FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 24, 2020
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Adriana Rodriguez
718-517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org
John Quaglione
718-517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org
LONG BEFORE CORONAVIRUS FORCED DISTANCE LEARNING,
DESALES MEDIA HAD DISTRIBUTED 10,000 IPADS AND CHROMEBOOKS TO OVER 40 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN BROOKLYN AND QUEENS
DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn, has been equipping faculty and the 22,000 students throughout Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens, with the technology needed to conduct distance learning long before the Coronavirus outbreak forced learning to happen in that manner.
St. Anselm Catholic Academy, the future home of Bay Ridge Catholic, is one of the many Diocesan schools that immediately synced with distance learning. This quick transition was due to the availability of the technology provided by DeSales Media which has been rolled out over the past three years, and its incorporation into the curriculum.
“The Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens are handling the new normal for learning, sparked by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, in first-rate fashion. With over 10,000 iPADS and Chromebooks in 44 of our schools, the DeSales Media Group has helped make the transition to distant learning almost seamless for our students and their families. Our schools were ahead of the curve in many ways, better prepared for this sudden and dramatic shift in learning,” said Monsignor Kiernan E. Harrington, Vicar of Communications for the Diocese of Brooklyn and President and Chairman of DeSales Media Group.
Parents have been sharing positive feedback about the learning adjustment and their child’s enthusiasm for the new way of learning thanks in part to the efforts of DeSales Media. Many parents have expressed their gratitude for the fact that their students already had the necessary technology available to make learning at home immediately possible.
St. Anselm’s Principal Kevin Flanagan, who spearheaded the complete implementation to distance learning stated “The iPads and Chromebooks we secured from DeSales Media enabled us to close school for only a single day before moving to online learning. Since we were able to send every K-8 child home with a mobile device, teachers can provide direct instruction through virtual meetings and recorded lessons even for students without internet access. As a principal, I have been able to observe classes in ways that are impossible in a traditional learning environment. Seeing teachers and students from this perspective has been invaluable to my own understanding of their capabilities.”
St. Anselm Catholic Academy students who are currently “distant learning” through the use of DeSales Media technology, would also be available for interviews.
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