Northeastern Catholic District School Board Catholic Education in a Digital Age 1
Northeastern Catholic District School Board - Geography 2
Northeastern Catholic District School Board Mission and Vision To provide Catholic Education to all of our learners in a safe, nurturing, equitable and inclusive environment that prepares them for life. Living our Catholic Faith to shape success for all of our learners. 3
NCDSB Strategic Plan: Our CALL to: Create Living Catholic Environments: E.g. Provide opportunities for students to develop attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teachings and respect for the Faith traditions. Align Our Resources: E.g. Through the yearly budgeting process, we will ask stakeholders for their input into the assignment of resources. Learn Together E.g. Provide opportunities for all staff to engage in system-supported professional development. 4
NCDSB Strategic Plan: Our CALL to: Leverage Technology Implement a network and the network services that underpins the use of technology at all our schools Provide technology to our students at the point of learning. Implement cloud-based web services that promote collaboration and that leverage our ongoing investments in laptop computers and ipads. Provide professional development for teachers to embrace technology as a key tool for 21 st century learners. Develop new Use of Technology Policies. 5
Infrastructure: In order to support of our educational goals, the Northeastern Catholic District School Board has invested in the following infrastructure services: 1. The Wide Area Network 2. Dedicated Internet 3. Wireless Access Points in all Schools 4. Video / Audio Conferencing Services 6
Infrastructure: Investment Wide Area Network This service links all of our schools and the board office to our Data Centre. Our internetworking backbone is 100Mbps to each of the elementary schools and the Board Office with a 1Gbps network connection at the Data Centre Site, which is located at our one Secondary School in Timmins. The Wide Area Network enables all end users that utilize computers and other network-enabled devices to communicate, collaborate and access all the network services: the internet, network file folders, printing and our Google Apps for Education Service. Mbps = Megabytes per second Gbps = Gigabytes per second 7
Infrastructure: Investment Dedicated Internet This service provide all schools and the Board Office with a 100 Mbps Dedicated Internet Connection The direct benefit of having a Dedicated Internet Service is that it offers a high performance, secure, stable and controllable access to the World-Wide Web The Internet Service underpins all of our external hosted network services: Maplewood, Blackboard Connect Notification, Career Cruising and Coop Writer The Video Conferencing Bridge and Desktop Video Conferencing Services The Ministry of Education s Learning Management System, including E-Learning 8
Infrastructure: Wireless Access Points in All Schools (Wi-Fi) WiFi is a technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data or connect to the internet. Our Wi-Fi Footprint is an important investment that we have made that sets the stage for all additional initiatives that can bring even more types of technology to the point of learning in the long-term. The Wi-Fi Service currently supports our 21 st Century Learning Strategies, the One-To-One Laptop linked to our Staff and the secondary students. Wi-Fi, underpins the Grade 6-7-8 Portable Laptop Carts that are in the classrooms and supports the Portable Laptop Carts that are shared by the Early Learning to Grade 5 Classes. 9
Infrastructure: Investment Video / Audio Conferencing Given our geography and the harsh winters experienced in our Northern Ontario Communities, we have invested in telephony technologies consisting of a Video Conference Bridge, High Definition Video Conferencing Codecs and Cisco Jabber Desktop Video Conferencing Licenses that reduce and at times eliminate the need to travel. This service is primarily used by the administrative team; however, we also maximize its use for professional development and activity days with our teaching and support staff. 10
Programming: The Northeastern Catholic District School Board in support of the Business Services has implemented the following programs: Microsoft Exchange / Outlook & Web Mail Blackberry 10 Service Staff One-To-One Laptop Program 11
Programming: Trustees, Administration and Staff Microsoft Exchange Email Service Email Service that supports electronic communication. Microsoft Outlook Clients running on all workstations provided by the board to the staff. Microsoft Outlook Web Mail, accessible when staff are not directly connected to the Northeastern Catholic District School Board s Wide Area Network. 12
Programming: Trustees, Administration and Staff Blackberry 10 Service In support of one-to-one computing and ensuring that our staff are equipped with standard tools to communicate, collaborate and to access the network services that are implemented at our board. Telephony Services Texting / BBM (Black Berry Messenger) Email Service that supports electronic communication. Standard Calendar Camera / Video 13
Programming: Trustees, Administration and Staff Staff One-to-One Laptop Program In support of one-to-one computing and ensuring that our staff are equipped with standard tools to communicate, collaborate and to access the network services that are implemented at our board and that are hosted using 3 rd party service providers: Microsoft Exchange (email) Accounting / Human Resources Systems Maplewood Student Information System and Connect Ed for Assessment and Reporting (Report Cards) Students Achieve Assessment (Grade book) 21 st Century Learning Initiatives Paperless Board meetings 14
Programming: Elementary Schools In support of Elementary Schools, the Northeastern Catholic District School Board has implemented the following programs: The Grade 6-7-8 Portable Laptop Cart Program Google Apps Smartboards Apple ipad Carts 15
Programming: Elementary Schools Grade 6-7-8 Portable Laptop Cart Program This program introduced laptop computers in the Intermediate grade classrooms, eliminating the practice of moving students to the traditional classroom computer lab down the hall. This strategy to leverage technology may have started out as experimental and somewhat innovative for our Board, but has underpinned the introduction of new applications and services linked to digital technologies. Since the students in these cohorts will eventually move towards the One-To-One Laptop or Tablet devices as part of other Board supported Information Technology Programs, the skills and abilities gained from the Grade 6 7 8 Laptop Cart Program will align with the greater expectation of our Strategic Plan that self directed and independent learning will become an embedded option. 16
Programming: Elementary Schools Google Application for Education Service The implementation of the Google Apps for Education, offered by Google and the Google Drive Service, is a Cloud Based Service utilizing the laptops in the classroom right at the point of learning. With Google Apps for Education, everything is automatically saved in the cloud - 100% powered by the web. This means that emails, documents, calendar and sites can be accessed - and edited - on almost any mobile device or tablet. Anytime, anywhere. 17
Programming: Elementary Schools Google Apps For Education Service Fast, easy collaboration is what makes Google Apps unique. Our website and document creation tools offer real-time editing, powerful sharing controls, and seamless compatibility an ideal environment for learning in the 21st century. Google Apps for Education includes dozens of critical security features specifically designed to keep your data safe, secure and in your control. Your data belongs to you, and Apps tools enable you to control it, including who you share it with and how you share it. 18
Programming: Elementary Schools Smartboard Program Smartboards in the classroom are intended to replace the traditional blackboard. They are interactive and allow a teacher to interface the laptop which has applications that work in conjunction with this device. The internet also provides a wide variety of content that can be accessed and interacted with using the Smartboard. 19
Programming: Trustees, Administration & Staff Apple ipad Cart Program An ipad can shoot video, take photos, play music, and perform Internet functions such as web-browsing and emailing. Other functions games, reference, GPS navigation, social networking, etc. can be enabled by downloading and installing apps. As of October 2013, the App Store has more than 475,000 native apps by Apple and third parties. [14] The Northeastern Catholic District School Board has been procuring Apple ipads as part of the Teacher Learning and Leadership Program and as part of a series of programs that are leveraging new applications that are only available through Apple. Our greatest success was linked to a Boy s Literacy Program in collaboration with Nipissing University in North Bay that leveraged this technology. 20
Programming: Secondary School The Northeastern Catholic District School Board in support of our sole Secondary School has implemented the following programs: High School Students One-To-One Laptops Learning Management System (LMS) and E- Learning 21
Programming: Secondary School High School Student One-to-One Laptop Program This program supports the wider expectation that self directed and independent learning has indeed become possible through online access to opportunities for inquiry, discussion, production, collaboration and acquisition of information and content [Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age, Beehtam/Sharpe]. 22
Programming: Secondary School The explosion of social media in connecting learners to each other and the assignment and utilization of laptops, tablets and other devices has led to opportunities for more user generated content that complements classroom instruction. Therefore, the ability for students to access open educational resources with the Internet has been a significant shift for education and has been the key component in our Board s decision to establish the High School Student One To One Laptop Program. This program is one part of our strategy to assist students as they begin to leverage technology at the point of learning. 23
Aboriginal Learners Attending Secondary School Adolescent learners from Peawanuck attend O'Gorman High School in Timmins and are engaged in a variety of programs supporting their educational aspirations. Dual Credits, e-learning, Specialist High Skills Major and many other programs support their learning." Our board also has an Aboriginal Liaison Worker on staff to support our programs and our aboriginal learners. Jessie Sutherland, NCDSB Aboriginal Liaison Worker 24
Programming: Secondary School LMS and E-Learning Services The Ministry of Education supports a Learning Management System (LMS) for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of E- Learning education courses or training programs in Ontario. The Northeastern Catholic District School Board leverages this service for all E-Learning Online Courses We also use this as the primary tool for our Alternative & Continuing Catholic Education Support Services (ACCESS) Centre We have also leveraged this service and solution as part of our partnership with Apitisiwin Employment & Training. Apitisiwin Employment & Training (AET) is a human resource development company located in Taykwa Tagamou Nation with a secondary office in the town of Cochrane, Ontario. 25
Program gives Aboriginals another chance to Graduate Two Aboriginal students work side-by-side at computers inside the Apitisiwin Education Learning Centre in Cochrane, Ont. Aboriginal adults in Northern Ontario are getting a second shot at completing their high school diploma through their local Catholic school board. The Northeastern Catholic District School Board s ACCESS Program is offered in four centres in the board s vast area from Moosonee on the shore of James Bay down to Cobalt in the south. 26
Thank You! 27