Curriculum
ICT
Our Aims
The aims of the IT department are:
To 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 citizens
To facilitate students engagement, enjoyment and achievement in all aspects of Information Communication Technology
Curriculum
Junior 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.
All students have access to the IT department through helpdesk@belvederecollege.ie for full support with device specific and general IT queries.
Students are advised not to leave class for IT support under any circumstances.
Students who elect for Short Course in Coding will follow the NCCA Short Course Coding Curriculum and in doing so prepare for Classroom Based Assessments in Year 2 and 3 of their studies.
Elements students 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.
Rudiments students 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.
Assessment is continuous , incorporates structured self and peer assessment activities encouraging students to reflect on individual learning styles.
Grammar students and curriculum departments are fully supported in preparation for Classroom Based Assessments through the use of Office 365 tools .
Transition Year students 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.
All 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.
Future Developments
The 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”
Useful links
For more information on Curriculum developments and changes to the Junior Cert
please follow the following image link to the NCCA website
To view the Department of Education and Skills consultative paper on digital strategy
please follow the following image link to the DES website
Facilities and Recourses
There 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.
As 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.
There 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.
Additional Information
It 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.
