Belvedere College SJ

u003ch3u003eu003cbu003eOur Aimsu003c/bu003eu003c/h3u003ernThe aims of the IT department are:rnrnTo equip all students with the necessary transferrable skills enabling them to make full use of Information Communication Technology across curriculum areas and empowering them as future digital citizensrnrnTo facilitate students engagement, enjoyment and achievement in all aspects of Information Communication Technologyrnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eu003cbu003eCurriculumu003c/bu003eu003c/h3u003ernJunior Cert short course in Coding is currently on offer with a cohort of 150 students. We are hoping to offer Digital Media Literacy in the coming academic year.rnrnAll students have access to the IT department through helpdesk@belvederecollege.ie for full support with device specific and general IT queries.rnrnStudents are advised not to leave class for IT support under any circumstances.rnrnStudents who elect for Short Course in Coding will follow the u003ca href=u0022https://www.belvederecollege.ie/audio/NCCA-JC-Short-Course-Coding.pdfu0022u003eNCCA Short Course Codingu003c/au003e Curriculum and in doing so prepare for Classroom Based Assessments in Year 2 and 3 of their studies.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu003cstrongu003eElements studentsu003c/strongu003e are fully supported in their Learning and Teaching through the one to one mobile device programme. Students have access to e-books as well as hardcopy textbooks, a range of educational apps to enable assessment for learning, online tools to facilitate learning at their own pace. An induction programme ensures they are fully functional on Office 365 tools for learning and Edmodo at the start of the academic year. Students are supported through helpdesk@belvederecollege.ie from Elements to Rhetoric.rnrnu003cstrongu003eRudiments studentsu003c/strongu003e have one discrete period of IT per week. The curriculum is designed to facilitate the need for transferable skills across curriculum areas. Students explore a range of applications focused on Digital Media Literacy and Programming skills. Activities are designed to encourage collaboration, innovation and promote entrepreneurial skills involving project work and extended tasks.rnrnAssessment is continuous , incorporates structured self and peer assessment activities encouraging students to reflect on individual learning styles.rnrnu003cstrongu003eGrammar studentsu003c/strongu003e and curriculum departments are fully supported in preparation for Classroom Based Assessments through the use of Office 365 tools .rnrnu003cstrongu003eTransition Year studentsu003c/strongu003e may select IT studies as an option. The curriculum is designed to challenge students’ knowledge of current technological innovation and developments within the sector. Additionally, practical activities offer opportunities to work on coding, specifically HTML, Visual Basic and Python.rnrnAll students have access to online resource materials and receive frequent feedback on progress. Practical assessments are skills based in preparation for the world of work and further study.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu003cbu003eFuture Developmentsu003c/bu003ernrnThe National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA ” ICT has become an integral and accepted part of everyday life for many people. ICT is increasing in importance in people’s lives and it is expected that this trend will continue, to the extent that ICT literacy will become a functional requirement for people’s work, social, and personal lives”rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu003cbu003eUseful linksu003c/bu003ernFor more information on Curriculum developments and changes to the Junior Certrnplease follow the following image link to the u003cbu003eNCCA websiteu003c/bu003ernrnu003ca href=u0022http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/ICT/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noopeneru0022u003eu003cimg src=u0022https://www.belvederecollege.ie/images/graphics/NCCA-logo.jpgu0022 alt=u0022u0022 /u003eu003c/au003ernrnTo view the Department of Education and Skills consultative paper on digital strategyrnplease follow the following image link to the u003cbu003eDES websiteu003c/bu003ernrnu003ca href=u0022http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Information-Communications-Technology-ICT-in-Schools/Digital-Strategy-for-Schools/Building-Towards-a-Learning-Society-A-National-Digital-Strategy-for-Schools-Consultative-Paper.pdfu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noopeneru0022u003eu003cimg src=u0022https://www.belvederecollege.ie/images/graphics/DES-logo.jpgu0022 alt=u0022u0022 /u003eu003c/au003ernrnu003cbu003eFacilities and Recoursesu003c/bu003ernrnu003ca name=u0022_GoBacku0022u003eu003c/au003eThere are over 400 desktop PC’s on the college campus, two dedicated IT suites and at least one computer in every teaching area. The department also support teacher laptops, Mac books and mobile devices.rnrnAs part of the IT Strategy we have recently completed an IT infrastructure upgrade, focusing on wired and wireless provision to meet the growing needs of our students.rnrnThere are a large number of data projectors , interactive whiteboards , visualizers and video recording equipment throughout the campus and we are constantly seeking new innovations to enhance the teaching and learning experience.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu003cbu003eAdditional Informationu003c/bu003ernrnIt is the policy of the IT department to procure hardware and software which has a positive impact on staff and students learning and teaching experience. We review, renew and deploy resources in line with the college development plan and subject improvement plans. We are currently implementing the findings of an action research project exploring the educational benefits of electronic textbooks and IPads as a learning tool in the classroom.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu003ca href=u0022https://belvederecollege.ie/curriculum/ict/student-parent-guide-to-microsoft-teams/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noopeneru0022u003eStudent/Parent Guide to Microsoft Teamsu003c/au003e