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Information Communications Technology (ICT)

Our Vision for ICT
The integration of ICTs and thinking skills is a core component of teaching and learning at St Cuthbert’s College. Classroom practice that enables multi-modal personalised learning is essential for all students to reach their potential.
The College-wide Thinking Skills programme which draws extensively on the work of Art Costa and David Hyerle, provides a framework for ICT- based learning.
Digital literacy is essential for students to be prepared to face the challenges of a future which is largely yet unknown. Our intranet is based on Moodle - a multimedia rich interactive platform for a student learning management system that provides for student centred constructivist learning environments. Student enthusiasm for web 2.0 tools and social networking can be harnessed through our integrated social bookmarking system and individual portfolios.

Thinking Skills Programme
The teaching of thinking skills has been a focus in the College since 1992. A school-wide Thinking Skills programme sets out to explicitly teach generic thinking skills and encourage the adoption of a common thinking language. Art Costa’s 16 Habits of Mind provide the basis for the teaching of thinking within the College – habits-of-mind.net.
Embedding new educational technologies into learning programmes aims to provide ‘anytime anywhere' learning opportunities for our students and is seen as an essential aspect of creating a school which in Costa’s terms is a “home for the mind”.

Intranet Development
Our Intranet is built on the open source platform Moodle. All teachers have access to Moodle and courses are set up for every class. The College Intranet is an essential adjunct to the notebook programme and the provision of ‘anytime anywhere’ learning opportunities. Increasingly it is a major means of communicating information within the College community. But most importantly, it is a means of offering learning opportunities that cannot easily be provided in traditional classrooms and fosters autonomous learning through flexible access.

Infrastructure

St Cuthbert’s College is a dual platform College.

  • Junior School platform: Apple
  • Senior School Platform: Apple and Windows
  • Junior School classrooms & Libraries & Learning Centres: Apple iMacs
  • Senior School specialist Music & Art: pods of Macs
  • Senior School Library and Junior school LLC: Multimedia Centres
  • All fulltime teaching staff have notebooks
  • School wide networking - wireless access for all notebooks throughout the campus


Student Notebook Programme
Following a successful pilot programme in Year 5 2000, the College Trust Board decided to phase in a Year 5-13 notebook programme. The College arranges competitive pricing for parents to purchase notebooks as required. Generally a three year life cycle for a notebook is preferred, but we recognize that for some families variations may be preferable. Summer schools held in vacations provide for students new to the College to develop ICT skills their peers may already have. A physiotherapist works with the girls on health and safety issues relating to notebook use.

Please click here for further information and instructions for ordering.
To ensure that each year group has machines with consistent specifications it is important the guidelines for purchase supplied by the College are followed.
Please contact the College for any queries or concerns by emailing notebook@stcuthberts.school.nz

Data Projection Facilities & SMARTboards
With the generous help of the College Parents & Friends’ a number of Smartboards and ceiling mounted data projectors have been installed in classrooms in various areas of the College.

FAQ
Is the college aware of concerns being raised about student safety from the use of wireless technology? What is being done to ensure the safety of our daughters?
With the use of notebooks within the College we are constantly aware of both the ergonomic and environmental issues that may arise with their use.
We are constantly monitoring the standards issued by the agencies concerned with wireless technology and are in contact with similar schools within New Zealand who also use Wi-fi in the classroom environment.

The College wireless infrastructure is designed so that all AP’s in the classroom are more then 2 metres from any student or staff member and the output of each devices’ output has been lowered for more effective use within each learning centre. The lowering of the output also reduces the wi-fi emissions from each device.
The National Radiation Laboratory has carried out tests that showed “extremely low exposures of radiation from Wi-Fi”. Mr. Gledhill from the NRL also stated recently that “typically we are looking at about a thousandth of one per cent of the limit recommended for the public”.
The College is aware of the recent reports from the BBC and questions have been raised both here in New Zealand and in the UK about the recent scientific procedures followed during their report.