In Spa N.S. we believe that Information and Communication Technology can greatly enhance, enrich and extend the children’s learning, allowing students to learn collaboratively and construct/discover knowledge for themselves. We work to integrate I.T. positively around and in all aspects of the Primary School Curriculum and use it a tool and a means for accessing the curriculum and supporting, enriching and extending teaching and learning. Spa National School is a proud holder of the Digital Schools of Distinction Award, a flagship programme, accredited by the Dept. of Education, which aims to promote, recognise and encourage excellence in the use of technology in primary schools.
We aim to provide every learner with ample opportunities to benefit from technology in their learning, and to develop key skills for the digital world. Students use a variety of different equipment like chrome tabs, chrome books, laptops, Ipads and interactive SMART boards to hone their digital skills. Students also engage in a number of online educational platforms like “Spellings for me” and Accelerated Reader as part of their curriculum work. A high speed broadband service has been provided through the school.
Spa N.S. has also begun introducing all of our students to the concept of ‘digital portfolios’ as part of its digital strategy. Students from Junior Infants to 2nd use their ‘WOW’ folder on Seesaw to store different work pieces and recordings as discussed with their class teachers. Students from 3rd to 6th will use their Google workspace accounts for the collection, storage and presentation of different work samples.
A Digital Portfolio, also known as Electronic Portfolio or e-Portfolio, is a tool that collects the set of content, documents, works, presentations etc with the aim of presenting the best work of a student, presented in digital format.
Digital portfolios allow students to track and demonstrate their growth and progress over periods of time. While paper portfolios get stored or discarded at the end of a term or school year, digital portfolios can remain available and easily accessible to students, parents, and teachers.
Digital Portfolios can also encourage students to take more ownership and responsibility over the learning process. We hope that portfolios can be a way for students to critique and evaluate their own work and academic progress, often during the process of deciding what will be included in their portfolios.
We also believe that as students gain greater experience in compiling their digital portfolios, they will also develop greater competency in a wide variety of I.C.T. skills across a number of different platforms.
