The Dalton Technology Plan

Designing the future:

The Dalton Technology Plan

The Dalton School has been recognized for decades as being at the forefront of technology and education. Using the foundation set by Dalton’s historical commitment to experimentation and reform, the New Lab for Teaching and Learning, Dalton’s educational technology department, provides a vehicle for Dalton faculty and students to pursue innovative strategies for teaching and learning. Collaborative efforts between the New Lab for Teaching and Learning and the faculty have produced many programs, projects, and initiatives throughout the years that support the teaching and learning goals of the Dalton Plan. Students and teachers use virtual and augmented reality to raise awareness, start conversations, ask questions, find answers, and learn empathy, allowing others to “walk in the shoes of people” from a different part of the world. They use a robust learning management system to collaborate within departments and among disciplines to make connections in multiple areas of study. Using these tools and others, teachers keep the practice of the Dalton Plan vibrant and relevant.

Dalton has a fully established one-to-one digital device program beginning in kindergarten, providing students with an array of powerful tools that allows them to focus on problem solving and higher-level thinking skills. At the very earliest ages, students are taught valuable lessons in managing and navigating their digital life. Whether a student is using a personal smartphone, school-provided tablet, or laptop, consideration is given to the appropriate nature of its use. The use of these devices, whether in school or at home, is a part of the current culture. Leveraging the educational benefits of digital devices while also acknowledging its possible distractions allows the students, faculty, and parents to have open and honest ongoing conversations regarding appropriate and innovative use.

Faculty also embrace the modern tools for modern learners. Once every three years, faculty participate in a thirty hour technology professional development program. Faculty use this time to prepare curricula for appropriate technology integration. By encouraging students to pursue new knowledge that taps into individual interests, the Dalton Technology Plan supports the Dalton Plan in ways Helen Parkhurst could not have imagined but, we believe, would have wholeheartedly endorsed.