IC Catholic Prep Advances Technology in the Classroom
While the 2013-2014 school year may go down in IC Catholic Prep history for the major renovation to the new Plunkett Athletic Complex, the students and faculty will also remember the enhancement of classroom technology that reaches all the way to the end user. Over the past 24 months, ICCP has made great strides in their on-going Technology Initiative, made possible by the Gillette Family Technology Donation.
Two years ago, the necessary wireless infrastructure was put into place and a part-time Information Technology Consultant, Nick Simpson, was hired to complete and support the initiative in conjunction with Hipskind Technologies Solutions Group. After upgrades to the campus cable service and server were made, ICCP created unique, school-based email addresses for each of its students, allowing for streamlined communication between the faculty and the students. In addition, in January of 2013, the Technology Committee was given the task of determining which type of hardware platform would work best in the classroom environment. The Technology Committee spent months researching and testing numerous devices before presenting their final recommendations to ICCP President/Principal Pamela Levar. Committee members included current ICCP seniors Brandon Schley, Sean Placey, Frank Vasquez, Mark Noftz, Nick Tumminaro and Charmaine Leverson, along with Social Studies Teacher Matt Bettinazzi.
During the 2012-2013 academic year, the ICCP Business and Computer Lab and Media Center were upgraded with new Dell OptiPlex PC's and 19 inch monitors. At the same time, the latest Windows operating system and software were deployed to the entire campus.
The entire ICCP teaching faculty now utilizes brand new HP Revolve 810 Tablets in the classroom that are each loaded with Windows 8, MS Office 2013, in conjunction with docking stations, and many other bells and whistles. To extend the technology into the hands of the students, a laptop cart with 30 HP Revolve 810 Tablets has been added for students and teachers to integrate into their daily lessons. ICCP continues to use the latest software and Windows 8, Office 2013, Smartview 4, and looks forward to release Windows 8.1 when it becomes available.
"We have been able to make the latest technology available to our teachers and students" said ICCP President/Principal Pamela Levar. "By continually integrating technology into the curriculum, we further enhance teaching strategies in the classroom. We believe these devices allow for a world of web-connected, educational applications; allowing us to explore and create a more diversified and interactive learning environment” Levar explains. ”This compliments the existing SmartBoards and networked LCD's that are already being utilized in each of our classrooms”.
Technology enhancements with professional staff development are a critical piece to building the future of ICCP. As the Celebrating Tradition…Building Our Future Capital Campaign continues, IC Catholic Prep seeks donations to further advance their Technology Initiative. IC Catholic Prep is the oldest Catholic, coeducational college prep high school in DuPage County. Located in Elmhurst, ICCP is a regional high school that serves students from over forty communities in the western suburbs. For more information, please visit our website at www.iccatholicprep.org.