No element of modern life has affected the quality of education at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy more than technology. The use of Smartboards or IdeaPaint in every classroom, industry-standard software on every computer and technology programs throughout the school community has created a digital culture within the school. By placing the world at the fingertips of students and faculty, the school uses technology to complement the academic experience, ensuring students are comfortable and competitive in a digital world.
One-to-One iPad Program
The school’s one-to-one iPad Program has taken learning to a whole new level, inspiring creativity and interactivity at every turn. Used in conjunction with Google Apps for Education, the school’s iPad Program fosters a collaborative culture that promotes active, involved, exploratory and efficient learning, while shifting the academic focus to higher-order thinking, analysis and application.
Campus-wide Network
Our campus-wide network allows access to the local intranet, as well as the World Wide Web. Our robust wireless network and 1 GB pipeline provides students with anywhere, anytime learning opportunities, as they are completely connected to teachers, other students, WiFi devices and the world at large.
Smart Boards
Every Classroom at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy is an interactive classroom. This innovative technology adds an element of interactivity to each lesson and creates a captivating learning environment. Each and every classroom allows for mirroring not only from the teacher’s computer, but also from all Apple devices using Apple TVs. The use of Apple TV affords teachers the opportunity to access a plethora of digital media; in addition, with AirPlay, teachers and students wirelessly stream the content from their iOS device to the projector, from anywhere in the room. Users are no longer “tethered” to a device connected via cable.
Classrooms in the Grotto Building are equipped with electronic Intelliboards. Classrooms in the Bernadette building and in the new labs feature ultra short arm Interactive Projectors that display on Idea Paint projection surfaces. The digital board is virtual, as the interactivity is provided by the projector. Displaying from the projector to the wall now turns the wall into an interactive surface.
The use of Idea Paint allows students and teachers to use a variety of media, both digital and traditional. This paint not only transforms the wall into a huge erasable canvas, but also gives teachers and students the space needed to fully explore educational concepts.
Technology Center
Our new Technology Center includes one Windows lab, two iMac labs and two iPrep classrooms. The Windows lab is used predominantly for business and computer science studies. Fully-equipped, software packages include: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visual Studio, Adobe Creative Suite and other accounting and business applications. The iMac labs are primarily used for the production of our student publications and student-produced television broadcast, though instruction in graphic design and multimedia also take place in these labs. Digital cameras, scanners and other peripheral devices are available for student use. The iPrep classrooms provides multiple large displays, as well as movable node chairs that encourage cooperative learning and small group participation.
Science Labs
The Christine Robbins Science Center includes four laboratories, fully-equipped with computer mini-labs, Smart Boards, probe ware and a video microscope, which together allow students to apply learned concepts with real-world tools.
TV Studio
Our TV Studio, complete with a fully-equipped control room, is used to produce our OLLA TV broadcast – a live, five-minute news show that airs every other day during FOCUS.