New education technology will provide students with more and better opportunities to engage in learning, says Education, Early Learning and Culture Minister Hal Perry.
“Technology can have a huge impact on student achievement and engagement because it is often what students choose to use every day to communicate, learn, create and collaborate with each other,” said Minister Perry. “Our government continues to make strategic investments in technology to keep learning current and further engage students in learning. After building a modern education network, we are now replacing every computer in every school, providing all schools with full wireless access, and introducing curriculum that uses technology as a tool for learning.”
Minister Perry said the provincial government’s $4.5 million plan to install wifi in all Island schools by 2016 is progressing well. Spring Park and Souris schools are complete. The wifi installation and computer refresh at Colonel Gray and Charlottetown Rural will be finished this week. All Island high schools will have full wireless access by the end of this school year.
Government is providing additional funding of $5 million to replace all 7,000 computers in the school system. “We are replacing every desktop and every laptop, and adding new devices such as Chromebooks which work well in schools and are much less expensive,” said the minister. The computer refresh program began in 2013 in elementary and intermediate schools.
These initiatives are part of the department’s strategic plan for education technology which is based on recommendations from IBM Education, input from local education partners, and evidence that technology can support student-centered learning that embraces creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. As part of this plan, these improvements will pave the way for the possibility of students bringing their own devices to use in the classroom as part of the curriculum, in the near future.
Minister Perry said implementing the strategic technology plan is a major project. “Installing wireless access at 65 school sites involves upgrading servers, installing access points, and creating systems that can be used by as many as 1,000 people at a time in one building,” he said. “It also involves upgrading security and safety for students accessing the network. With state of the art education technology, Island schools will be able to explore innovative ways of delivering curriculum, where technology is being integrated into routine teaching and learning.”
Updated policies on the use of communications and information technology will be in place this year. The simplified and updated guidelines will support the appropriate use of current technology, as well as tools that will be available in the near future. Parents and students in grades 4 to 12 will be asked to sign the new agreement.
Stonepark teacher Jaclyn Reid said having the opportunity to integrate technology such as Chromebooks into her classroom has completely changed her teaching and the students' learning. “Technology has a way of engaging the students, enhancing their desire for knowledge, and inspiring them to become problem-solvers which will, in the end, help them in all facets of life,” she said. “There are many things that cannot be done with paper and pencil alone. We are living in a technology-driven society, this is the medium in which our students will be working with in the future, and we need to show them how technology can be used as a tool for teaching and learning, not just a means of communication.”