Technology is a frequent topic in many settings.
Families discuss their children’s use of technology for learning and pleasure and the overall appropriate amount of screen time. Corporations focus on technology to ensure their employees are productive through the efficiencies and advances it provides. Schools, whether elementary, secondary or collegiate, are prescriptive as to what technology is integrated into instruction and the application of skills.
When I think of technology at Rohan Woods, our strategies align with the philosophy of the school.
Faculty use technology to deliver instruction – making it come alive. For example, our social studies program has a digital component with access to video and a virtual tour of the Alamo or an interview with a Civil War historian. This same digital presence can be found within Singapore math and our online reading program which is used as a supplement to core instruction. Technology isn’t the main vehicle for teaching in these instances, but more as a means for practicing and developing fluency and automaticity.
At Rohan Woods, as students matriculate through the grade levels, they transition from iPads to Chromebooks, opening their technological worlds from apps for practice to learning how and when to use technology appropriately. In Third through Sixth Grade, our students learn how to use the Google Suite products including Docs, Sheets and Slides which are utilized by many employees in corporate settings. The children use technology collaboratively while they research topics during Project. Our goal at the conclusion of Middle School is for our students to be prepared for a successful secondary school experience by understanding how to use iPads and Chromebooks.
You ask what is the technological philosophy of the school? Simple – It’s balance. We want our students to be able to carry on a conversation with their friends or an adult. We also want them to learn and grow to be safe and responsible users of technology throughout their lifetime. Ultimately, we want technology to complement the personalized instruction our children receive so they are prepared for the changing world ahead. Technology is an important component to instruction, but it is balanced with hands-on learning in a collaborative environment.