Dapto High School is a government-funded secondary school in New South Wales which provides a thorough, inclusive education to around 1000 students.
The school is committed to improving educational outcomes through the use of technology, but as it is located in a lower socio-economic area, funds are often limited. As a result, technology provisions at the school are varied – some teachers have access to traditional interactive whiteboards, and some to projector-only systems.
Dapto High School has been innovative in working around its financial restrictions, implementing a BYOD policy and providing devices to students who couldn’t bring their own. The school was looking for an interactive, front of class solution which would make the most of the BYOD policy, and deliver significant value when used independently of other technologies. The ActivPanel was the perfect solution.
Kelly Mathein, a teacher at Dapto High School, entered the Promethean Grant as an opportunity to win the school’s first ActivPanel. Quick to get started, Kelly was determined to find as much value in it as possible.
Kelly works with a number of students who are on the autistic spectrum, who are especially enthusiastic about the ActivPanel. She has found the ActivPanel to be invaluable in engaging these students and encouraging them to participate and communicate with the rest of the class when they might otherwise not have the confidence.
Kelly concludes, “The ActivPanel has made a huge difference for us, both on a day-to-day level and in planning quality lesson content in the longer term. I’m seeing more engagement in the classroom, and a real passion for learning in all of my students – it’s truly an amazing resource.”
