STUDENTS at Bendigo Special Development School now have access to better learning and communicating.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, 22 iPads were delivered to the school by State Schools Relief, as a part of a program that\u2019s seen hundreds of non-verbal students receive the devices across the state.<\/p>\n
Junior school coordinator Davina McCurdy said the iPads will help remove barriers for many children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re an amazing way for students to be able to access learning opportunities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt provides a lot of flexibility in activities that we can offer them, but more importantly it provides them a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Programs installed on the iPads at the special development school include interactive stories and games and the tech also allows children to express emotions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives them an opportunity to communicate with us using different media forms, whether it\u2019s a communication app or whether it\u2019s using pictures to request an item,\u201d Ms McCurdy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also reduces the reliance on fine motor muscles so students can have more access for writing activities for reading books where they can actually turn the page.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, State Schools Relief were able to deliver 350 iPads thanks to funding from philanthropist partners Bank First and Gandel Philanthropy.<\/p>\n
CEO of State Schools Relief Sue Karzis said they began the program after seeing firsthand how the devices can help children.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2019 I visited a specialist school and I had no idea that there were a number of students that couldn\u2019t communicate, because their parents and families couldn\u2019t afford an iPad,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rolled out 191 iPads in 2019, last year we couldn\u2019t do it and this year we\u2019ve done over 350 so the need is huge, and it just gives students a voice that\u2019s life changing.<\/p>\n
State Schools Relief hope to continue the program next year, with a goal of delivering more than 400 iPads in Victoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really about explaining to people about what this means and how students would be able to communicate and it\u2019s just because that $600 that makes all the difference,\u201d Ms Karzis said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STUDENTS at Bendigo Special Development School now have access to better learning and communicating. On Tuesday, 22 iPads were delivered to the school by State Schools Relief, as a part of a program that\u2019s seen hundreds of non-verbal students receive the devices across the state. Junior school coordinator Davina McCurdy said the iPads will help […]<\/p>\n