New laptops a welcome addition for Tennant Creek students

New laptops donated to Tennant Creek High School in the Northern Territory are providing a boost to learning and connectivity for students.

The laptops were donated to the school through a partnership between IG Group and Teach For Australia, with the aim of helping to address the digital divide impacting rural and remote students.

TFA and Tennant Creek High School have worked together since 2012, with 16 TFA ‘Associates’ completing the two-year Leadership Development Program while teaching at the school.

Principal Julie-Anne Spina thanked TFA and IG Group for their support and “generous donation”, saying the new laptops had provided a more positive experience for her English students especially when completing their assessments.

“The laptops have been invaluable for my students in Stage 1 English,” she said.

Teacher Chares Wylie, who became a teacher through TFA’s program, said functioning laptops had been in short supply in recent times at the school so the new laptops were a welcome and much needed addition.

“Both my middle and senior year students have clearly expressed that they prefer working on these laptops because they are so much better to use than the alternatives,” he said.

Classroom Teacher, Possum Marshall, agreed that the laptops had been a welcome addition and had assisted his Year 10 Maths students with their learning.

“They came with the latest software which enabled a number of students with learning challenges to access talk to text application. This has assisted these students to increase their word count, for written components, and use the editor tool to improve their grade,” he said.

Senior Teacher Olivia Vizard, who also became a teacher through TFA, said the laptops had improved students’ connectivity too.

“The donated laptops enabled students completing subjects via correspondence to use the in-built cameras for their Zoom classes. Their teachers in Alice Springs and Darwin were pleased to be able to better engage with their students in this way,” she said.

TFA’s vision is for an Australia where education gives every child greater choice for their future and the charity has found common ground with IG Group in their support for educational equity.

Melodie Potts Rosevear, TFA Chief Executive Officer, said remote learning during the pandemic had revealed a digital divide across Australia that was contributing to inequity in education and limiting future opportunities for some young people.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with IG Group and thank them for their generous donation of laptops to Tennant Creek High School,” Ms Potts Rosevear said.

“Resourced rightly, digital can and will open new frontiers for equity for our students.”

Torrell Fernandes, Brighter Futures ESG Champion of IG Australia, said it was pleasing to hear of the positive impact the new laptops were making.

“IG’s Brighter Future initiative seeks to empower communities through equal access to education and social mobility, and there’s no doubt that access to digital technology plays a significant role.

“We’re so pleased to be able to donate these laptops through our partnership with TFA, and to hear the positive impact they are making at these schools helping to empower through education.”