Forward Thinking...a GEMS Core Value
In June 2010, Royal Dubai School was awarded the status of 'GEMS Centre of Excellence for ICT to Enhance Learning.' This followed independent recognition by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) of "The innovative use of ICT enhancing learning..." as a key, outstanding feature of the school.
As one would expect, every classroom is equipped with an interactive whiteboard and there are two ICT suites, featuring individual student workstations, multimedia projectors and interactive whiteboards. At RDS, however, the provision and use of cutting edge technology go way beyond this basic school model.
All children in Years 3 to 6 have the option of bringing in their own laptops, in addition to the large number provided by the school, and this means that we can provide 1:1 access whenever this is necessary to enhance learning. In addition, iPod Touch devices and MacBooks are available to all year groups and these are used innovatively to encourage the children's creativity and collaborative skills in all areas of the curriculum, as well as improving their IT literacy. In addition, a wide range of other hardware is used throughout the school, including Wii consoles, iPhones, digital animation cameras, video and still cameras, a podcasting studio kit and mp3 recorders, to name but a few.
The GEMS Learning Gateway (GLG) provides us with a secure, password-protected Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) through which parents, teachers and children can communicate, collaborate and celebrate in a safe online environment and parents can keep up to date with their children's progress in real time.
An area in the Foundation Stage has been transformed into the 'Digi-Dome', providing an exciting learning environment in which our youngest children are able to explore and learn with the very latest technology.
All year groups have their own weblogs for celebrating children's achievements, communicating with parents and supporting learning. These blogs provide a fascinating, interactive record of the children's learning journeys throughout the year.
Parents are actively encouraged to contribute to the development of ICT provision and to offer training and coaching sessions to the community, in order to support each other in engaging with their children's learning.
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