Pupils get in Touch with technology

HISTORY books have been consigned to the past at a Wexford school where pupils are using handheld devices to learn most subjects and have fun at the same time.

The success of the initiative among fourth class pupils has led to St Aidan’s Primary School in Enniscorthy buying dozens more Apple iPod Touch devices for fifth and sixth classes. They will start using them next week.

Principal Peter Creedon said the move to the devices arose from a concern that technology available to schools was being put in the hands of teachers instead of pupils.

“We got them for more than 50 fourth class pupils in March, and they haven’t opened their geography or history books since then.”

The teacher chooses the learning applications and they’re used for literacy, maths and a range of other subjects.

“The beauty of devices like these is they’re so small, they can have them on their desk while writing in their copies. In art class, for example, they can look up a particular artist and their work, and try and reproduce a painting from an image in front of them on their desks,” said Mr Creedon.

Fourth class teachers Sarah Maher and Colm Gallagher said the iPod Touches have meant the textbooks are becoming secondary sources of information. The interactive nature of the work also means greater collaboration between weaker and stronger pupils, and some children’s communication skills have improved enormously as a result.

From next week, the devices will be in 12 classrooms at the 852-pupil school, thanks to a combination of Department of Education school technology grants and local fundraising.

“I didn’t even have a computer background, I’m not tech-savvy, so I’m learning how to use the technology from some of the children.

“But, more importantly, they gain an awful lot from it as well because they have fun without realising they’re learning,” said Mr Gallagher.

The school is one of four – along with Faythe Convent Primary School in Wexford town, Ransboro National School, Co Sligo and St Colman’s NS in Clara, Co Kilkenny – involved in a pilot scheme with Apple Ireland.

Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) general secretary Sheila Nunan said it shows how many schools are light years ahead of official policy on technology, describing a recent Government initiative to fund a laptop and projector for every primary classroom as providing just the bare minimum.

“The curriculum demands hands-on learning but Government policy is more like ‘hands off-learning’. For computing to be integrated with teaching and learning, children need to be able to learn by doing and one laptop between 30 children does not allow this,” she said.