ICT at school is possibly one of the biggest educational
breakthroughs of our time. Within just 5 years of it being implemented at this
school, many educational turnabouts that did not and just could not have
happened previously have been used widely in nearly all of our classes.
Programs such as
Excel,
Word and
PowerPoint from the MS... Office products have helpedus to create spreadsheets,
documents and presentations respectively. With the ease of this, computers have
made it easier for both teachers and pupils alike for creating work and even
marking it!
When the school introduced the use of the
Smart Board,
many teachers were afraid of using it to start off with. Using a touch-sensitive
board and a projector, it would be possible to control a computer just by
tapping in a few places on a whiteboard. With an array of virtual pens, it would
be possible to highlight parts in people's work for the rest of the class to
learn their mistakes from and to help the individual improve.
All this is made easier with the use of networked... computers. Now, it would be possible to use a
computer anywhere in the school and retrieve the same information, even if it
was saved in a different part of the school. The network even has a home >
school link, which can enable any user registered with the network to access
their files and even use a school computer anywhwere in the world! Even if
you're in Japan, it is possible to access the school's Terminal Services and use
one of school's computers over the Internet. An FTP... server, also provided by the school, enables pupils
and staff to browse and download the contents of their remote storage drives
onto their own computers.
The school also provide us with an email service, should we need to keep in touch with other users on the system, such as other students or teachers. It is also possible to email work home, for those users who do not wish to use FTP as an option of a home > school link. Sometimes it is easier this way as you can select the directory the file you want is in, rather than having to worry about it later. The email client... we use is
Microsoft Outlook 2000, used with a Microsoft Exchange Server, an extra product, which collects emails from the Internet addressed to you personally and stores/delivers them to you. It also has the ability to send emails, either internally through the school or via SMTP... to an external address. The school, along with
webmail access also have a
POP3 and
SMTP servers. All this allows you to access your school email at home or at a public access terminal, such as at the library, if you need it.
In my time at this school, being an authorised user on the school's systems, I have managed to try out all of the above systems and technologies that the school offer.
Most of these systems only came into use after the school upgraded from Windows 95 to Windows 2000. These are two different operating systems, both from different years. From the number after them, it is fairly simple to guess in which year they were sold in.
I have found both the email systems and the Home > School link to be very beneficial, meaning it is possible for me to complete work I started on the school computers, at home.
The interactive SMART Boards have been used on many occasions, the best example being for an art lesson. The teacher was able to draw on the board, not using the virtual pens, but in a special software that gives the user a variety of options with which to draw. I could see everything that was happening, along with a self-explained tutorial of how to use the program from the teacher. On one occasion I was given the opportunity to use the boards in an electronics lesson. It was up to me to show my fellow pupils how to use a program called Crocodile Clips Technology to simulate an electronic chip of a moisture sensor, which we were building in our actual lessons. I used the pens, along with my knowledge of the software, to show the pupils how to build the circuit correctly. I can only say that it was a fun opportunity and I can only wish I could do it again.
I use the MS Office Suite almost every day at the present, most definately on weekdays. It is a powerful set of softwares and helps me with my homework and coursework which I have to complete for other lessons.
