Brisbane school stalls iPad program as cloud hangs over classroom tech

A Brisbane school has halted plans to make parents shell out for laptops for student use from year 4 following concerns they were buying into an expensive program with an uncertain future.

Although the Queensland government favours a “balance” between traditional and digital teaching, other eastern states plan to pare back screen use in classrooms next year.

Corinda State School, in south-west Brisbane, has announced it will delay a plan to overhaul its one-for-one iPad program – running from years 4 to 6 – after a vote by parents and school leaders last year.

Instead, it will offer school-owned devices shared between two students for a year, until families buy their own laptops for years 5 and 6.

Principal Carmel Herbert revealed the delay in a school newsletter, blaming “a recent escalation in the price of laptops, along with increased cost-of-living expenses”.

Corinda parents told this masthead school officials and families had felt wary about buying into a potentially costly device program while the role of technology in classrooms was being debated.

Corinda parent Doireann McPhee said she agreed with the postponement, adding: “The cost [of an iPad] was a concern for us.”

The delay also reduced the amount of time children in early primary spent with screens, which McPhee said had resolved friction around setting boundaries for her older child.

“We had to get firm and put it away for most of the week ... the two-to-one iPad program is so much better, with limited use at school,” the mother-of-two said.

“[It was] also great we didn’t have to bring another screen into the house.”

A newsletter from Herbert in June last year estimated that participating in the one-for-two program could save families up to $600 on computers and tablets across a child’s 13 years of schooling.

Mother-of-three Chloe Lowe said a similar shared program operated at Rainworth State School in Brisbane’s west, which her children attend. Students begin working with devices from year 3, then follow a one-to-one laptop program from year 5.

“I’m actually really happy with how they do technology at our school because I know [at other schools] they do iPad one-to-one devices from prep, or some version of that,” she said.

“I prefer not to because they can pick up things so quickly with the technology … even my littlest will pick up my phone and she knows how to swipe across to get into the photos and open the photos.

“I see a lot of merit in the pen-and-paper approach and developing fine motor [skills] and using your hands for learning – a mix of both, that’s pretty important.”

The Education Department said schools managed their own device programs, with the department helping “as required”.

“State schools also receive an annual ICT supplementary appropriation, which they can use to support local technology needs, including purchasing computers and devices,” a spokesperson said.

The funding ranges from a minimum of $1200, excluding mandatory software costs, and is scaled up depending on a school’s budget and enrolments.

Technology use is mandatory for general digital literacy across all learning areas in schools, while technology is a distinct subject. However, some Queensland schools offer fewer technology classes than outlined in the national curriculum.

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