GUEST RESEARCH: Established in 1889, Our Lady of Mercy College is an independent Roman Catholic secondary day school for girls, located in Parramatta, Western Sydney. OLMC Parramatta is committed to safeguarding the well-being and dignity of all its students by creating a safe and nurturing learning environment.
Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC) provides contemporary learning facilities, which enable its students to achieve academic excellence. The College helps to develop young women who embrace their role in society with confidence and self-knowledge.
“Our campus is designed to offer a range of contemporary learning spaces to grow our students as courageous, inquisitive, curious life-long learners. Our culture of excellence involves trying to put quality into everything we do; excellence is about stepping outside our comfort zone and learning with a spirit of endeavour. We want our students to learn, to work together and to strive to be the very best people they can be,” said OLMC Parramatta principal Lucie Farrugia.
Embracing digital literacy
To keep pace with the rapidly developing digital context, OLMC has invested significantly in technology to support digital pedagogies.
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An efficient and progressive IT infrastructure supports the teachers, the support staff, and the students. For its students, this enables opportunities for emerging 21st century communication skills to be developed and fosters independence in learning.
A digital first approach is fully embraced at OLMC, and this starts with the provision of one-to-one laptops for all members of the learning community. In 2016 OLMC and Dynabook partnered to deliver a one-to-one laptop program for anywhere anytime learning for all its students.
OLMC now has a fleet of almost 1,400 Dynabook Portégés.
“A strong digital identity is important for our students to embrace, and we therefore embed digital literacy into all our learning programs for the girls. Their Dynabooks are at the center of everything they do, allowing them to manage their time, access all their learning content and to complete and submit their work,” said OLMC director of learning Louise Millar.
Dynabook is the backbone of the college’s learning
The students’ Dynabooks are at the center of everything they do at the College and when they arrive in the morning, they use their Dynabook to check their timetable for the school day using EdVal to see what their schedule is.
The College uses what they call “myOLMC,” which is based on the Canvas Learning Management System. On Canvas students can submit their assignments, participate in discussions, view their grades, and see course materials, allowing them to take responsibility for their study schedule.
OLMC also uses innovative software and digital platforms to aid learning and collaboration, including Microsoft OneNote Class Notebooks, which have a personal workspace for every student, a content library for handouts, and a collaboration space for lessons and creative activities.
The college also uses Zoom or Microsoft Teams for online meetings and lessons between teachers and students, either on a one to one or one to many basis.
Technology enhances creativity
OLMC Parramatta’s extensive co-curricular program has an activity for every Mercy Girl. Students are encouraged to join at least one of our co-curricular programs. A busy life beyond the classroom not only enriches the student experience by helping to build confidence and make new friends but also facilitates a spirited culture of excellence that sets OLMC apart.
OLMC currently provides a co-curricular Robotics Club that meets at lunchtime and after school. These programs create opportunities for students to develop problem-solving, leadership and teamwork skills while engaging with robotics technology, including the use of sensors, motors and gears and these are programmed via their Dynabooks.
In the many creative groups available to participate in, including drama and dance, OLMC students can video their rehearsals and then they can sit together as a group and analyze their performances, providing each other feedback in a constructive way to help them perfect their technique.
Using Minecraft Education edition, students have been able to use their Dynabook to create Minecraft based Japanese style architecture when they have been exploring this as a topic in class.
“The Dynabooks have expanded the creative choices for our students at OLMC. They can explore different ways to express themselves creatively and use collaborative tools to connect with each other using a vast array of resources and amazing content,” said OLMC Parramatta director of innovation and partnerships Matthew Esterman.
Feedback about Dynabook laptops
OLMC is a perfect example of a forward-thinking school that leads the way in technology-based learning. The college is transforming the learning and education of young women through the use of their Dynabook laptops.
Everyone seems to be extremely happy with their Dynabooks and the proof is in the pudding. There’s a huge demand for the devices it provides and there has been no negative feedback. Students, parents and the entire college community feel they have a laptop that’s conducive to their success in learning.
“By unlocking the full potential of every student through access to their Dynabook laptops, OLMC provides its students with powerful tools to learn and collaborate in a secure and trusted environment, whilst laying the foundations for their future careers as responsible and empowered digital citizens. We are pleased and proud to be associated with OLMC and look forward to a continued and strong partnership,” said Dynabook ANZ general manager Angela Walker.
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