Frankston High School is no stranger to using technology as a meaningful learning tool, and we continue to develop our students as lifelong learners for the 21st century.
We introduced our student technology program more than twenty years ago and were arguably one of the very first government schools in the world to implement a one-to-one laptop program. A program that today, see’s 800 Frankston students with their own personal learning device.
Learning on demand requires greater accessibility, and what better way to empower both our students and staff than providing them with a device designed to work on their terms and without compromise. For us, the answer came in the form of the Surface Pro 3 – a truly all-purpose device that brings together the best tools and apps for the classroom, all through the power of the digital pen.
“Learning on demand requires greater accessibility, and what better way to empower both our students and staff than providing them with a device designed to work on their terms and without compromise.”
In the first year of our Surface program, the number of teachers choosing to lease or purchase this type of device grew from twenty-five to sixty-seven staff members – a testament to the Surface Pro 3’s modern form factor.
As a school, we have a whole school approach to planning curriculum following the Backward by Design model. Through the power of OneNote, our teachers can now collaborate remotely with their professional learning teams to design their units using Surface Pro 3. OneNote’s integration with the Surface Pro 3’s stylus has also enabled our teachers to not only create and facilitate interactive online learning modules, but also provide real-time written feedback to students in a format that is natural to them.
The Surface Pro 3 has also been the first device that has enabled us to successfully capture high quality video, allowing students to experiment and get hands-on experience using green screen technology. Students are now making movies left, right and center and they are incredibly engaged with the process, while also giving them an outlet to express their creativity.
“The Surface Pro 3 has also been the first device that has enabled us to successfully capture high quality video, allowing students to experiment and get hands-on experience using green screen technology.”
Often when undergoing change, especially in the context of the classroom, there’s a sense of hesitation and uncertainty. After all, we don’t always know how students and teachers will react to change, or how quickly they will adapt. At Frankston High School we are continuously blown away by the enthusiasm of both students and teachers, willing to learn and update their professional practice.
Having experienced this change first-hand, I can tell you now that the Surface Pro 3 has not only met but exceeded our expectations as a teaching and learning device. Helping staff test and perfect their teaching practices in a way that works best for them, whilst also driving better learning outcomes for our students to achieve anything they put their minds to.
