Blakestown Community School

Their 1:1 Chromebook journey after 3 years

Blakestown Community School is based in West Dublin. The school is dedicated to fostering digital literacy and ensuring equal access to technology for all students. Three years ago they decided to begin a journey whereby every first-year student would be provided with with a Chromebook at no extra cost. This ambitious plan would ensure that all students, regardless of their socio-economic background, would have the tools they need to develop essential digital skills.

The Challenge

Incoming students at the school often had limited prior experience with Chromebooks or Google for Education tools. Staff had a mixed ability of technical skills. To address this gap, we needed a solution that would effectively support our students in building essential digital literacy skills while being realistically deliverable for participating staff (and not add workload to their already busy schedules).

The Solution

The Olus learning portal enabled us to address these challenges head on from the word ‘go’. Focusing initially on building a strong foundation, building device skills among the students and then moving to more complex curriculum-focused apps in coding, digital literacy, online safety and I.T. (Google Workspace). Each teacher has found a balance between student-led learning and whole-class learning (using the Olus learning portal together on the whiteboard) that enables them to facilitate a teaching and learning environment that suits their personal teaching style.

The Results

The school surveyed students at the start of the journey and found that the students rated themself close to 0% in terms of their confidence levels with digital tools. By the end of the first year, the same students had scored themselves at over 95%. Students that are three years into the programme are working at a highly proficient level with Google Workspace and the Chromebook as a learning device. Students have gone from the very basics of how to sign into a Chromebook to building incredible ePortfolios on Google Sites. Teachers have been able to work as the ‘guide on the side’, at times even learning alongside the students.

Response from the School

“Teachers and students found Olus invaluable. The portal offers clear, streamlined slides and resources that enhance instruction, and teachers can monitor students' progress, ensuring they gain the necessary skills to thrive in a digital learning environment. Overall, Olus has been a vital asset o BCS, enhancing our Chromebook rollout and supporting our vision for comprehensive digital literacy development in our school community”.

Martin O'Connell Assistant Principal, Year Head, IT Lead

I would recommend Olus because it provides a very high quality service without a high level of intervention required from the teachers...Ultimately we are making the lives of young people far better with Olus. Their digital literacy levels are increasing, their capacity to use the devices are increasing. As a result the outcomes, in terms of teaching and learning, are improved across the board. 

David McGuinness Principal of BCS

Schedule a Free Demo

Schedule a free 10 minute walkthrough of the Olus learning portal to see how everything works. No commitment necessary!