Information Communication Technology

At Whenuapai School we have a full time ICT specialist teacher who works with all pupils from Year 0 - 8. All classes are taught in the ICT suite for approximately 10 hours per term. While ICT is not a curriculum area until Secondary School we believe in the importance of teaching pupils how to use ICT as a tool in their learning. Our specialist teacher designs a programme each term that is integrated as closely as possible with what the pupils are learning with their class teacher and at the same time teaches new ICT skills. What makes ICT such a great educational tool is that students often feel like they are simply 'playing games' when in fact they are learning new skills without realising it! We have a great range of software and programmes we teach our students from Microsoft software (Word, Powerpoint, Publisher and Movie Maker) to Kidspiration, Kidpix and Kahootz.

Available to our pupils in the ICT Suite are 15 computers, an interactive whiteboard, a scanner, digital cameras, beebots and roamers (robots) and digital microscopes. The ICT Suite is open two lunchtimes a week for computer club and we run an afterschool computer animation course one afternoon a week (Bubbledome).

Our Board of Trustees recently accepted an ICT strategy that will upgrade the computers we have school wide including new PCs in the ICT Suite, new classroom computers, new computers for our Library and administration area. We are also working towards having an interactive whiteboard in every classroom. At present we have 7 ActivBoards through the School and we hope to raise enough money from our School Gala to purchase some more. We are fortunate to have the support of families who have made donations towards purchasing interactive whiteboards for the School, the fabulous new Board in Room 4 was paid for from these donations.

 Attached to the next page is a brief overview of the skills we endeavour to teach our pupils during their time at Whenuapai School. As the world of Technology is in a state of constant change, our skills list is regularly updated to meet the changing needs of our pupils and the Technology available in the world in which they are growing up.