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Using the whiteboard 
Why study ICT and Computing?
It goes without saying that the use of computers plays a vital and integral role in today’s world. In further education, the work place and at home a more than basic knowledge of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is essential.
The Department
The department is well placed to offer the required provision. There are three classrooms equipped with networked PCs operating under Windows XP.
One room is used primarily for teaching ICT and Computing and has an interactive whiteboard.. The room provides an ideal platform to deliver lessons to the small classes (12 or fewer) who study IT in Geits to Thirds and Higher Computing in 6ths and 7ths.
The other two rooms are used on a systematic basis by whole classes within the different subject areas or by individuals engaged in academic pursuits. The larger room houses a multi-purpose facility for classes of up to 24. There is purpose built tabling housing 24 computers around three sides of the room. The central area has desks for 24 pupils focussing on a standard whiteboard and an interactive one. The room can therefore function as a standard classroom as well as a very impressive IT suite or indeed a mixture of both.
The third room is available to individual pupils on an ad hoc basis or for classes of up to 19 pupils working under the supervision of a teacher.
The Network
The department is at the centre of a school-wide network. The main fileserver is connected to high quality printers. Wireless technology is used to provide access to areas where wiring would be difficult or impractical to install.
Most teaching departments within the senior school have their own machines for administration or Computer assisted learning purposes and some have several machines. The library is equipped with a number of computers available to pupils at all times. Approaching one hundred networked machines are available in the various parts of the school. A network manager is employed to maintain the system. Each pupil has his own user name and password and can therefore store his work securely on the fileserver. Each pupil may also have a school email address. In all classes the pupil-machine ratio is 1:1.
Pupils are therefore able to access their work, the internet and their e-mail during breaks, study periods and before and after school commences.
Computing in the Curriculum
The Programme
All pupils take ICT for the first three years. The maximum number of pupils in each class is 12 and much individual attention is therefore on hand. The Computing department aims to implement the 5-14 guidelines. Higher Computing is an option in 6ths and 7ths. The European Computer Driving Licence course is also offered to senior pupils. |
Geits
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Seconds
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Thirds
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Internet Access
All pupils have access to the Internet and may have a school e-mail address. A school policy has been established and filtering software has been installed with the aim of protecting and debarring pupils from exposure to undesirable material. Every effort is made to encourage pupils to make use of the excellent facilities for worthwhile educational purposes. |
The Intranet
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The Computing Department seeks to ensure that all Edinburgh Academy pupils will attain a high level of proficiency in the essential skills. Those wishing to specialise in one of the many rewarding careers in Computing or ICT are also very well catered for..jpg)
Geits have two periods per week of ICT for half the session. They will work selectively from an interactive course in ICT. The course guides pupils through a full range of core ICT skills, techniques and knowledge. The learning is achieved by means of extensive hands-on practice as well as reading and written work. Pupils will then use an integrated package to work at their own pace through a set of computer based tasks related to Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases and Graphics. They will then move on to more advanced word processing skills working with MS Word. As an ongoing part of the course they will learn the basics of communications including educational use of the Internet and the use of email..jpg)
Seconds have two periods per week of ICT for half the session. ICT in Seconds is almost entirely of a 'hands on' nature. Any work not managed in Geits will firstly be completed. Pupils will learn desk top publishing skills using MS Publisher and will complete a project drawing upon the techniques and knowledge acquired. An introduction to presentation software using MS PowerPoint will be tackled. .jpg)
Thirds have one period per week of ICT for half the session. ICT in Thirds will build on work in earlier years. Using the knowledge of software they have acquired pupils will explore its application in other areas of the curriculum and will hone their ability to produce high quality documents for internal and external educational requirements. They will learn the rudiments of Web Page Design to create a small website on the intranet. Finally they will learn how computers are used in control and robotics and if time permits an exercise in Computer-Aided Design and an introduction to computer programming will be covered..jpg)
A fileserver dedicated to Internet provision is connected to a leased line giving permanent access to the World Wide Web. .jpg)
Several Departments within the school make use of a local network of internal "websites", running on the school's own server and accessible only from within the school. This enables teachers to structure the information provided to suit the needs of the age group and topic involved cutting down on the wastage of time and confusion which can sometimes arise from indiscriminate web access.This page is: Edinburgh Academy / curriculum / computing/ index.htm
