The Challenge

At Holy Cross College, the focus is on a best in class, Apple-based education, teaching and learning environment. For its latest device rollout, it engaged in a fruitful partnership with CEWA and, subsequently, Compnow to explore the options.

HCC also stipulates worry free technology. Albert Borrello, Principal at Holy Cross College, says: “Our mantra is that education, not technology, leads learning. CEWA’s well resourced support is incredible. Whatever the technology, we know the product has been fully researched so we always have the best for our students.”

Ben Johnson, ICT Manager at the College, says: “ICT is managed by a team of only three and vendor support is critical to freeing up our time. Like all schools, we need technology to be seamless for productive classrooms.”

The Solution

Holy Cross has been an Apple Distinguished School since 2010. “The Apple platform attributes support our students’ creative expression, and how they collaborate and learn across the curriculum. This is beyond pen and paper through video, music, photography, drawing and sound. Apple has no peer in the education space,” Ben says.

The latest deployment supplied teachers with MacBooks and iPad Pros, the senior student cohort with MacBooks and junior student cohort with iPads. The school decided on a consistent approach – from selection of a single device to icon layout and applications. “With all setups exactly the same, teachers can pick up any child’s device and know where everything is,” he says.

Logitech’s education specific models use the Apple Smart Connector to obviate battery charging and Bluetooth connection worries. Logitech accessories – including the Crayon, keyboards with trackpads – are rated “head and shoulders above the rest” by the College, Ben says.

JAMF School and Apple MDM are essential to Holy Cross’ operation and its 2000 devices.

“It’s so easy to push configuration profiles and applications to devices. And with student privacy and security so important, we can ensure the iPads are used only as an education tool,” he says.

HCC has a tailored portal and break/fix agreement with Compnow to ensure disruption free teaching and learning. And the business side is streamlined to a single point of contact to manage and maintain the relationship.

When considering the finance options, Compnow explored the market and from there Holy Cross took on a 3 three-year lease to own agreement that “relieves the financial burden on families and eased the College’s cash flows. Working with Compnow certainly simplified my job,” Jean Topliss, HCC’s Business Manager says.

Stephen Corcoran is Holy Cross’ Teaching and Learning Innovator. He says innovation is not just about technology: “It’s also about how you improve the ways you leverage it, how you become more creative in teaching and learning, and how you tailor it for different areas of a school. Teachers need to be confident in using the technologies that bring new and exciting opportunities to pedagogical practices. And while students are used to technology, it doesn’t mean they’re great at using it as an educational tool”.

HCC invests in Compnow’s professional development expertise as it builds a culture of innovative best practice in guiding students to be more creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers in a rapidly changing world.

The Benefits

CEWA and Compnow’s input “has paid huge dividends when it comes to supporting the differentiated learning of each individual child,” Albert says. “It helps us be agile and flexible to the changing technology needs of our school.”

Compnow is an Authorised Apple Professional Learning Specialist which Christina Davini, the College’s Vice Principal, says the school has found to be “a very powerful asset. Teachers readily accept and retain the material from Compnow as an external expert. With confident teachers, the new concepts flow nicely into the classroom.”

“Schools have never been more complex and time poor. If you’re taking teachers out of the classroom for workshops, you need a great return on investment. From their experience in other schools, Compnow tells us objectively where we’re doing well and the things we need to work on,” Christina says.

For the schools in the network, CEWA provides great support, services and guidance and then leaves it to individual schools to make their own decisions. “I think Holy Cross is a great example of how the significant partnership between CEWA and Compnow is helping students be the best citizens for our world,” Stephen says. “There’s also a strong alignment as Compnow understands what we’re looking to achieve and partners us on that.”

“Importantly they also provide great value – at support, technician
and account management levels – Compnow has everything covered. When you’re working with Compnow you’re getting access to great information and resources and also really excellent products to enhance the technology experience in your school,” he says.