My Granny used slate tablets in school. It appears Tablet is back although these (PC’s) are convertibles. The evening news reported on Project Chaos – a trial of tablet and other new IT technology in NZ public schools. It looked like they were having fun while learning lots, a good combination!
Brooklyn School (Years 1-8) in Wellington is implementing Project CHaOS (Children Have Ownership of Schooling).
For older children, learning resources will extend to those available outside the classroom and be accessed by using pocket digital apparatus (PDA), tablet PCs and stand-alone computers. Other children will learn to confidently present their work using digital and presentation technologies.
Younger children will be introduced to ICT using tablet PCs that are interactive, user-friendly, fun and can be used without keyboards or mice. Project CHaOS will explore ways in which this technology can speed up the transition from pen based numeracy and literacy to digital numeracy and literacy.
The Digital Opportunities (DigiOps) projects are joint partnerships between schools, organisations involved in ICT and the Ministry of Education. Currently there are 11 projects on the go, all trying to push the edges in terms of how ICT can be used in interesting, innovative and tangible ways.