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Drews Avenue School Profile |
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Written by Asley Smith
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Thursday, 07 December 2006 |
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Page 2 of 2
Drews Avenue Primary & Infant School Computer programme.
Background
The Drews Avenue Primary & Infant School Information & Communication Technology Programme came into being when Dairy Industries Jamaica Limited responded to the appeal of the school Principal Mr. Ray Howell and donated two computers to the school in October 2001. The school already owned two computer one purchased from the school funds and another from the ministry, these two new computers were the first to be set aside for student use. And so with to computers set up in the library classes began with children from grades 3 – 6. With only two computers and average class sizes of 35 students hands on was very minimal; students were for the most part told different things about the computers
Then came Moses Davis more popularly known as “Beenie Man” a past student of the school and successful entertainer. He injected new life in the ICT programme by donating seven Compaq computers, six computer desks and two HP printers to the school in February 2002. These seemed to come in perfect time there was a need for more hands use of the computers by the students, the computers were set up in library and the ‘new look’ ICT programme started.
The programme continued for two years with nine computers. It was better than before with each child now getting an average 7 – 8 minutes computer use each their knowledge and comfort levels with computers grew but their hunger for more time grew also.
The latest chapter in the school’s acquisition of computers relates to a partnership the school now has with a company. As a result the school now has a computer lab, the computers are not new and give their share of problems but they do benefit the children. The lab has twelve working computers and there are at present eight not in service. We do however hop to get them up and running soon.
Over the years the focus of the ICT programme has shifted focus a few times. In the beginng period the emphasis was on ‘What is?’ (the keyboard, mouse etcetera). Then it became ‘How to’ (use the keyboard or use word). The main aim now is for the ICT programme to back up the curriculum and reinforce what the teachers do in the classroom.
The computers in the lab are now networked with the ones in the library and the office files and printers being shared. There are now three classes with computers (these are not on the network) and the school having the goal of a computer in each class by the end of the school year.
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