Using Computers

Using Computers - Making Meaningful Connections

by Jane Clark, Jane Cotti, and Alan Bain, Ed. D.

Each school year, more classrooms welcome technology, but what happens once it arrives? Now that computers are found on more desktops, schools are faced with the challenge of how to use computers and technology to improve teaching and learning.

At boarding schools across the U.S.A., the Internet and advanced technology are part of daily life and education. For example, at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, California, access to information is available throughout the campus via either a wireless or LAN connection.

This is why the U.S.A. is an excellent place to study to prepare for university study, where computers are a key to academic success and for an internet-based world economy.

A leader in introducing technology to boarding school education, Villanova has computer labs and a Resource Center that are constantly in demand by teachers who are using these facilities to implement lesson plans that incorporate software programs.

Software applications enhance specific courses of study. For example, an Economics class learns about the stock market by visiting websites like Nasdaq.com that give up-to-the- minute stock prices. Students input this data into a student created Excel workbook and chart these stocks over a 30-day period, buying and selling stocks weekly. The students then may produce graphs and analyze trends in a report.

Grades are updated biweekly on the school website. Students and parents have separate Internet accounts to access this information online. Teachers and students have email accounts for quick and convenient correspondence with each other. These resources foster communication between administrators, teachers, students and parents.

This sort of up-to-date, or "cutting-edge" system is rapidly being adopted by boarding schools across the U.S.A.

Learning English with Computers

Villanova's ESL Department uses technology as a teaching tool. Since August 1996, an ESL Resource Center has housed Power PCs, iMAC computers, printers, a scanner, a digital camera and a digital camcorder for students to practice speaking English in front of an audience. Each student develops a video "portfolio" of speaking performance, to demonstrate progress in learning English over time.

All ESL students have their own folders, e-mail accounts and access to the Internet, which is used for classroom assignments.

Students Taking Charge

Technology allows students to access their grades and progress reports, easily and independently. Consequently here and at most U.S. boarding schools, an end-of-term grade report is not the first indication of how a student is progressing. The students know almost from the start of school how they are doing in each subject and therefore can make efforts to improve if necessary.

The tools of technology allow students to get more involved in their education. Students go online and check their grades. This keeps them more connected to their education. They can access their online grade report to see how a quiz (short exam), etc. has affected their overall grade.

Teachers Acquiring new Skills

Students have different learning styles. There is much talk about adapting curriculum to individual needs; however, any classroom teacher will tell you how difficult this is in reality. It means designing multiple lesson plans, adapting resource materials, and employing sophisticated approaches to monitor the progress of every student. These are time-consuming activities. Teachers need tools to make them happen.

Technology, and specifically software that teachers can use to develop multi-level lessons and to monitor progress, can make the vision of a personalized education a reality for every student in this country's boarding schools.

What does this mean for the students? All students are learning. Teachers are not just having the greatest impact on those learners who fall into the "lower", "average" or the most "advanced" section of the class but instead are reaching all of the students in their classes.

There is on ongoing professional development for boarding school teachers. At Villanova, an assessment specialist holds workshops on campus for teachers. Classes integrating technology are also available throughout the year on campus or online to meet specific requirements of different subjects such as mathematics or English. These professional development opportunities help teachers adapt to the school's growing technology infrastructure.

These are just a few examples of how technology is playing a positive role in the U.S. boarding school classroom. Technology allows students in the U.S.A. to take charge of their education. When students make that connection and can relate to why and what they are learning, anything is possible.

Jane Clark is Director of Technology, and Jane Cotti is Director of the Resource Center at Villanova Preparatory School, Ojai, California. Alan Bain Ed. D., is Associate Headmaster, Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, and a highly regarded authority on school improvement and the role of technology in the curriculum process.

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