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IC Features
ulum to digital native students who have
mastered the workings of the network.
When IT teachers are not revising the
curriculum and projects, they are train-
ing and retraining teachers. Every new
program means a whole new round of
training sessions for the faculty. The IT
team has so far given over 400 hours of
training in the past 12 years to faculty
both in Ras Beirut and Ain Aar.
At the moment they have one dream:
to equip all classrooms with computers
and smart boards. Insufficient funds,
however, have restricted each school to
one smart board (usually in the library
or shared workspaces).
“Students’ experience of IT in this
school is incredibly rich,” said Shihab
“IC provides a unique environment and
as result our students are definitely more
capable of adapting to any university
program when they go worldwide. If they
go to France, they can adapt. If they go
the US, they can adapt. They have a little
bit of everything. This is where we shine.”
IT Classes:
implemented through-
out the entire school. In lower grades,
computer sessions are part of the PYP
(Primary Years Program) where IT is
used to support the general theme of the
unit. Computer and subject matter teach-
ers work together to create the lessons
in an interdisciplinary approach. In the
Middle and Secondary schools, formal
skills are taught in IT classes (word pro-
cessing, spreadsheet, publisher, photo
editing, database, visual basic, program-
ming, etc). Content of classes is continu-
ously changing as new and more comput-
er savvy generations enter the schools.
Interdisciplinary Projects
(part
of the curriculum at grade level 10/Sec-
onde and at the 6th and 7th grade level as
part of library skills program): Projects
which are often based around a theme
to help students see connections across
the curriculum. Technology is heavily
used for library research and presentation
(PowerPoint, video, computer graphics,
etc.) of final projects.
French Math software applica-
tions
have been installed in all comput-
ers throughout the campus. As part of
the French baccalaureate requirements,
students are expected to complete part
of their math test on the computer. The
software applications can also be installed
at home. (GeoGebra, GeoSpace, GeoPlan,
SketchPad, and Cabri Geometry)
Advisory and career guid-
ance software
(GPO - Guide Pour
l’Orientation) helps French baccalaureate
students choose a university study course
and career. The software has been installed
in all computers on campus as part of
the French Baccalaureate requirements.
Though in French, it is available to all
students.
Smart Board:
is a large, touch-
controlled white board that works with
a projector and a computer. The image is
projected on the board and can be ma-
neuvered with a digital pen or a finger di-
rectly on the screen thus allowing teach-
ers and students to interact directly with
the content (ex: manipulate geometrical
objects or a map in real time). Currently,
it is still a pilot project with one smart
board per school. The goal is to have a
smart board in every classroom.
Atomic Learning:
provides a large
online library of short easy-to-under-
stand video tutorials for staff, faculty,
students and parents seeking “how to”
IT questions. Examples include how to
create a PowerPoint presentation, spread-
sheets, blogs, wikis, use various software,
etc. The online library is continuously
updated and is accessible from school or
home (passwords have been provided for
the entire IC community).
Study Group Blogs:
created
for teachers to facilitate exchange and
dialogue among them. The online jour-
nals are used for personal reflections
and comments. Members of each blog
can post new messages when they have
learned something new, useful or inter-
esting during their research. All of the
IC’s study group blogs are open to the IC
community to read and post comments.
There are currently six running blogs.
Libraries
and the IT team work
closely together to provide a wealth of
digital resources for students. The entire
library catalog is available online. Stu-
dents may even search for their books
online and pick them up later at the
library. Various databases are available
for students’ research including Thomson
Gale, NICI, EBSCO and web links to
hundreds of newspapers and magazines.
All are equally accessible from home
(students have been provided with pass-
words).
IC Website
gives access to students
from their homes to library archives and
all its databases. The website also includes
links for projects required by teachers.
The links are “hotlists of websites” that
students must access to complete their
work. The academic section provides
links to teachers’ blog and websites.
Some IT projects on campus