St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, a Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Buffalo, N.Y., has chosen AirWatch to manage its deployment of school-owned tablets.
Founded in 1861 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, St. Joe’s is an independent Roman Catholic preparatory school for young men in grades 9-12. Students are challenged to perform to the best of their abilities, and inspired to achieve their goals while serving the greater community. St. Joe’s guides the development of each student's unique talents, fostering a commitment to academic excellence, service, and leadership in the global community.
Tradition and Technology Merge in the Classroom
St. Joe’s was started on the principle of keeping education accessible to all, and incorporating technology into traditional classroom learning helps reach more students and prepare them for success long after graduation. The school’s leadership team plans to enroll 900 tablets with AirWatch EMM, creating a 1:1 device-to-student ratio. The tablets were a generous alumnus' gift that will allow every student to receive a device free of charge. This comes one year after the school announced that they would provide each incoming freshmen class with the technology as part of their 1:1 program, which would eventually place the tablets in the hands of all students in a matter of four years.
This jumpstart is being heralded by St. Joe's administration as a giant leap forward. "We've already seen the power of these devices in the hands of our freshmen," said St. Joe's president, Robert T. Scott, AFSC. "Now, because of the generosity of a single alumnus, we will be able to provide that same technology to our approximately 400 other students. It's wonderful."
Tablets Enrich Learning Inside and Outside of the Classroom
In its first year of a schoolwide mobility initiative, St. Joe’s will use the devices to replace some textbooks and other printed materials, provide an online research tool and offer access to educational applications. More than 50 faculty members will also receive tablets for classroom use.
“Using tablets managed by AirWatch gives teachers more control at a classroom level, while still providing students with an interactive e-learning experience,” said Steve Koniarczyk, technology integration specialist, St. Joe’s. “Our students’ safety is a priority and AirWatch gives faculty and parents peace of mind.”
The tablets will join a host of other technological innovations that have enriched the classroom experience in the Catholic school's 152-year history. Currently, there are two brand new computer labs on campus as well as SmartBoard technology in every classroom.
“St. Joe’s has a long-standing reputation of providing students with a well-rounded education in order to prepare them for success after high school,” said Tyce Miller, director of education solutions, AirWatch. “AirWatch is proud to support St. Joe’s 1:1 program, which will provide all students with access to leading technology and interactive learning opportunities.”
AirWatch offers other customized features that are useful to educators, including compliance monitoring, management of multiple mobile devices and platforms from a centralized console, secure access to email, VPN and Wi-Fi networks and remote wiping ability.
