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Canisius High School Today
Meet themwhere they are
Though the combination of tech-
nology and Ignatian principles might
seem incongruous, Canisius’s technol-
ogy plans fit quite nicely within the
Jesuit notion of context in education.
Cura personalis
personal care and con-
cern for the individual—is a hallmark
of Jesuit education, requiring teachers
to be aware of students’ life experienc-
es. According to the Jesuit Association
of Colleges and Universities, “Since
human experience, always the start-
ing point in a Jesuit education, never
occurs in a vacuum, educators must
know as much as possible about the
actual context within which teaching
and learning take place. Teachers need
to understand the world of the learn-
er, including the ways in which fami-
ly, friends, peers, and the larger society
impact that world . . .”
And that’s exactly where Canisius
technology efforts come
in.
“Technology is where the 21st century
kid learns and expects to find informa-
tion,” says Fitzgerald. “We’re meeting
themwhere they already are.”
While the concept of context is,
well, pretty conceptual, other rea-
sons for upping Canisius’s technolo-
gy ante are more tangible. If Canisius
is a college preparatory program, stu-
dents need to be well-versed in tech-
nology, says Mathematics teacher,
then-technology committee member
(now committee director) and long-
time tech aficionado Eric Amodeo ‘94.
Once kids hit college, they will be do-
ing research online, submitting pa-
pers in electronic form, taking part in
online activities and more. “What if
they didn’t have those experiences al-
ready?,” asks Amodeo.
Alumnus Michael Rocco ‘90 takes
that line of thinking a step further
(and, indeed, as Microsoft’s gener-
al manager of U.S. Central Region
Corporate Accounts, he should know):
“Companies want the millennial gen-
eration entering the workforce to be
astute around technology. When you
get hired, you’re expected not only to
know the basics, but also to know how
to use instant messaging, application
sharing, social media and more to do
things at work.”
Conversations get louder
When iPads hit the market, con-
versations at Canisius around tech-
nology got more intense: Would this
be the tool that could finally bring
computing technology to the whole
school? Amodeo began testing the
whiz-bang gadget that was eliciting
so much excitement. He, like most of
the iPad-obsessed public, liked what
he experienced with the device. The
timing seemed to be right for Canisius
to take a leap into higher technology
waters.
Canisius, however, has never been
an institution to do things halfway.
Administrators knew that financial
and staff resources had to be devoted
to the one-to-one program. To that
point, Director of Technology Andy
Foti had been an extremely busy, one-
man band on all things tech. So they
tapped Amodeo to become Canisius’s
new academic technology director,
entrusting him with the vital task of
supporting teachers in their efforts to
incorporate the iPads and apps into
their classrooms. Once in his role,
Amodeo submitted a full-blown one-
to-one computing plan to school ad-
ministration, which quickly gave
approval.
When the school began working out
the details of equiping every student
with an iPad, two mandatory consid-
erations emerged: First, it had to be fis-
cally responsible to students, families
and the school. A few years ago, for in-
stance, Canisius looked at the possibil-
ity of putting laptops into the hands
of students. The cost, according to
Fitzgerald, was simply prohibitive.
At that time Canisius also felt that
laptop tools and applications that
would really enhance learning just
weren’t available, which ties into the
second, and arguably more important,
requirement: Any large-scale technol-
ogy initiative had to be based in the
curriculum. “We wanted to make sure
that enough of our curriculum and
ways of learning could be accommo-
dated,” explains Fitzgerald.
Happily, the cost for bulk purchase
of iPads would put the tool within fi-
nancial reach of students’ families.
Educational applications (“apps”) and
tools for iPads were appearing in blos-
soming numbers. Publishers had be-
gun developing iPad-based textbooks.
As well, Apple itself had a wealth of re-
sources on which Canisius could draw.
“Apple has great education systems en-
gineers,” explains Amodeo. “We didn’t
have to reinvent the wheel.”
Laying the groundwork
Making sure the one-to-one com-
puting program is always “on” was one
of the first things Canisius had to ad-
dress. The school redesigned and add-
ed equipment to boost the power of its
wireless network to support the use of
iPads. That means people can use the