Innovation at Gilles Street Primary School.

Inspirational thinkers such as Sir Ken Robinson in his address to the RSA on 'Changing Education Paradigms', Lord David Puttnam's speech to the Institute of International and European Affairs on Educating for the Digital Society and his involvement in the documentary 'We are the People We've Been Waiting For', directed by Daryl Goodrich and including commentary by Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Richard Branson and Germaine Greer have propelled us to consciously engage in the education of children in the 21st century for the 21st century and beyond.

Visioning Days for students and staff in 2011 led us to the Beginning of a Statement and our focus on powering up and empowering students for learning. This sees us ensuring a strong digital infrastructure, ensuring that students have access to a range of school devices (including a Windows network, access to Mac Computers, iPads, iPods and Windows 10 devices) as well as a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) policy.

We empower learners through our Interdisciplinary approach to the curriculum and by building their capacity in 21st Century skills through our partnership projects with Microsoft and DECD. We are also investigating how we can better engage students and personalise their learning through learning environments that are becoming more fluid, flexible and online; increasing an anytime, anywhere approach to learning.

What are we doing now?

• Senior students are using Flexible Learning Time
• Student Voice in learning is an ongoing focus
• Project Based Learning is developing through Minecraft as a tool for learning
• Junior Primary students are making use of iPads in their learning for Literacy and Numeracy
• The iPads are being used with early intervention groups to support speech as well as other areas of need
• Students in Years R-5 are accessing Digital Technologies as a Specialist subject area.
• Xbox Kinect is featuring in learning for Maths and Health & PE
• 3D printing is used for authentic purpose