Connected Classroom Programme Introduction
Trafalgar Castle School is an independent school for girls from Grade 6 through University Entrance. The school enrols 240 girls of which 70 are boarders. Our mission is to provide challenging academic and extra-curricular programmes for young women in a small school environment leading to post-secondary education and a satisfying life of achievement and leadership in a contemporary global society. One of the key elements of the school's Strategic Plan is to provide our students with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources to be used in the development of research, communication, analysis and problem-solving skills and to imbed ICT usage across the curriculum and throughout the school.
The ICT component of our Strategic Plan has the full support of our school community – teachers, students, parents and Board members. The school administration provides leadership for innovation by spearheading ICT initiatives in the school through strategic planning and support for the implementation of initiatives.
Our "Connected Classroom" programme in Grade 6 was the cornerstone of our ICT initiative and from this programme we have grown to become the "Connected School". In 1998-99 all students in Grade 6 were provided with laptop computers and began to use the Microsoft Office suite in their studies. 1999-2000 saw the expansion of the laptop programme to include Grades 7 and 8 and teachers committed to incorporating ICT into their curriculum so that 15-25% of course time is dedicated to curriculum delivery using ICT. The "Connected Classrooms" programme was extended to include Grades 9 and 10 during the 2000-2001 school year, Grade 11 in 2001-2002 and Grade 12 in 2002-2003.
During the growth of the programme our Grade 6 students played a critical role in communicating the success of the initiative by creating and delivering presentations to our Board, parent groups and to public Open Houses. Our parents report that their daughters grow into confident, technologically competent students who tend to "stretch" their limits and become independent and assertive in their learning. During this process, they display a tremendous enthusiasm and love of learning.
Professional development support has been provided for teachers to develop expertise in ICT areas such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Web Page Design and GIS. We now have developed a pool of local "experts" who provide peer teaching to their colleagues. An Information Systems Administrator, a Help Desk Analyst, and a Library and Information Technician augment our school's teacher expertise.
During the entire process parents have been involved through an IT Advisory Committee and Parent Focus Groups designed to monitor progress on initiatives. We involve our local community by taking student co-op placements from a local secondary school and have partnered with Hewlett-Packard Canada and Muskoka Woods Sports Resort in the delivery of our Grade 6 programme. One of our staff was nominated for and was a finalist in the 1999 TVOntario Awards of Excellence for Private and Independent School Teachers for her work in the Grade 6 "Connected Classroom" programme.
