How Notre Dame Prep encourages student digital exploration

By Microsoft in Business Team

August 9, 2017

Tags
Education

Focus on: Empower Educators, Transform Education, Engage Students

“And the Killer Bees take the win!” The stadium’s yellow-clad fans erupt into cheers as Notre Dame Prep’s robotics team claims their third state championship title in nine years. Wearing their signature bumblebee-inspired outfits—complete with black-and-yellow bumblebee antennas attached to their goggles—the students dart between various mechanics, competitive stations, and excited on-lookers to finally reach their classmates, celebrating with hugs, high-fives, and triumphant smiles. Their hard work and skillful engineering won them a spot at the 2017 World Championships FIRST Robotics Competition in St. Louis, Missouri—and with the support of the entire Notre Dame Prep community behind them, the Killer Bees are going for the gold.

Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is home of the Notre Dame Killer Bees, the district’s highly accomplished high school robotics team, ranked among the top five in the world. Known for having an exceptionally tech-savvy, digitally progressive academic atmosphere, Notre Dame Prep is a leader in pre-K-12 innovation. Located in Pontiac, Michigan, the Catholic private school offers students an internationally recognized education that includes the rigorous International Baccalaureate program, in addition to other cutting-edge opportunities.

Eden Konja, Director of Information and Academic Technology at NDPMA, has spent the last two years developing the school’s relationship to technology and digital innovation. Having worked in the field of education in various IT roles for nearly 20 years, Konja’s extensive experience witnessing technology’s ability to transform learning has proved invaluable. To effectively facilitate the same learning innovation in their own classrooms, NDPMA’s IT department implemented a technology-focused education program called 1:1—or “one-to-one”—in which each student is provided with their own personal digital device to enrich their academic experience.

Opportunities to improve student-first education with technology

When the school officials were implementing the 1:1 program at NDPMA, it became apparent that the digital resources at the time couldn’t adequately support the growth and exploration of its tech-focused student population. Students then had to rely entirely on stationary computer labs, restricting their ability to leverage technology for their education in any comprehensive way.

Notre Dame Prep needed a digital solution that would prioritize education and productivity and nurture the creativity and innovation NDPMA students are known for.

“We focused on identifying a solution that could offer increased flexibility, mobility, and comfort for both students and staff to guarantee a successful adoption, ultimately transforming teaching and learning experiences throughout the school,” said Konja, who said that as computers are increasingly driving job growth and innovation throughout our economy and society, every student at Notre Dame should have the opportunity to also learn computer science and coding.

Building strategies to drive successful school-wide implementation

More than three years ago, NDPMA identified Microsoft Surface Pro as the digital solution for their 1:1 program. The roll-out applied to the 6th-12th grade population, which currently includes approximately 930 students, 82 teachers, and several members of the administrative staff.

Notre Dame students were thrilled to start using the devices in the classroom. The school created their own online Microsoft store, allowing students to download pre-approved education apps according to their own preference and necessity. The IT department also designed a technology boot camp, held annually and required for first-time students in the 1:1 program. The boot camp guided new students through Microsoft Office Suite set-up and helped them configure the technology correctly in preparation for the new school year.

The results of the Surface adoption have been overwhelmingly positive. According to a recent survey of more than 260 NDPMA students, 83.1% found that using the devices is helpful with their learning, and 89.5% found that the devices are helpful in completing their homework assignments outside of school.

To offer additional support to parents of students in the 1:1 program, Notre Dame hosts a meeting at the beginning of every school year to explain the benefits of the technology and offers Parent Tech Nights, organized by the school’s IT department. According to a recent survey of more than 250 NDPMA parents, 93% are in favor of the 1:1 program, 83.6% agree that their child has benefited from having their own school-issued device, and 81.6% believe the 1:1 program has had a positive impact on their child’s learning.

Konja also noted that facilitating a successful adoption for teachers and administrators required a slightly different approach. The IT department developed an implementation strategy that emphasized the flexibility, portability, and comfort of the devices. Surface’s mobile capabilities empower staff members to access documents from anywhere on NDPMA’s campus, extending their productivity well beyond the walls of their office.

Driving engaging classroom experiences with Microsoft Surface

With Surface’s cutting-edge technology available to each student through the 1:1 program, classrooms all over the school are experiencing more dynamic and effective learning environments. For students, taking notes with Microsoft OneNote increases efficiency and organization—a convenient substitute for the folders of papers and notebooks in the past. In addition to digital features that keep students engaged and invested in their learning, traditional education processes are enhanced by Surface’s flexibility and reliability.

Educational apps like Quizlet allow NDPMA teachers to design class-wide tests that students can access digitally with their individual Surface devices. Students can then compete against each other in real-time to answer questions as quickly and accurately as they can, transforming the traditional test-taking environment into a dynamic and exciting collaborative experience.

The device also increases connectivity for students and teachers, allowing homework, grading, reading, and other assignments to be done virtually. “Students having their own devices and being able to upload and submit their work electronically once they’re done in the classroom is a big advantage—as well as being able to print whatever they want, when they need it,” Konja said.

Empowering students to expand learning possibilities and discover more

Beyond the core class subjects, Surface devices are facilitating deeper educational exploration, and fostering creativity and innovation in NDPMA students. “Students can be anywhere on campus and connect,” Konja said. “They can be mobile and collaborate in whichever way they prefer. Students can use the devices to do whatever they need to accomplish their learning.”

Many of the school’s elective courses have been entirely transformed with the Surface implementation, with teachers leveraging the new technology and accessing the latest education tools to revolutionize their curriculums. NDPMA’s band class reads their sheet music off the devices, while the art classes utilize Surface’s touch screen to enhance creative expression. Some of the foreign language classes teachers use Surface’s video and audio recording capabilities to measure the accuracy and fluency of their students, while the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) class uses the device to expand their digital possibilities.

Notre Dame’s Computer Club uses Surface to explore different coding programs and using virtual systems, and this past year competing in CyberPatriot, a cybersecurity competition for K-12 students. The school’s team made it to state regionals in their first year in attendance. The school’s Student led repair team called the Surface Pros is focused entirely around the devices, providing an opportunity for students to teach other students how to use Surface’s features effectively, answering questions and assisting with small repairs. Konja said he hopes to expand the program into an actual course, with a student led help desk and eventually helping students gain Microsoft Certification upon completing the class.

One of the highlights of the Surface integration has been Notre Dame’s computer-aided design (CAD) and robotics programs. With around 100 students, the school’s CAD program designs prosthetics and uses a 3D printer to bring those designs to life—a truly incredible opportunity for any high school student. Through this program, Notre Dame students are even able to graduate with CATIA certification, one of the hardest certifications to complete in the tech industry. And the larger of the two electives is NDPMA’s robotics program, with the Killer Bees robotics team serving as its competitive counterpart.

Future of digital transformation with Notre Dame Prep

After successfully completing several years with the 1:1 program and Microsoft Surface devices, the school’s IT department now is beginning to explore additional tools and opportunities to develop the program even further. Konja hopes to look into Impero Education Software, a classroom management tool that allows IT teams and teachers to access students’ screens remotely, allowing them to monitor things like bullying and broadcast presentations to student devices. NDPMA also plans to develop an in-depth Digital Citizenship course, awarding students with badges upon completion. “We always say that technology is a privilege, not a right,” said Konja. “Every student signs our ‘Responsible Use Policy,’ and so we have guidelines and expectations for them around the use of technology.”

As the role of IT in education continues to expand, new leadership opportunities are opening up for IT administrators to guide digital transformations that enhance education experiences for school communities across the country. Konja, who has worked in IT in education for nearly two decades, advises education IT leaders to focus on open communication, ensuring a successful digital experience for students, teachers, administrators, and parents. “I think you have to build relationships, communicate, and be transparent to let everyone know we’re working together,” he said. “This isn’t just an IT thing—it’s a school thing, and we all need to be a part of it.”