Hi, I’m Eva and I’m a Year 10 Student!
Here’s a blog I wrote during my work experience at Funding 4 Education about technology and my education.
What technology do I use at school and in what lessons?
In school, I tend to use computers in all of my subjects but it all depends on when the computer rooms are free. I use the computers for revision, homework and research but occasionally for fun. In general, I am self-taught on most of the applications on the computers since my school presume all the students know how to work a basic PC based off the fact that we spend a good amount of time on our phones. As well as computers, at school I use my phone to communicate with my parents or research purposes too. However, there is no iPad’s or high-calibre laptops which could be useful.
Is my school using the latest technology?
From my perspective, I think that my school are using the latest technology considering that on every PC in the school, there is Microsoft office and Windows. The PCs are fast working computers and have every application necessary for school work. There are 6 computer rooms in my school with one full of laptops. The technician at school is great at keeping the applications and computers up to date ready for use.
“Using computers in school is a huge help because when writing an essay, using a computer is more efficient!”
Did I receive any training on how to use the computers?
As I previously mentioned, my school did not provide any training on how to use the computers or applications as they assumed the students already knew how to use one. Nevertheless, there were a possibly one or two apps in which we needed training for as the apps were a vital application to increase my grade. These apps included Adobe and Microsoft Excel.
How do computers help with my studies?
Using computers in school is a huge help because when writing an essay, using a computer is more efficient, and avoids any aching in my arm. This actively illustrates that my work can be improved as I am able to focus on the level of sophistication and effort, I put into my work rather than worrying about making mistakes and arm ache. Using computers in school is also very handy when revising for a subject. There is so many different websites and applications via google that I can use to better myself in that subject. I much prefer completing my work on a computer as opposed to writing on paper because I feel more relaxed and confident in my work as I am able to remove mistakes and find ways to use better terminology.
What would I like to see in my school that I currently don’t have?
Although my school have great equipment and the latest technology, I feel as though my school would really benefit from having another form of technology such as updated interactive whiteboards. We do have interactive whiteboards at school in almost every classroom, however, they are slow and are complicated to turn on and off. I feel as though having bigger whiteboards can help students at the back of the classroom see what is being written.
“My school did not provide any training on how to use the computers or applications as they assumed the students already knew how to use one.”
How has Covid affected my learning?
Unfortunately, Covid and lockdowns have really affected my school progress and my learning in terms of have no motivation or no understanding on what the work is about. In every lockdown, I really struggled getting up and sitting in the same seat for 7 hours everyday not being able to have any help on the classwork. I had no motivation, my eyes hurt and I was tired from one hour worth of work. When we came back after lockdown, I felt so much more at ease and relaxed at the fact that I knew I was able to get help from my teachers and I wouldn’t have to stress out. Although I did enjoy being at home with my family in all the lockdowns, I much prefer being in school because I love talking to people face to face and the social side to life.
What is my favourite method of communication?
My favourite form of communication is probably Snapchat because all of my friends are on snapchat so its easy to get in touch with them all via group chat’s or just messaging one person at a time. Snapchat is a convenient social media platform as you can call, facetime, or message your friends and family. However, I mostly use Apple messages to contact my family as it’s a simple and efficient way to talk to people.
What do I feel schools need to teach young people to prepare them for an office-based career?
From a student’s perspective, I strongly believe that schools should teach students how to manage a bank account, taxes and everything else associated with finance. Because our lives are based exclusively around money, students should have a good understanding on how to manage money and learning this in schools would be the perfect place to start. Another reason as to why learning about money would be crucial is that there are countless amounts of jobs that are formulated around finance, it would be a great idea for students to know about money considering how many more opportunities there would be.
