ICTC/FIT/Newsletter/December2012

FIT Newsletter - December 2012 issue

 * Extra Info

Our FIT Community
Deck the Halls and Happy Holidays to all! We're celebrating an exciting year of FIT growth and expansion - best wishes to all FIT students, teachers, parents, education and industry partners.


 * Celebrating FIT leadership. Manitoba is on board with its first FIT school, celebrating the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by many dignitaries and educators on December 5, 2012. The event included remarks from from our partners, including Google and Cisco and an inspiring presentation by FIT Alumni Taylor MacDougall, originally from a high school Miramichi, NB, now studying at Concordia University in Montreal. The press release is available at: http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/?p=9349


 * New FIT Website. We've heard your call to action for a resource to help spread the word about the FIT program. You'll be glad to know that the new FIT website is coming in February 2013. It will be a great opportunity to spread the word about the FIT program and learn about opportunities for students, teachers, parents.


 * Online FIT teachers community. Jamie O'Toole, Technology Lead with Anglophone School District North in NB is working with the FIT program to develop our online FIT teachers' community. It will really help our teachers share FIT resources, presentations and lessons plans for use in their classrooms.


 * New Brunswick teachers provide input. On January 8, 2013, 100+ NB FIT teachers will gather onsite and virtually for a professional development day and provide valuable input regarding the new website's future usability, navigation, requirements and resources. A survey will follow the professional development day to gain additional insight and feedback for the FIT teachers' website. Of course, we will keep everyone informed.


 * FIT Videos Unleashed! The official FIT video will be released for the professional development day in NB - but you can have a sneak peek here. Visit: http://youtu.be/VUlS9L4GW-Y. We are also very fortunate that FIT students at the Sussex, NB high school will be creating a video about "Girls in ICT". We're delighted - and challenge other schools and FIT learners to follow their lead!


 *  Name the FIT Newsletter - Contest coming soon! The name "Newsletter" isn't as snazzy as we would like it, so we will be having a contest in early 2013 to name the FIT newsletter. The winner will have bragging rights, his/her photo in the newsletter and on our website; and a short story/ bio about them. Stay tuned.


 * Nominate a special FIT Student or Teacher. We're always looking to feature students and teachers in our FIT Newsletter and website. Please consider nominating someone special - you will make their day! (Please send us his/her photo, bio and link to their school and web page and why you think s/he should be featured.)

FIT Facts

 * FIT Milestone! We've reached 150 schools across Canada and we're growing quickly!
 * Great Promise, Great Grades. Pilot studies have shown that 90% of FIT graduates pursue education beyond high school, where they can receive advanced standing. College-level technology instructors have also found that FIT graduates typically achieve grades 16–20% higher than other students, and often often act as classroom mentors.

Important Dates

 * January 2013 - NB Teacher Professional Development Day, January 8, 2013. Gathering user feedback and future requirements for the FIT website from teachers and program stakeholders.
 * February 2013 - Official launch of the FIT website and online teachers' community.

Featured Resources

 * ICTC Tech Talent Bulletin - http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/?p=5463
 * The Best Web 2.0 Applications for Educators in 2012 - http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/07/10/the-best-web-2-0-applications-for-education-in-2012-%E2%80%94-so-far/
 * Technology and Tools for Teachers - http://www.4teachers.org
 * 100 Best Video Sites for Teachers - http://edudemic.com/2012/08/best-video-sites-for-teachers/

Industry Trends, Research & Stats

 * A new study (CIO to CEO:  Barriers and Success Factors II) from the CIO Association of Canada confirms that the IT Track offers a clear, direct and well-documented path to top jobs. Having this knowledge can be helpful to K-12 students, their parents and teachers as they make future career decisions. The report is available at: http://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/CIOCAN/c5ebe9fd-b291-49b9-b425-249349a56504/UploadedImages/Documents/CIO_to_CEO_Report_Dec2012.pdf


 * The Apps Economy in Canada - over 50,000 Canadians are employed in creating apps, October, 2012 - http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/?page_id=8183. See the media coverage - CBC The National TV Clip (with a short interview with ICTC's Labour Market Analyst, Sharif Faisal - http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/The+National/ID/2295108657/

Follow FIT

 * Keep informed - follow FIT on Twitter - @FOCUSITca