As a 2020 Microsoft Showcase School, Framlingham College is leading the way in its use of technology to enhance learning: we are committed to preparing our young people for their adult world, a world where innovation and technology will play an increasingly large part. We want our pupils to have the understanding, skills and passion they need to embrace digital innovation and shape the future.
As Microsoft Showcase School it gives us access to many teaching and learning resources to support and enhance our teaching and gives us links to other Microsoft Showcase Schools to share best practice.
Throughout the last year Framlingham College has been actively using Microsoft tools in an innovative and educationally beneficial way for both teachers and pupils. The ‘Bring your own Device’ scheme has focused on personalised learning and the use of Microsoft Office 365, and its full range of tools and features such as Onedrive, OneNote, Teams, Makecode, Skype and Flipgrid, has enhanced pupils’ learning outcomes, experiences and developed 21st Century working skills.
The majority of academic departments now use Microsoft products including OneNote which acts as a virtual classroom book for preps, class tasks and extension tasks. Both teachers and pupils enjoy a fresh 21st century approach to their learning with multimedia rich content, tasks and feedback.
Microsoft products have also played an integral part in ensuring creativity remains at the heart of our curriculum. The Prep School pupils have been using Paint 3D and Print 3D to design and display their work. Pupils from Years 5 to 11 have been using Makecode in a range of coding tasks including the Robotics Robot Wars Day, an “off –timetable” Computer Science Day where Year 10 program Microbit Robots for a game of football.
Director of Computer Science, John Harrod is keen to stress “ We never want to replace traditional teaching methods, we want to enhance them with the use of technology. As a school, we should be educating the pupils to not only pass exams but prepare them for the workplace and this is exactly what these Microsoft suite of tools do. We are thrilled to be a Microsoft Showcase School.”
We teach Computer Science, or Computing, from Year 3 through to Year 9 and offer it as a GCSE and A-Level option too. We also offer a BTEC Computing. Pupils study how computers work and how they’re programmed and designed too. We also focus on teaching pupils to use a range of professional software in business contexts, preparing them for the working world.
We encourage a hands-on approach, allowing pupils to witness theory coming to life as they re-construct computers, programme robots and build networks. These lessons also complement our extracurricular activities that focus on the practical elements of developing games and mobile applications, amongst other skills.
Overall, the aim is to build knowledge and encourage pupils to start creating their own software and hardware. We want to inspire the children and help create the next wave of developers and programmers – as well as prepare all pupils for life and work in the 21st Century.
As US President Barrack Obama has said: “Don’t just buy a new video game, make one. Don’t just download the latest App, help design it. Don’t just play on your phone, program it!”
