Happy 25 Years at the TDSB

Troy Sotiroff, Lesley Reilly, Mary Ann Iacobucci!

Thank you for your service!

goIT

Overview

The goIT program is an educational collaboration and formal partnership between the Toronto District School Board and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). It is a free digital innovation program where K-12 students use design thinking to solve problems that are local to their school community and connect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. It also provides STEM-related curriculum enhancement and career awareness opportunities to students. Workshops utilizing STEM-teaching principles provide participating students and teachers an opportunity to learn new skills, develop ideas that help solve an identified real-world problem, and challenge them to work in a collaborative, hands-on and minds-on manner.

The TCS commitment to support our students is significant: they provide virtual program training and virtual mentors who currently work full time in the IT industry (computer/software engineers, marketing, finance) to support our students. One of the main highlights of goIT is that virtual or in-person implementation can be supported seamlessly. The goIT program also provides our TDSB students with a perspective that we hope will result in students choosing a future career in the area of Information Technology. Over the last seven years goIT has positively impacted hundreds of TDSB schools and thousands of students.

The goIT goals are to:

1. Increase an awareness of STEM-related careers

2. Engage students in a practical experience of solving a STEM-related problem with an IT solution in the form of a simulated “APP” (application) through the framework of design thinking

3. Provide volunteer opportunities for TCS IT experts/staff to support an enriched learning opportunity for TDSB students and teachers in STEM-related education

4. Build the capacity of TDSB educators with digital knowledge, resources and global connections

5. Address the STEM gender gap

6. Provide equity of access to technology-related opportunities for students

Guidelines for the 2020-2021 goIT program

• The program is open to secondary teachers in the areas of Computer Science, Business, Mathematics and Science

• Teachers new to the program will be involved in a full day virtual training session, and will also have the opportunity to participate in showcase events during the school year. Virtual training will take place on Wednesday, January 13, 2021

• This opportunity is available to 2 teachers from every secondary school

• Virtual training will provide teachers with the content knowledge, pedagogical skills and resources and materials needed for design thinking using GSuite tools or Brightspace

• TCS volunteers will be supporting classes virtually either in guest speaking opportunities or as virtual judges

• TCS volunteers do not require a Criminal Reference Check and VSS unless they are with students, online or in person more than two times per school year, and are supported by the Principal. This will be monitored through our partnership agreement

• The goIT program itself is free of charge and supply coverage will be covered by the LN Superintendent of Education

• Our Research department will again be conducting surveys so we can gather data about the program’s impact

• We are pleased that TDSB teacher Anu Bahri has been seconded for a third year to TCS to directly support the TDSB goIT program and our schools. She will be your school’s main contact for program information and training details.

Next Step

Individual teachers are to confirm their participation in goIT by replying to James Jarrett at James Jarrett by Monday, December 14, at 3pm.

Our Partnership Steering Team looks forward to collaborating with you on the goIT program as together we create the conditions for increased engagement and well-being through deep learning experiences, and by responding to student voice, experience, identity and expertise.