TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

We believe that technology empowers students to take ownership of their own learning journey. Digital platforms enable truly personalised, differentiated learning experiences for every student.

Technology Integration

 

Our aim is to create a safe, technologically-enhanced, learner-centred environment that enables the development of critical 21st century skills. We believe that access to technology by every student in every classroom is a vital step in achieving this aim. Technology enables students and teachers to engage in real-world, relevant, social learning activities that allow students to develop the skills necessary to prosper in the 21st century. These skills include information and media literacy, critical thinking, innovation, communication and global collaboration. In a technologically enhanced learning environment, students have the opportunity to interact with outside experts, collaborate with other students around the globe and publish their work to an authentic global audience. Our aim is for every student to be a responsible, global digital citizen who can safely and confidently navigate online social spaces and use digital tools to enhance their own learning and contribute to the learning of others. We aim to integrate the teaching and learning of digital citizenship into all subject areas.


 

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
AT ISD

Digital Citizenship is an important part of every child's education. Students need to learn how to be good citizens in the offline as well as online world. Every student should be able to navigate online spaces and use online communication tools safely and effectively. Being a good Digital Citizen means knowing one's rights, respecting the rights of others and knowing how to keep oneself and others safe in the digital world. Our aim is to teach good Digital Citizenship skills in all subject areas. A good Digital Citizen will follow the guidelines under these six tenets.

This content was adapted from the Digital Citizenship AUA located at Educational Origami and is licensed by International School of Düsseldorf under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You can view a copy of this licence here.


 

TECHNOLOGY IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

There can be no denying that technology plays a major role in all aspects of today's world. At ISD Education Technology (EdTech) is not a stand-alone subject, but an integral part of the Elementary School curriculum; every EdTech project relates back to students' current classroom learning, and is designed not only to broaden their horizons but to offer opportunities to learn in different ways. Our dedicated EdTech team opens the door for students to explore and experience technology in an educational, safe, and secure way.

From Prep through to grade 5, each student receives an iPad for the school year to record his or her learning. As they progress through the Elementary School, students are exposed to a variety of learning experiences via the many different programmes and apps provided, developing important research and presentation skills along the way.

An important aspect of helping students understand technology is exposing them to coding/programming from an early age. In the ISD Elementary School that starts in Prep and grade 1 where students learn the basics of block coding, using TTS 'Blue Bot' robots.

In grades 2 and 3, students expand their coding knowledge with programmes such as Turtle Art and Lego WeDo 2.0; they learn about motors, sensors, and building things that actually move! A lot of time is also spent on debugging, which develops resilience and encourages children not to give up.

In grades 4 and 5, students take it up a level with TTS Pro Bots, learning about angles and measurements in parallel with their maths programme. This is also when they begin to experiment with our 3D printers, learning about patterns and sustainability. At the same time, we use MakeyMakeys to understand electricity, and Spheros to practice the coding language. 

In each instance, we encourage teamwork and provide opportunities for students to learn in the way that best suits them. Our focus is not so much on the end product, but rather on the ways in which each student is able to work towards their end goal.


 

TECHNOLOGY IN THE SENIOR SCHOOL

To realise our vision, the Senior School at ISD employs a 1:1 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) laptop programme. Students in grades 6-8 use MacBooks, whereas 9-12 have the option to bring the computer of their choice.

Students have access to a wide array of technology tools to maximise their learning, creatively express themselves, and prepare for success after ISD. In addition to utilising the applications found in the Apple Suite (iMovie, GarageBand) to foster creativity, ISD is a Google Apps for Education (GMail, Calendar, Classroom, Drive, etc) to facilitate productivity. Students have access to industry standard applications from Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Autodesk (Fusion 360, Maya, Sketchbook) and internationally recognised data collection tools from Vernier and Pasco.

Bringing the vision, technology and curriculum together is where ISD excels. Teachers and students work with world-class technology integrationists to curate a broad spectrum of the most up to date and effective tools for each learning opportunity. Additionally, our integrationists work with parents on issues surrounding screen-time, teachers and students on digital citizenry, and drive the discussion of technology’s role in society across the community.


 

1:1 LAPTOP
PROGRAMME
REQUIREMENTS

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12


 

FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS

(Senior School)

Academics