Our Students

Technology at The Overseas School of Colombo aims to engage students, strengthen student learning, and foster creativity, collaboration, and communication within and beyond the classroom. Technology has transformed education, and OSC recognises the importance of keeping up with the latest innovations for our students to acquire the necessary skills to become leaders in today’s globalised world. They must become innovative thinkers, ask questions, research, and find solutions in response to the fastest-changing industries in the world today. At OSC, we effectively integrate the latest technologies and teaching methods to leverage and enhance our students’ learning process. As a community, we have fine-tuned our digital capabilities and are ever-ready to share this knowledge with those around us.

Technology Infrastructure at OSC

The Overseas School of Colombo is equipped with over 80 Cisco Meraki access points to support the Wi-Fi needs of the Bring Your Own Laptop (BYOL) programme from Grades 5 through 12 and over 70 Axis security cameras along with RFID access control systems for all doors, which are all connected to a state-of-the-art backbone network powered by Cisco Meraki network switches. Additionally, OSC utilises an enterprise-grade firewall, server systems, and integrated printing management systems to provide our school community with a wide range of integrated IT systems. The OSC Tech Department also takes necessary steps to protect users from data leaks and external network threats. It offers services and support to non-educational departments such as HR, Finance, and Maintenance. The Department also leverages cloud-based technologies to provide disaster mitigation and data recovery capabilities. Classrooms are integrated with touch-enabled interactive displays and projectors to further enhance student learning.

In addition to diagnostic services, the OSC Technology Department invests in educational technology apps and trains and monitors the effectiveness of such apps. This includes access to online databases, cloud-based applications, and local computer programmes. All students receive these applications as part of their tuition.

Our technology team has been working on a long-term technology strategy that integrates a systems thinking approach. This has resulted in innovative projects such as the Student Data Dashboard, which helps make better teaching and learning decisions. We have also implemented internal tools and a few automations to improve the efficiency of our staff.

This year, we have also invested time and research into Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We are looking at ways to safely integrate generative AI tools into our curriculum without compromising our students’ and staff’s data and privacy.

Technology in PYP

Technology is integrated throughout the Primary School. Students are issued school-owned technology devices in Early Years through Grade 4. Our Grade 5 students have been successfully integrated into the BYOL programme and have begun to use their own laptops. All students and teachers are provided with a Google Workspace for Education Account to collaborate, communicate, and do classwork digitally, along with cloud storage. Teachers carefully make use of our 1-1 laptop programme (Apple iPads, Chromebooks, Windows, and Mac computers) to enhance learning and reinforce healthy digital habits and routines, using Seesaw as our primary learning platform.

Technology in MYP and DP

Within the Secondary School, the technology programme aims to help students gain an expert or mastery level of many different applications, databases, and online tools that can help students research, create, and communicate new understandings and learnings. This knowledge will help better prepare students for meaningful impact. The BYOL programme requires students to bring their laptops to class daily and use technology regularly. Our students are provided with the necessary apps and cloud storage to do their classwork digitally while collaborating with their peers and communicating with their teachers. ManageBac is our primary learning management system. It gives our students and parents access to their curriculum and online learning 24 hours a day and provides another way for students and teachers to communicate. In addition to providing technology education, students engage in an extensive Digital Citizenship programme, grounded in the Common Sense Media curriculum. This programme is designed to guide students in creating a safer digital footprint and equip them with the necessary skills to ensure their safety online.