Aims and Overview of the ICT Department
Young people nowadays are born into a digital world. Computer games, mobile phones, and the internet are all part of daily life for young people from a very early age. Technology changes rapidly so it is important that young people get the opportunity to use up-to -date hardware and software. ICT is concerned with the handling of electronic information and involves creating, collecting, storing, processing, presenting and communicating information in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes.
Part of the Ballyclare Secondary School Philosophy is to help pupils live effectively in a highly technological society and as a result the ICT Department aims to:
- Introduce pupils to a variety of computer software
- Expose pupils to innovations in technology and communication systems
- Give pupils an opportunity to reach their potential in ICT
- Encourage pupils to take an interest in and enthusiasm for ICT
- Promote high standards to encourage pupils to develop pride in their work
- Support pupils in producing work presented to a high standard
- Help pupils to achieve success at their level which in turn should help to develop a positive self-image
- Enable pupils to develop the skills of using ICT safely and responsibly in a safe learning environment
- Enable pupils to extend their learning beyond the school environment
- Extend and enhance learning across all areas of the curriculum
- Develop skills in the use of ICT and the ability to apply these skills in a range of curricular contexts
- Encourage pupils to select and use ICT appropriate to the task
- Give pupils access to a variety of sources of information
- Instil in pupils a sense of confidence, achievement and enjoyment
The ICT Department endorses Ballyclare Secondary School’s policy that every pupil should have a rewarding educational experience.
Rationale
Pupils in Ballyclare Secondary School use ICT because:
- It can enhance and enrich pupils’ learning across the curriculum
- It provides pupils with teaching and learning experiences not readily accessible elsewhere
- It provides a vehicle for the development of pupils’ creativity
- It can motivate and enthuse pupils
- It can empower pupils, develop self esteem and promote positive attitudes to learning
- In today’s society, pupils need to develop ICT skills in order to access relevant information and become economically aware and active
- It gives pupils immediate access to high quality learning materials
- It has the flexibility to meet the individual needs and abilities of each pupil catering for both weak and high achievers
- It promotes access for pupils with learning difficulties
- It offers potential for effective group work and collaborative learning
- It supports different types of learners – audio, visual and kinesthetic
- ICT encourages personalised learning
- ICT encourages originality and creativity
Strategies for Use of ICT
- ICT is planned and delivered as an integral part of each curriculum area to support and enrich pupil’s learning
- All pupils are given equal access opportunities through management of ICT resources
ICT is a statutory entitlement for all pupils
Access
Pupils have access to ICT through the school network provided by C2K. Pupils access the network via a unique username and password.
Ballyclare Secondary School takes into account the ICT experiences of pupils outside of school. We cannot assume all pupils have access to a personal computer. To aid with this the school offers an after school homework club with full access to the school network. The homework club runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On a Tuesday after school pupils can have access to the ICT suite to complete ICT work if arranged with Miss Nevin. Both homework club and access to the ICT suite extend the hours of access to all pupils.
Staffing
Miss L. Nevin (Head of Department)
Mrs R Egan (Mrs C Symes)
Mrs N Weir
ICT Support Staff
Mr N. Curran
Facilities
The ICT department is based on the first floor and comprises of 4 rooms with a total of 95 workstations. All 4 rooms can be booked using the online booking system facility.
- Four large networked computer suites
- Video Conferencing Facilities
- Data Projectors
- Colour Printers
- Scanners
- Digital Cameras
- Internet Access
- Interactive Whiteboards
- ipad and Apple TV
Other ICT Facilities Around the School
- Library with many workstations
- Classroom sets of laptops on trolleys to ease accessibility
- Computer clusters for every subject
- iPad Trolley
- Computer rooms are also available for booking sessions for whole classes or groups.
Equipment Required
Pupils will be required to have the following equipment:
KS3:
- Headphones
- Memory Stick
- Coloured Pens
KS4 & KS5
- Headphones
- Memory Stick
- Coloured Pens
- A4 Report File
- File Block
- File Dividers
Why Study ICT?
Computers are changing the way we do business, communicate and control devices. Many jobs now require digital skills. We are committed at Ballyclare Secondary to ensuring our pupils enter the world of work or higher education with a high level of ICT skill. Specific ICT career pathways our pupils could follow include:
- Applications Programmer
- Information Systems Manager
- Database Administrator
- Information Technology Consultant
- Multimedia Programmer
- Software Engineer
- Systems Analyst
- Systems Designer
- Computer Game Designer
- Website Designer
