Klosters School.
Digital teaching at the schools in Klosters.
The municipality of Klosters has about 4700 inhabitants and is known as a beautiful holiday resort in the canton of Graubünden. The 9 school buildings for primary school, upper school and kindergarten are distributed at different locations in Klosters, Serneus and Saas.
The iPad in the classroom.
Our interview with headmaster Johannes Hitz provides current insights.
Contemporary development, networking with school partners, as well as high teaching quality and the awakening of joy and curiosity characterise the school's mission statement. The school tackles challenges together, constructively and in a goal-oriented manner.
Johannes Hitz
Headmaster Upper School
Community of Klosters-Serneus
«How has the Klosters school developed digitally in recent years?»
«For several years we had a computer room with a device available for each child in a class. Later, we purchased a class set of iPads to be more flexible in our lesson planning. During the introduction of Lehrplan 21, we started a pilot project in 2018/19 and equipped one class with iPads for each child.
This proved very successful, and we successively provided 1:1 equipment for all classes in the upper school. For the past two years, the fifth and sixth classes have also been working with their iPads. For the other classes, iPads are available in a 1:2 or 1:4 setting, depending on the levels.»
«For what reasons was it decided to use tablets in school and in the classroom?»
«Compared to other tablets, iPads are very durable, easy to use and work reliably.»
«How did the cooperation with DQ Solutions come about?»
«DQ Solutions is the provider in the canton of Graubünden. So for us, a collaboration was obvious. DQ Solutions offers the whole package, from sales to support. It is advantageous for us to know the people responsible for us at DQ Solutions personally. To be able to find solutions at eye level when problems arise and to be able to place concerns or requests for equipment purchases, such as the MacBooks for teachers this school year, simply and quickly. We are happy to take advantage of this comprehensive package.»
«How many classes have iPads in use?»
« There are 6 classes in the upper school, 15 classes in the primary school and 5 kindergartens. Currently, there are about 200 iPads in use.»
«What other role did DQ Solutions play in relation to the Klosters school?»
«None in the evaluation at the beginning and the selection of the devices, but DQ Solutions played a big role in the step-by-step planning and implementation. They supported us in the decision for rental devices or purchase devices and very specifically in the rollout, in the configuration of the iPads and the current administration with FileWave. In the areas where support and concrete implementation are required, we are pleased to work with DQ Solutions.»
«Do you also use services from DQ Solutions?»
«Yes. We have taken out a service subscription for this and are very grateful when we receive support for problems and get a solution rapidly.»
«Do you also purchase services in the pedagogical and didactical area?»
«We use the eduPackage offered by the Education Team of DQ Solutions. At least once a year, we organise further training courses for teachers on the use of the iPad in the classroom, which are included in the eduPackage. The offers available on the online platform of the package are also very popular with some teachers.»
«How does the Klosters school manage the many iPads? Is an MDM used?»
«We manage the devices with FileWave. This is very practical for us because a teacher can take over the management herself after a short training period and no professional is necessary. This means that we have a contact person directly in the school building who manages the devices and provides them freshly for each new school year.»
«Has teaching changed since the use of the iPad? Has it become more individual, more exciting? Have new possibilities opened up?»
«Definitely, new possibilities have emerged, especially with the office applications, such as OneNote and the storage options, such as OneDrive, that are available on the devices. Students can use the iPad to work, make films or take photos, and use the device for group collaboration.
This creates opportunities that did not exist before. Some teachers are using the new possibilities very intensively, others are still a bit more reserved.»
«Does the use of technology change how we learn and teach?»
«Definitely how we teach. Teaching has changed a lot, also accelerated by Corona, which made the use of technological possibilities necessary and gave the use of technology an extra push. Pupil learning is also changing, for example with the use of learning apps, which we like to use and which are probably the most used by the children. This certainly creates opportunities for more tailored learning than in the past.»
«What were or are the challenges to bring the teachers up to today's standards?»
«It depends very much on the teacher. For some, it is not a challenge and they enjoy doing it. If there is a certain inhibition and uncertainty in the use of digital devices, it also shows in the use of the devices in class.
Besides the technical hurdles, it is certainly the most difficult challenge for a school to introduce all teachers step by step to a meaningful and regular use of the devices in class.»
«Which apps are most frequently used in class?»
«At the upper school level it is the office apps and at the primary level also learning apps such as Quizzlet, Kahoot or apps from teaching material publishers that are used. Creative apps such as iMovie or Book Creator are also used. Apps that were introduced in a further training course are subsequently used more often in the classroom.»
«How do the pupils deal with the new opportunities?»
«Very uncomplicated! An iPad is easy and intuitive to use, the children need little explanation and can quickly use the devices independently. That is certainly one of the advantages of the iPad.
A small disadvantage of using it can be that the children don't get to know how to work on a laptop and then perhaps require a little more familiarisation time.»
«What does the digital future of Klosters School look like?»
«Currently, we are satisfied with the path we have taken and will continue to pursue it. Thanks to appropriate further training, we would like to use the iPad even more profitably in lessons. It is difficult to predict what the next steps in the digital area will be.»
