At Tuxedo Park School, technology is used to engage our students, deepen and extend learning, and provide opportunities for authentic learning experiences. Our goal is to use technology as a tool for learning, completely integrating it with the other tools we use in the classroom.
There are three levels of technology use:
1. Using technology to do old things in an old way, such as researching articles online or typing a paper.
2. Using technology to do old things in a new way, such as using PowerPoint to present information.
3. Using technology to do something new, such as creating a public service announcement video and posting it on YouTube or collaborating with a class in another country using Skype.
While there is still a place for some traditional uses of technology (our students must learn to write traditional papers as well as produce videos), we use technology to create projects that would not have been possible a few years ago. Our students Skype with WWII veterans to discuss their wartime experiences and use GoogleEarth to explore the world.
Technology at TPS happens every day through a wide range of class offerings. Our Director of Technology and Academic Integration works with teachers to use technology effectively in their own classrooms. She also collaborates with teachers on major technology projects, thereby connecting students’ traditional subject work to their specialized technology class. One example of this collaboration is a Grade 5 Independent Reading Book project. In English, students explore their book and learn how to write about it effectively; in Technology, the students use iMovie to create a movie trailer about their book. Students include narration, relevant images, and musical accompaniment to highlight and “sell” their book and then present their trailers to peers during an English class.
In addition to the technology used in the classroom, TPS is excited to have a new Makerspace, the KMacLab, devoted to teaching creativity, innovation, and teamwork. Students work in the lab during academic classes, connecting "making" to their curriculum; students also have weekly KMacLab classes where they work both individually and in teams on projects. Using a design and technology framework, students tackle projects that teach them basic technology skills such as using software, keyboarding, programing, video, and robotics as well as engineering skills like brainstorming, design, electricity, prototyping, testing, and revising.
For more information about technology at TPS, please contact
Allyson Smith.