ST Columban’s College, Caboolture, has become a cyber-smart community with all students now able to log on to their own laptop computers.
What began with the roll-out of Macbook computers to Years 8 and 11 at the beginning of last year finished when Year 10 student Lauren Wust received her laptop.
On hand to show her the ropes was Year 9 student Wilhelmena Allison-Powell, the first student to receive a laptop computer in the 2009 roll-out.
The Year 8s were the first of the college’s more than 900 students to take delivery of their laptops, which they can use 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
St Columban’s decided to go one-to-one with laptops in 2008 so students had a head-start in the digital age.
The college’s parents supported the move, providing funding in partnership with the National Secondary Schools Computer Fund for the infrastructure required to make the school completely wireless.
The idea was to provide students with learning when they needed it and where they needed it.
Principal Ann Rebgetz explained to special guests at the launch, including State Member for Pumicestone Carryn Sullivan, Brisbane Catholic Education North Service Centre director Cathy Jackson, former parent Avalon Mackellar, from the Longman federal electorate office, Brian Ford, from Rotary, and parents Joanne Schouw, and Jo and Ian Wust, the advantages for the college being part of a cyber-smart community.
Ms Rebgetz said the college had moved the classroom outside of the four walls with more resources available to teachers through the one-to-one computer roll-out.
She said the ability to access technology was much broader, with students more engaged through enquiry-based learning as students could now access a wider range of resources in a shorter timeframe.
St Columban’s special projects leader Talitha Kingsmill said all students received workshops on being cyber-smart and on the use and care of their laptop computers.
This covered the definition of cyber bullying and what it meant to be cyber-smart.
“They worked through examples of cyber bullying and examined the latest research on cyber bullying,” Ms Kingsmill said.
“The focus was on how people can build their resilience, which was the key to dealing with all types of bullying.
“We canvassed the role of parents and staff and looked at suggestions for making homes a cyber-smart environment and reviewed structures that are in place at the college to build a cyber-smart environment,” she said.
She said students also viewed examples of cyber bullying and used YouTube extracts as stimuli.
Ms Rebgetz said initially the one-to-one program had been challenging for staff not engaged as much in the digital world, but they had risen to the challenge.
“They have achieved very highly in this area over the last year – a very intensive professional development agenda was prioritised, and is ongoing,” she said.
She also acknowledged the support of the parent community, in conjunction with support from Round 2 of the National Secondary Schools Computer Fund.
