Learning with ICT

The Hutchins School ICT policy is guided by the School's Strategic Plan where "ICT is the enabler" and it is underpinned also by the national school education goals:

• students will leave school as "confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, including ICT, and understand the impact of those technologies on society; and
• schools will seek to integrate ICT into their operations, to improve student learning, to offer flexible learning opportunities and to improve the efficiency of their business practices.

The e-learning vision of this plan is one of a learning organization with staff who are ICT competent and have the resources for continuous improvement. Hutchins is a ‘school of the future' in using 21st century tools and e-learning strategies to engage and empower all students, staff, and its wider community to deliver its strategic initiatives.

The School has a wired network via a Gigabit Ethernet fibre optic backbone joining all mini-schools. Acer desktops are attached to a group of file servers delivering standard Microsoft Schools Agreement applications software services, email, broadband internet services, intranet portals and portfolios, file-sharing and Web2.0 applications as well as printing services.

There are three general computer labs and a Computer Arts Studio/CAD lab in Senior School. There are smaller design graphics, arts studios and computer rooms supporting the Middle School, subject faculties and the Bednall Centre For Learning Support programs. The Senior School has five powered trollies of netbooks for classroom use, provided through the Commonwealth Government's Digital Education Revolution strategy to bring the computer-to-student ratio to 2:1. Desktop computers are provided in the ELC Library and in every ELC classroom. Junior School classrooms have four desktops, and a printer/scanner with Promethean interactive whiteboards, and the Stephens and Nettlefold Libraries each have eight desktops for student use. Both the Stephens and Nettlefold Libraries have class sets of laptops available for student use as well as the SMARTboards used in middle and senior school classrooms.

All teachers have laptops to enable them to prepare lessons online and use in their classrooms, especially when they use data projector facilities for whole-class teaching and learning or interactive whiteboards. Information and communications learning technologies are part of the students' everyday school life and support their learning needs, help develop their thinking skills and creativity, research skills, and develop digital and information literacy skills essential for life in the 21st century.

Recent changes in wireless technology performance and strengthened security complement the existing wired infrastructure. Wireless hubs have been installed in all major teaching areas, including an Art studio (to support Design Graphics in Years 7-10), the Electronics studio (to service the Robotics program), the Middle School, Burbury House (for the boarders), and the Libraries.

A broad goal of ICT strategic planning at The Hutchins School has been the enabling of a high performance organization with fast, secure and reliable communications. This strengthens the capacity for our students, teachers, parents and our wider community to communicate, collaborate and access resources and services across national boundaries to global connections. Hutchins School is connected via fibre optic cable to Australia's Academic and Research Network (AARNet) for all its internet services. AARNet is a private not-for-profit company whose shareholders are the 37 Australian universities and the CSIRO. AARNet provides high-capacity and leading edge Internet services for education, scientific research and cultural organizations and their research partners. Connection to the AARNet-3 backbone and 23 points of presence worldwide gives Hutchins' students and teachers access to services and information, without geographical constraints and at fastest speeds. Achieving a five-fold increase in bandwidth capacity, similar to the recent state and federal announcements of the National Broadband Network's (NBN) fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband initiative, there is the capacity to run video conferences and high demand interactive applications and unified communications to, from and across our internet backbone.

Boys may use their own laptops and portable devices on the School's network. Students are shown how to manage and connect their own wireless enabled devices securely to work on the School's wireless network, integrating in a more seamless way their independent learning between home and School. Personal laptops can be re-charged in the Library workrooms during the day when not needed by the students. Special purpose lockers on a short-term basis can be provided.

Hutchins frequently reviews the provision of ICT at the School. The ease of use of personal laptops and netbooks by boys at Hutchins represents a significant shift in learning culture. Boys are able to access their "work in progress" remotely as well as the online curriculum resources and school email. Microsoft Sharepoint portals, file management and personal sites enable the use of digital portfolios and web2.0 applications, accessible at home or School via the School's intranet. We see it as essential that students have Internet connections at home to enable them to connect with our ICT at School.