College Information
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Technology at DSC
With the recent announcement of a ban on mobile phones in primary and secondary schools in 2020, it seems timely to share what has been happening this year in regards to technology at DSC.
Since the start of the year, eight members of staff have been engaged in a Technology Teacher Focus group that has been exploring the impact of technology in the classroom, using school-based observations and published literature to form an understanding of how we can use technology to increase student productivity and minimise distraction. This group will be leading changes at the classroom level in the near future, providing guidance to staff on how to use technology more effectively.
The School Improvement Team recently discussed what our next step should be with mobile phones, as it was recognised that the most recent iteration of our mobile phone policy ‘not seen or heard, except for recess of lunch’ was in need of a review. It was widely believed that the next step should be a complete ban on phones, so we were pleased when news of the statewide ban was announced. At DSC, we believe banning mobile phones entirely is good for the following reasons:
Face to face interaction is a vital part of healthy social development that will increase as a result of the ban
Unstructured play (the time when you are bored a use imagination to entertain yourself) is another vital part of healthy social development that will be promoted more as a result of the ban
Access to inappropriate content via phones with data plans will be drastically reduced, which will allow DSC to better meet its duty of care obligations to the young people and families we serve.
We acknowledge that cyberbullying is also an issue but conversations with our student leaders suggest this is something that occurs outside of school more than during recess and lunch. It is for this reason, we encourage parents and carers to communicate with their children regularly about what they are doing online.
We look forward to sharing with you our plans for changing technology use at school, so we can maximise the benefits and minimise the costs associated with living and learning in a world saturated with technology.
Ty Dennis
Head of Senior School
Sustainable School Shop - Secondhand Uniforms
More than 200 families at the school per year use the Sustainable School Shop service for buying and selling second-hand uniforms, items that are listed for sale to sell. More items for sale are needed as there are far more buyers than there are sellers. If you have items you no longer need please list them for sale.
The items you list for sale will appear in the secondhand uniform Stocktake Report that is regularly sent to families. Given it is the beginning of the school year, this is a busy uniform trading time.