School Owned Devices In Middle School

Marking a first in GESS Middle School, we have been preparing for our School Owned Device initiative across both sections – from assessing student benefits from a pedagogical approach, planning logistics, installing infrastructure (such as installing charging racks and compatible streaming devices for enhanced classroom management) to ongoing training in responsible and safe Digital Citizenship. 

An intensive assessment on user interface most compatible with respective educational and curricular Middle School programmes guided the decision for German Section and European Section to use iPad and Macbook respectively.

We launched this initiative in AY2024/25, benefitting the first batch of Grade 6 students. 64 students in GSec and 90 students in ESec received their devices and accessories in a carrier bag made from recycled materials – a social project GESS supports in Indonesia.

Progressively over the next two years, the whole of grades 6 to 8 will have school-owned devices. That is not all! 8^th graders will be given the option to purchase their device.

Benefits of this initiative include:

• Fair and equal access to school learning resources and platforms (hardware and software).
• A smoother transition from Primary to Middle School, as students cultivate a stronger sense of ownership, responsibility and independence. (After a few weeks of training, students are allowed to take the devices home – and within GESS-approved apps and self-service features – apply a degree of personalisation.)
• Balanced device functions for school and learning, optimising between analogue and digital tools and platforms.
• Optimal IT support with uniformity in user interface and consistency in GESS-authorised apps and software.

The initiative was implemented seamlessly, made possible by the collaboration among IT department, middle school management, Educational Technology coaches and homeroom teachers.