its disciplinary policy and on building relationships with parents and the community. Connect has transformed the learning experience for pupils, he said.
"You can imagine teaching art or classical studies and not just reading boring text, but being able to go on a virtual tour of an art gallery or visit a classical city like Ephesus," he explained.
A number of high achieving older students -- whose entry to the school pre-dated the phasing in of Connect -- were also given laptops one of whom, this year, became the first St Aidan's pupil to enter medical school.
As well as the county council, other partners in the project were the Department of Education, the Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin West Education Centre and the National Centre for Technology in Education. The school is showcasing its technological skills to other teachers and students tomorrow.
Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
Computers for Irish Schools: Takes computers, which are not quite ready fo rthe recycling bin and donates them to local schools in Ireland.If you are thinking of recycling some old IT equipment logon to http://www.cfis.ie/ or call Bryan at 01 864 2773
A SCHOOL has recorded stunning improvements in exam results and attendance levels among pupils after they were given their own laptops.
A big turnaround in student engagement has been tracked since a ground-breaking technology project was introduced four years ago in the school, which is in an area of serious disadvantage.
The 500-pupil St Aidan's Community School, Brookfield, Tallaght, Co Dublin, had some of the highest levels of student absence in the country.
The results underline the value of computers in schools as Ireland languishes close to the bottom of the world league when it comes to technology in the classroom
A 2006 survey found that one in three Irish 15-year-olds hadn't used a computer in school, twice the average in the rest of the developed world.
St Aidan's principal Frank Moran said the laptop programme could not take all the credit for the impressive changes at the school in recent years, but it was a factor.
Four years ago, the first laptops arrived in the co-educational school thanks to South Dublin Co Council's Connect initiative, aimed at embedding technology in the community.
The change in attendance statistics at St Aidan's between 2004/05 and 2008/09 is startling:
• Days lost through student absence fell from more than 9,000 a year to less than 4,000.
• The number of students absent for 20 days or more halved from almost 200 to below 100.
• The number of students suspended in a year fell from almost 70 to about 40.
Connect is being phased in, with each first-year pupil given a laptop -- which they retain throughout their schooling -- while teachers have embraced a professional development programme to bring them up to speed with how to use technology in the classroom. Part of every class is now devoted to teaching and learning how to use the technology and, from second year on, the pupils are allowed to bring the laptops home and use them for project work.
The first cohort of pupils to receive a laptop sat the Junior Cert this year and Mr Moran said there had been a significant improvement in results, most particularly among weaker students.
Factor
Mr Moran said it was hard to say that the changes could be attributed exclusively to the Connect initiative, but it had been a factor in student attendance, student engagement and in making St Aidan's a school of choice in the area.
However, he said that the school had also been working hard in recent years on its disciplinary policy and on building relationships with parents and the community. Connect has transformed the learning experience for pupils, he said.
"You can imagine teaching art or classical studies and not just reading boring text, but being able to go on a virtual tour of an art gallery or visit a classical city like Ephesus," he explained.
A number of high achieving older students -- whose entry to the school pre-dated the phasing in of Connect -- were also given laptops one of whom, this year, became the first St Aidan's pupil to enter medical school.
As well as the county council, other partners in the project were the Department of Education, the Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin West Education Centre and the National Centre for Technology in Education. The school is showcasing its technological skills to other teachers and students tomorrow.
Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
Computers for Irish Schools: Takes computers, which are not quite ready fo rthe recycling bin and donates them to local schools in Ireland.If you are thinking of recycling some old IT equipment logon to http://www.cfis.ie/ or call Bryan at 01 864 2773
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