committee purpose

There is a growing need for students to learn how to use technology and devices in a responsible and ethical way, as well as in an educational context as opposed to a “play context”. Students need to be taught how to become responsible Digital Citizens both at home and school, so learning to use technology creatively and safely at school is extremely important in supporting students to achieve this.

The main purpose of the committee is to support Calista Primary School to become more positively engaged in the use of Digital and Design Technologies and grow student knowledge and confidence in the use of technology for education and learning. We hope to foster a culture of creativity within our school that allows our students to think critically, solve real world problems and use technology in ways that they had previously not imagined possible.

The ICT/STEAM committee is composed of numerous staff who work to create school-wide advancements in the use of digital devices such as iPads and robotics, as well as to give students a wider range of opportunities to be creative, in both Digital and Design Technologies. The committee has worked to increase the number of iPads in the school, to give all students more opportunities to use these devices for educational purposes. In the past 18 months, the bank of iPads in the school has grown from 30 student devices, to over 130 student devices, and will continue to grow into the future.  

Additionally, we have joined countless other schools around the state to compete in an E-sports competition, giving students a chance to compete against other schools in a range of video games. This gives students that usually do not get opportunities to compete in such ways, a chance to use their skills in video games to show off their abilities in a positive, social, and responsible way. 

In 2022, a new “Makers Space” is currently being set up next to the library to give students a space that can be used solely for creating. This room will feature educational robotics, a large open space for designing and creating pieces of work, a green screen for use in creating movies, plus large amounts of resources to be used for students to demonstrate their creativity. This “Makers Space” will give students greater opportunities to create meaningful work in a different space and context to their regular classroom, once again ensuring that we as a school are being positively engaged in using different technologies for learning. 

Overall, the ICT/STEAM committee is focused on ensuring that we, as a school, can deliver a high-quality educational program in Digital and Design technologies. We will continue to work together to build up more resources and programs for students to ensure that all students at Calista Primary School are critical thinkers that are positively engaged with the current technologies used in a growing world.