CASS, Information and Communication Technology

NEELB ICT CASS seeks to ensure that ICT is engaged effectively by teachers and pupils to access information, to impact on the quality of pupils’ learning opportunities and to increase their standards of attainment.
 
The NEELB ICT Cass Advisory team exists to promote the development and integration of ICT to support teaching and learning in all of our schools. Our role is to work closely with schools to facilitate the implementation of the Northern Ireland ET Strategy which seeks to raise achievement by placing the pupil at the centre of a learning process which embraces the potential of ICT.

(http://www.empoweringschools.com/)
 
ICT, as a teaching and learning technology, has a central role to play in:

  • supporting teaching and learning across the curriculum at all levels

  • progressing the new post-primary arrangements, including school leadership, the revised curriculum and the entitlement framework
 
  • assessment for learning

  • pupil profiles

  • collaborative working for teachers and pupils
 
Used effectively, ICT can facilitate the setting and achievement of real learning challenges for pupils, enabling creativity and promoting independent learning.
 
In pursuit of these broad objectives the NEELB CASS ICT team is committed to:
 
  • providing training for teachers and classroom support staff in developing their own ICT competence;

  • supporting ICT within the Northern Ireland Curriculum and providing training in the use of ICT to enhance both teaching and learning across the curriculum

  • working onsite with teachers to support and embed ICT across the curriculum (C2K and Legacy Systems)

  • supporting pathways to the accredition of ICT capability at all levels

  • building ICT capacity in schools to enable self-development and sustainability

  • assisting schools in the development of appropriate post-inspection action plans for ICT

  • providing direct support for ICT co-ordinators and Teacher Leaders

  • identifying and disseminating good practice in the use of ICT across the curriculum

  • developing schools through the implementation of a self-evaluation process for ICT

  • promoting inclusion through guidance to schools on the use of ICT to support children with special needs

  • developing resources to support and complement the integration of ICT into the NI Curriculum

  • making ICT resources available to schools online through the NEELB CASS Website

  • supporting CASS colleagues in the development of the skills required to utilise new and developing innovations

  • promoting the establishment of on-line communities of educators to support Continuing Professional Development in ICT (Learning NI)

  • broadening educational and cultural horizons by enabling online communication between schools both nationally and internationally

  • extending the learning environment by supporting the development of e-learning opportunities outside of the school

  • supporting the development of the use of digital still and moving image technologies in curriculum development through the proposed ‘Moving Image Bus’.

  • working closely with educational partners to incorporate new and developing technologies which support teaching and learning

  • supporting pilot projects which seek to use new and developing technologies to embed ICT into teaching and learning

  • conduct market research and support the procurement of ICT resources in accordance with the principles of best value

  • provide first-line technical assessment support for school-owned ICT systems.