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Nadeen School has become the first school in Bahrain to use Chromebook and Google Ed technology in tandem with traditional teaching methods … and the boys marks are improving as a result, it says.
All current Year 5 and Year 6 students, aged nine to11, use Chromebooks within the school day and at home in order to ‘enhance their progress and broaden their learning opportunities’. Principal Pauline Puri, said Nadeen School ‘provides a holistic education’ to all of the children in its care.
“Part of this approach involves analysing current trends in education and how our children want to learn,” she explained. “While many aspects of our teaching remain traditional we must also recognise how children are responding to digital based education. Having a balance between both is key to ensuring a well-rounded education.” Google Ed services, such as Google classroom, Docs, Sheet, and Drawing, are specifically made for educators and students and the tech giant says it is continuously working to make these services better, improving the way teachers, pupils and parents interact.
It also integrates well with Chromebook technology. Chromebooks have been designed for work use and aim to provide a comprehensive, safe and user-friendly platform for students to engage and learn.
All student devices are under the teacher’s administrative control. All safety features of the Chromebooks have been activated including a ‘safe browsing mode’ for restricting different websites, apps and extensions.
Specific software has also been installed to monitor the students’ online behaviour and usage. Both fit in ‘very well’ says the school with the push for digital literacy. Extensions and apps available on Chromebooks are useful tools to use in order to successfully complete many curriculum requirements.
The fostering of a self-organised learning environment enables the children to initiate and take charge of their own learning, supporters suggest. Rigorous assessment and analysis of this new teaching tool indicates a marked increase in boys’ interest in and attainments across all areas of the curriculum.
There has also been a general increase in the children’s ability to work collaboratively, increasing rates of progress and overall dedication to learning. Following from the success of this programme, future plans at Nadeen include introducing Chromebooks to Year 4 in the next academic year.
Nadeen School, established in 1997, is a registered British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) and British Schools Overseas (BSO) School, and was recently rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Bahrain’s QQA
