We all know the important role a great teacher can play in setting a student up for success and equipping them with the skills and confidence to tackle what’s next.
But what we often don’t stop to think about is the contribution a great network of technology solutions and partners can play in making an impact on a student’s journey. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, technology is key for today’s high school graduates, as they step outside the classroom and navigate the increasingly complex ‘real world’.
With smart technology at their disposal, students can connect, collaborate and engage with their passions, and be empowered to reach for the stars. Recently changing its name to reflect its global outlook, Norwood International High School’s renewed commitment to technology is helping its students thrive and learn without limitation.
A VIBRANT AND PROGRESSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY, WITH BIG AMBITIONS
A world class school accredited by the Council of International Schools, Norwood International High in Adelaide, South Australia caters for 1,700 students from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Norwood celebrates its diversity in its student body, and also in its diversity of programs – graduates leave global citizens, armed with career and life skills from a range of academic disciplines and extracurricular activities.
One pursuit on offer is the arts – Years 9 to 12 can explore their passion in the fields of graphic design, art, architecture, 3D modelling and film production in elective classes at the school’s newly revamped Innovation Hub.
“Technology is what we do – technology plays a part in pretty much everything that our students do. The way that we coach and train our students to use technology appropriately means that they can then function in a really complex world,” says Amanda Walsh, Deputy Principal, Norwood International High School.
A purpose built area, the school’s Innovation Hub recently needed a facelift – it was important to Norwood that the tech on offer mirrored exactly what students would experience in a career in the arts, music or media industries in 2022. Turning to Lenovo for its extensive portfolio of hardware, software, and services, Norwood replaced an ageing suite of products with brand new Lenovo workstations for students to experience first hand while working on their school projects. According to teachers, when they first saw the new space, students’ jaws dropped!
AN AGILE TECHNOLOGY PARTNER WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB
Norwood’s students were accustomed to Windows, so new hardware with the same operating system was the logical option. But Norwood’s Innovation Hub desktops had a higher performance need than that of standard desktops – that’s where Lenovo’s customisable CPU solutions came in.
The new workstations Lenovo and Norwood’s ICT team installed were best optimised for the faculty’s use case and specialist tasks; fitted with NVIDIA graphic cards, the workstations run high performance applications without skipping a beat. Students designing graphics, 3D modelling, editing videos and game coding have the ability to render creations much faster and smoother.
“Lenovo for us was a no-brainer, because the work and the support that we get from the company is impressive, and most importantly, we wanted to have devices that were recommended and reliable,” says Walsh.
Fast forward a few terms, and the complexity and quality of the work students are submitting has increased significantly. Students’ creativity and outcomes have improved, with higher enrolments and interest than ever before in arts electives.
The best part? For those students looking to pursue a career in the arts, their exposure to industry-leading technology during their formative years has equipped them with invaluable experience and knowledge.
“We’re planning on installing two more computer lab pools, with similar specifications so that the teachers can have a similar experience [as the arts Innovation Hub] across different curriculum areas,” says Liam McMahon, ICT Team Lead, Norwood International High School
Enabled by smart technology, Norwood International High School’s vision – to help students understand that they can make a real difference in the world with their unique talents – comes to life every day.
For further information visit, techtoday.lenovo.com/au/en/solutions/education
This article was originally published in Education Matters Secondary Magazine – to read the issue download it here.
