Every school pupil from P6 to S6 in Edinburg, Scotland (the country’s capital city), will receive their own iPad as part of an ambitious and inclusive education strategy, Edinburgh Learns for Life, according to the City of Edinburgh Council.
The 1:1 roll out, being carried out in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council’s ICT services provider CGI, will start from September thanks to a £17.6m (approximately US$24 million)boost to learning and teaching. In addition to the personal distribution additional iPads will be also be issued to P1 to P5 year groups on an agreed ratio.
Key elements of the Empowered Learning program, which will see a phased roll out of all the devices completed by the end of 2022, include: 27,000 new iPads being issued to pupils/staff, refreshed iPads for up to 12,000 pupils/staff and expanding the wireless connectivity in schools by providing wireless access points and a comprehensive program of professional learning for teachers.
Benefits for young people,. Per the Edinburg Learns for Life initiative, include:
- Fair and equal access from P6 to S6, ensuring all pupils have personal access to digital learning with their teacher in school or at home
- Effective digital workflow to increase engagement, improve teacher feedback and raise attainment
- A range of innovative accessibility features to improve access to the curriculum for pupils with additional support needs
- Pupils can work online simultaneously in a class or collaboratively outside the classroom
- High quality digital applications for productivity and creativity, providing more ways to personalize and choose how they learn
- Development of learning, thinking and digital literacy skills vital for success in today’s rapidly evolving, technological society.
