We are in the middle of a technological revolution. Information Technology is becoming part of everyday life: at home and in the workplace. Indeed it’s hard to think of an area of business which does not use computers to some degree. I.T. is now used across the curriculum in primary and secondary schools so that when our children reach their age of employment or further education, they will be knowledgeable and confident with the equipment and software. Fortunately, the City of Edinburgh Council has taken a progressive stance on I.T. provision; an investment which means that every primary school in Edinburgh already has at least two computers for students to use.                                                                        top

At Stockbridge School we are going one better than the statutory requirement and have set up our own Multimedia I.T. Suite. This will enable us to offer our children a unique learning facility, enveloping them in a culture of information which will stimulate learning; allowing them to absorb and revel in the fast moving advances of the information age. With access to multimedia technologies such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, desktop publishing, graphics, digital video, e-mail and the internet, they will be able to learn how to create their own newsletters, web sites, annual year books and biographies in both paper and enhanced electronic versions.      

Under the guidance of the Education Department’s specialist I.T. Consultant, our shopping list was checked and approved for computer hardware (terminals, scanner, printers, CD writer, etc), software (desktop publishing, audio-visual editing, word processing, spreadsheet, database, graphics handling, web site production tools, etc). Demonstrations, training and tutorials for teachers is also part of the project. Most of our staff have completed the Education Department's Elite IT training course.   top

It will be essential to achieve a sensible balance of future spending to ensure that our hardware and software give us good value for money whilst keeping pace with technological advances. This will require a programme of follow up tutorials, problem solving and development of the suite.