Digital Technologies at Vermont Primary School

At Vermont Primary School, within the area of Technology, in the strand of Digital Technologies, we focus on a variety of concepts. All students from Foundation through to Year 6 participate in one session a week in the Digitech Lab with a specialist teacher.

We embed the use of digital technologies into all areas of the curriculum. We have technology rich classrooms, where the students have shared access to iPads and laptops.

To support teaching and learning, we ensure a balanced use of digital technologies, within Foundation through to Year 2, to ensure that the students continue to develop the traditional handwriting and written presentation skills.

The Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 students focus on the more basic elements of Digital Technologies as outlined in the Victorian Curriculum.

Within the classroom, the Foundation students’ technology is limited as we support the research that states that within early childhood education, a predominantly screen-free or low-tech classroom in their first year assists to ensure that the essential skills are addressed. These include:

• establishing classroom routines/structure of the Primary School environment,
• learning to focus to instructions,
• building strong literacy and social foundations including:

-participating in creative play to promote socialisation,

-enhancing verbal communication,

-developing fine motor skills for writing.

From Year 3 through to Year 6, the students are involved in more of a STEM focus. The STEM acronym represents Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and are embedded within the Victorian Curriculum via dedicated learning areas and also through cross curriculum priorities. Please refer to separate TAB for more details about our STEM Program.

Acceptable Use Agreement

Digital technologies and the internet are essential for modern learning.  We know however, that these technologies need to be used in line with our values – TO BE RESPONSIBLE, TO RESPECT, TO CARE AND TO STRIVE. We work with our families to ensure that each child understands what is safe and responsible to do.

The Department of Education has developed an Acceptable Use Agreement and Vermont Primary School has adapted it to ensure that discussions about smart, safe and responsible use of computers and the internet and support is what they will be learning as a part of the VPS eSmart curriculum.

Digitech at Vermont Primary School

In their one session per week, with a specialist teacher, the Foundation through to Year 2 students visit the Digitech Lab to develop the skills necessary to use a computer, such as:

• mouse and keyboard/typing skills;
• word processing skills, coding,
• internet research,
• and other skills to support the classroom curriculum.

Students learn about cyber-safety and explore different safety issues including cyberbullying, protecting personal information and sharing content.