Technology In Private High Schools

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 15th, 2008

By Elizabeth Weiss McGolerick

Many of today’s teens soar heads above adults and professionals when it comes to computers and other technological gadgetry. While many public schools are working to increase the availability and use of technology in the classroom, area private schools are making their mark on students by implementing technology throughout the whole of their curriculum.

Programs, equipment and attitudes are shifting to reflect the changes of a constantly evolving society that demands technologically savvy people. At private schools, teaching curriculums are geared specifically toward preparing students for college and beyond. Computers and technology are one of the biggest factors of that equation.

Here, There and Everywhere
From English to health, history to the arts, athletics to arithmetic, the focus in many private school disciplines aims to help students benefit from the using technology.

Tim Hamer, 46, is vice principal for academics at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, a Catholic, college preparatory and coeducational school serving students grades nine through 12 from across the metro area. Hamer said, “We have always viewed technology holistically and include all elements of the curriculum in our technology planning process.”

According to John Salidis, 65, director of information services at Blue Ridge School, an all-boys college preparatory boarding school for grades nine through 12 in St. George, “All our subjects use technology to a greater or lesser extent.” Each student participates in at least one computer-based project per class each year.

Episcopal High School in Alexandria is a college preparatory boarding school for grades nine through 12, serving both boys and girls. The school describes itself as being “at the forefront of academic use of technology.” The school requires each student to purchase their own laptop computer, and both classrooms and dorms are equipped with the necessary computer connections for Internet access.

New technologies can be found throughout the Episcopal High School curriculum. Adobe Photoshop is used in visual art classes along with scanners, printers and digital cameras, providing students with the necessary tools to envision and create artwork.

Geometry classes use a program called “Geometer’s Sketchpad,” which visually demonstrates the logic of the subject. Even the football team benefits from new technologies. For instance, the “Chalktalk” software allows team members to see an animated version of their plays on their laptops.

On Top of Education
It was reported by eSchool News that, at the Consortium for School Networking, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)—the 12th-largest school district in the nation—announced their efforts to use technological advancements to work toward developing individual learning plans and personalized instruction for each of their 163,000 students.

However, private schools may have an advantage, making strides in technology where public schools are unable to compete.

The GW Community School is a co-educational, private, college preparatory high school serving students grades nine through 12, located in Springfield. Gary Lindner, system administrator and math teacher, explained that everyone involved with the school, from students to teachers to parents, benefits from newly implemented technology.

“Every student and teacher at the GW Community School has a laptop and access to a wireless network,” Lindner said.

In addition to sending class assignments to students via email, Lindner said, “Each teacher enters details about student progress, grades and other information into our administrative system which allows us to e-mail a weekly status report to parents.”

Students at the GW Community School use their computers to share and work collaboratively on projects inside and outside of the classroom.

“Instead of your basic poster board, our students use technologies like PowerPoint and video editing to do presentations and display their work,” said Lindner. From data collection in physics classes to working with editing software in film editing classes, the GW Community School has threaded technology throughout
its curriculum.

“Teachers have been implementing recording technologies and video in English, social studies, film making and, of course, web design classes,” said Lindner.

Implementing Change
In order to make the best technology additions and changes in their curriculum, private schools often solicit detailed input and feedback from the people who can attest to the methods that work best.

“We just completed a comprehensive survey of our entire faculty and staff to secure their assessment of existing technology and support programs and aspirations for future development,” said Hamer.

Bishop Ireton has implemented a number of creative technology advancements.

“We have migrated to a new school management platform in the last two years, which provides a more robust tool for managing all student data and communication,” said Hamer.

“Last year, we acquired four fully integrated, mobile multi-media stations to provide teachers across the school with the ability to access and project to their classes the full range of digital resources such as streaming video from the Internet, DVDs and closed circuit programming.”

According to Salidis, “Blue Ridge has its own SharePoint portal where students go for assignments, news of the day, shared documents and the like. We deploy our own Microsoft Exchange Server. All students have private and public server storage available and can access the Internet from their rooms via wired connections and in all the classrooms via wireless connections.”

Dr. John O’Reilly, 58, assistant head for academics and administration at Blue Ridge School, affirmed, “Our students do not express to me concerns over technology shortcomings.”

What Will the Future Bring?
Schools have to keep up with the technological advancements that are being made nearly daily.

Hamer said, “We are exploring the introduction of fully interactive SMART Boards to as many of our classrooms as possible, as soon as possible. Our teachers are eager to have access to this revolutionary tool.”

SMART Boards have modernized the squeaky writing and erasing method of old. This new invention combines the simplicity of a whiteboard—also known as a dry-erase board—with the power of a computer, through a touch-sensitive display, digital ink and saving capabilities.

Hamer continued, “The use of web-based software that provides various ‘portals’ to students and parents are also at the forefront of our systems development efforts.”

Educators at Blue Ridge School are working to develop electives in technology, ranging from computer applications to actual programming.

Salidis said that, with additional advancements in equipment, there will also be a “possible movement toward thin client technology,” which describes low-cost, centrally managed computers that are comprised of only the most essen-tial applications.

These “thin” machines tend to have longer life cycles, use less power, cost less and are not as vulnerable to virus and worm attacks; according to www.searchnetworking.com, they’re gaining popularity in educational environments.

Some might question that the low student-to-teacher ratio—one of the perks of a private school education—could be compromised by too much technology. But O’Reilly pointed out that educators and administrators are quite aware of the delicate line that must be straddled by tailored experiences and technological awareness and competence.

“We are trying to strike the balance between our highly personalized approach to learning and the need to prepare our students for college and learning in the 21st century. We believe we are succeeding,” O’Reilly said.

Teens Learn through a Second Life
A 3-D virtual world built and owned by its five million residents through downloaded software, Second Life (SL) is the brainchild of Linden Labs. Many universities use SL to enhance classroom and distance learning courses. Teenagers 13 to 17 can familiarize themselves with the environment through Teen Second Life (TSL), while preparing for yet another technological incarnation that awaits them in higher education.

An international social network, TSL begins with the creation of a customized digital self known as an avatar, the embodiment of each user as they would like to be seen. From skin color to foot size, jewelry to clothing, no two avatars are the same. Even physical gestures and moods can be customized. The basic TSL account is free, but, for a monthly fee, students can lease a tract of land, start a business and create and sell wares that can be made in the real world (games, clothes, etc.). Teens learn how to market a business and build a clientele.

“Work is more and more about interfacing with an electronic screen. [Second Life] is as real as it gets,” said Joel Foreman, associate professor in the English department at George Mason University in Fairfax.

Because the appropriateness of some SL content is questionable, Linden Labs “is committed to providing a secure environment for teen residents” that includes only PG-rated material in TSL as well as tips for parents. Teens are encouraged to communicate and work together as a global community in TSL and enjoy the nearly unlimited freedom to create a thriving virtual world that is solely their own.

(August 2007)

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