Providing a virtual lifeline
- Jan. 21, 2010
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Keywords:
- ict
- online
- virtual learning
- Not rated
Head of Wycliffe Margie Burnet Ward speaks to Katrina Stanton about how investing ICT is to the benefit to all
ICT is essential in any child’s education... it provides pupils with the best possible opportunities in their futures
Thousands of schools across the United Kingdom faced a serious struggle at the beginning of 2010, as severe bad weather lead to the postponement of lessons and important exams. When her students became marooned in the snowy hills around Gloucestershire, Head teacher Margie Burnet Ward from Wycliffe College, near Stonehouse, had to make difficult decision to close the school. However, with the decision made, the school’s website subsequently received over a million hits from ‘remote’ pupils, illustrating just how popular and, more importantly, crucial such a resource can prove to be.
After a significant spend on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in recent years, online access is now making a return on that investment by keeping pupils up-to-date, and acting as a virtual lifeline. Tom Brown spoke to Margie about her school's commitment to online technology.
How has your recent investment in ICT helped ease pressure of students falling behind as the bad weather prevented them from getting in?
Wycliffe is in rural Gloucestershire and although we are very close to rail and motorway communications, even we were affected. However, using the Intranet, pupils were able to maintain strong links with staff and keep up with their work by gathering online materials.
Pre-bad weather, why did you decide to invest a large amount in ICT at Wycliffe?
ICT is essential in any child’s education. We considered present and future needs and devised a strategy to provide ICT resources to pupils to give them the best possible opportunities in their futures. Now we embed ICT in every aspect of learning, in the classroom or remotely as we have been doing recently.
In what specific aspects of ICT have you invested in?
We have invested in every area. We have improved the network infrastructure to enable access to the widest possible range of resources: improved classroom hardware, such as visualisers and software; increased security to help prevent cyber bullying; a parent portal to allow secure access to materials online such as timetables; further access to pupils reports and exam results; development of the Intranet to give excellent communications and allow the posting of work and resources online… the list goes on!
What feedback have you had from students and teachers over ‘virtual lessons’?
Students found it fantastic and it certainly relieved pressure if they had exams coming up. We could support AS and A level students with online tests, give feedback for work done and rapidly post extra revision materials or advice. An ongoing and intensive training schedule means that our teachers are very competent and confident with the systems so the Intranet is used all the time to support lessons and homework.
Why should more schools invest in ICT?
Simply, we believe it is the only way of securing the brightest start for our brilliant young people.
