Ontario Educators have a committee working for them to acquire the best educational software for classroom productivity and use. The Ontario Software Acquisition Program Advisory Committee advises the Ministry of Education on current software trends and makes recommendations for software to be licensed provincially.
The software is available for installation on all computer in publically funded schools in the province. Most of the titles are licensed for teacher takehome use so that they can be used for familiarity which is so important for classroom use.
In addition, the site is a wealth of resources, lesson plans, ideas, and inspiration for the use of Ministry licensed software in Ontario Classrooms. The following point to important links at the OSAPAC website.
How does OSAPAC know what titles to license? At the website, OSAPAC maintains a survey asking for input from educators as to what titles are needed by the province. If you have a piece of software that you feel should be licensed, have your input by completing the online survey.
A common question is "How do I get a copy of the software for home use for lesson preparation?" Each school district manages the distribution of licensed software differently. Each school district also has an Ontario Educational Software Service (OESS) representative. If you wish to get a copy of a piece of software, you should contact your OESS representative.
The software licensed by OSAPAC is the largest source of software in the province. It allows for consistency of titles and a sharing of resources and lessons. Make sure that you understand how it works and the impact that it has on your teaching.