Parents and students are beginning to demand that education be customized to challenge each student’s unique abilities and explore each student’s unique gifts. This is not just a model for Catholic education, but as Catholics we are called to maximize our gifts to the betterment of society and for the greater glory of God. This demand for personalized learning is driving the development of new technologies and instruction styles. Instruction styles that effectively blend “face-to-face” instruction and computer-mediated learning continue to evolve as more technical resources and training become available.
In the coming year, the Lafayette Catholic Schools will take two significant steps toward its strategic vision of providing a higher level of differentiated instruction. To ensure that our vision is clearly defined and supported, LCSS will be recruiting and hiring a Director of Technology and engaging eLearning services that together, will support our K-12 technology goals. This step will represent a major milestone in our strategic plan and highlights our commitment to providing our students with the tools, resources and skills to achieve greatness.
Secondly, teachers need access to comprehensive digital learning resources that are aligned to state and Common Core standards, that are multimodal and multimedia to accommodate learning differences, and are supported by assessment tools that provide continual feedback on each student’s progress. The only practical way to deliver these resources is through a well-designed wireless infrastructure. Our second initiative will be to ensure that all four of our schools are equipped with wireless services. Last year we were able to upgrade to wireless service at Central Catholic Jr/Sr. High School. This year’s Blue Knight Auction “Special Project” will raise money to equip our three elementary schools with this service. This project will be a critical step in allowing us to implement many of our strategic initiatives in the areas of technology and differentiated instruction.
