377_Technology

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R S T. L U K E ’ S S C H O O L

Welcome to 377, The Magazine for St. Luke’s School. The mission of this publication is to bring you new perspectives on life and learning on the Hilltop through a particular topic lens. In this issue we celebrate inspirational people, exceptional ideas and transformational technology. Look for the to identify stories that oer more on our website at www.stlukesct.org.

As a technology-forward school, St. Luke’s encourages students and teachers to explore new tools and concepts. Every day we see technology fostering sophisticated research skills, creative problem-solving and deeper learning.

From Smart Boards in the classroom to 21st-century Harkness tables, technology use and resources are pervasive at St. Luke’s. But just as important as the tools is the attitude that education is a process of continuous improvement. When we create an environment where thoughtful new ideas and approaches are welcome—a vibrant learning community emerges.

One of the most exciting examples of this is the innovative use of teleconferencing technology to connect our students with people, cultures and languages around the world. Recently we had a truly uplifting virtual encounter between a small group of St. Luke’s students and a group of Darfurian children at a refugee camp in Chad.

These incredible, real-life lessons stay with students and prepare them to be successful, compassionate citizens of the world.

This Darfur experience is just one powerful example of meaningful learning made possible by caring teachers using technology effectively. In the pages that follow, you will find many more stories. I’ve also blogged extensively about the opportunities and challenges inherent in raising and educating the first digital generation. See these Digital Smarts posts at www.stlukesct.org/about/vision and select Archives of Past Posts.

Mark Davis, Head of School

“Technology fosters a classroom approach that is very student-centered. In my weekly “tech time” sessions with faculty, I help teachers achieve their academic technology goals. The tools and processes made possible by technology allow a profound shift from students simply receiving information to students becoming active contributors to the learning experience.

They are more engaged, able to collaborate and are called on to develop new communications skills.”

“Here’s a high tech, high school level lab in the 7th grade classroom!

Students test to see if various environmental conditions could change how quickly a plant would photosynthesize. They add carbon dioxide to the water surrounding a water plant by blowing their breath into the water via a straw. This decreases the pH of the water surrounding the plant and as the plant produces oxygen it brings the pH level back up. Students are able to track the pH progress using probeware. These nifty devices allow for immediate and accurate results that can easily be linked up to the Smartboard to show real-time graphs of results.”

“I’ve worked the soundboard since 8th Grade.

It’s something I love to do and I look forward to continuing to have this role in college. Last summer I had the opportunity to intern for Shakespeare on the Sound because of the tech theatre experiences I’ve been afforded at SLS.”

“Studying Digital Music Production with Mr. Shaulinski has taken my music to a higher level. Not only do we learn song structure and mastering techniques, but everything it takes to make a high-quality audio recording.

Mastering Apple’s Logic Studio software is like having a professional recording studio on your laptop. I love writing original music, but it’s even more exciting to collaborate with musicians as we prepare for St. Luke’s Composers Concert each year. What I’ve learned has also inspired me to create an electronic pop band and record my own music beyond SLS.”

“Designing my own robot using the Lego Mindstorms NXT software was challenging and fun. In Robotics I and II we create a design, write the program, build and test our robots all semester and then we present the whole thing.

Our Computer Science Robotics course gave my problem-solving skills a huge boost. It was fun to see the robots complete the tasks we programmed them to do, but I learned the most when something went wrong – the best part for me was breaking down the code and getting it right.”

Face-to-

FACE For the World Language Department, live videoconferencing holds endless possibilities for real-time language practice, long-distance learning and lasting personal connections.

“Who are we Skyping with today?”

It’s a question heard throughout classes in the World Language Department. For several years, the department has been developing videoconferencing possibilities for its classrooms. Teachers and students alike are discovering how this technology integrates itself naturally into the study of foreign language.

Videoconferencing, the term given to a live, real-time video session between two or more users who reside at two or more locations, has been possible for many years. But it is growing in usage as new technologies have greatly improved the quality, made it more affordable, and more easily implemented (see adjacent Center for Leadership). One popular service is Skype, a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet and provides free-of-charge videoconferencing calls.

“We have been thrilled to see this technology incorporated more fully into our curriculum,” says Jonathan Shee,World Language Department Chair. “We have

relationships with three partner schools in France, China and Argentina. In our French classes we have weekly online exchanges with schools in Paris,Toulouse and Martinique.The students are incredibly excited to speak the target language with “real” kids their age. There’s a lot of planning and structure involved in setting up reciprocal videoconferencing relationships, but the advantages of learning language skills in real time, with native speakers, are well worth the effort.”

Videoconferencing has also enabled personal connections between visiting international students and their host families—before the plane even lands. Spanish teacher Lee Bruner, with fellow teacher and Buenos Aires native Mirna Goldberger, arranged an international exchange relationship with St. Martin in the Fields, a small independent school in BuenosAires.“Before the group arrived from St. Martin, we set up Skype accounts for visiting students from Buenos Aires and their St. Luke’s host families,” Lee explains.“The students were able to really connect in advance with their families and vice versa.While here, they were able to communicate with their parents and families back home. It was very reassuring.”

Jon Shee was so pleased with the results in his own classes, that he organized webinar training sessions for World Language faculty with videoconferencing expert Colleen Coffey of Marquette University. “Several other teachers including Amber Wedges and Franz Batoh have had successful videoconference experiences and all modern language teachers are trained in pedagogy and videoconferencing techniques for theWorld Language classroom,” said Jon. “We’ve certainly been in the vanguard in getting this underway.”

Ultimately, the interaction made possible by videoconferencing can lead beyond language instruction to deeper cultural understanding, meaningful personal exchange and, hopefully, lifelong friendships. According to Lee, the teachers of the World Language Department can already see the impact that videoconferencing has had on their students who get very excited about speaking with their peers abroad: “Before they ever meet in person, the kids already know each other. And then they are able to stay in touch and remain truly connected.”

The St. Luke’s Center for Leadership

As parents, we grapple with how to prepare children for a future we can’t quite imagine. We know the world is flat and fully wired, but what’s next and will our kids be equipped for success? The St. Luke’s community believes it has the answer in its new Center for Leadership, set to launch Fall 2011.

“WSLX 91.9FM, St. Luke’s radio station, offers students a chance to get their feet wet in broadcast journalism and their hands on professional quality broadcast technology. One example is the team of Luke Costello and Luke Osherow. They learn both production skills and what it takes to be on-air talent . The two host the aptly-named “Luke & Luke”, an after-school sports show in the fall and spring. They are also part of the broadcasting crew that does play-by-plays of home varsity games. WSLX offers St. Luke’s students a chance to experience a real-world career in broadcast journalism while having fun!”

Each year the 5th Graders’ Citizenship Project uses new technology for an age-old tradition — creating oral histories. Based loosely on the storycorps.com format, the students select an interviewee, often a relative or family friend, from another generation. The children write the questions and get tips on interviewing from veteran reporter, writer and SLS parent, Mike Lupica.

The 5th graders then write up the interview story, record a podcast and post it to the class blog where their interviews are shared with classmates.

“I felt very prepared coming into the technological collegiate landscape. SLS did an amazing job at exposing me to the latest and greatest tech trends as well as preparing me for their use. The exposure to both a Mac and PC environment was especially useful as familiarity with both is essential in college. Technology plays an active role in my studies now, touching various venues such as homework, paper writing, research, as well as presentations. Needless to say, it is also a great way to stay connected!�

“My job is amazing because it involves endless discovery.

I get to channel my own excitement for new ideas and technologies into my teaching and then see that excitement mirrored in my students’ faces. One of the many things I appreciate about working at St. Luke's is that I'm part of an environment that fosters out-of-the-box thinking and risk-taking. If your goal is to enhance student learning, your ideas will be heard.�

The Universe in Their Hands A group of students gather outside as the sun completes its descent. The teacher comments on their smart planning; the sky is clear and ready for exploration. The students look down at the Star Walk applications already aglow on their iPads. With one touch, the universe appears in their hands. Another touch reveals the stars, constellations and satellites visible at that moment, from that specific location. This is real-time education and it is a stellar experience in every sense.

Every day, mobile technology reconfigures the familiar and redefines what is possible.

What does a classroom look like? What does a book look like? What does an astronomy lesson look like? Academic Technology Coordinator, Jim Foley, describes the benefits of St. Luke’s pilot iPad program in this way: “Mobile devices give teachers incredible freedom and flexibility. You can teach anywhere, you can access thousands of amazing applications, your lessons are interactive and can be shared throughout the school. This truly is a transformative technology.”

“Teaching our students how to leverage technology is part of St. Luke’s mission and responsibility,” adds Elizabeth Preston, Director of Information Technology. “It is fundamental to preparing them for the future.” © All rights reserved by Star Walk

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“Cole’s passion was ignited by digital imaging photography. Cole’s long exposure images not only demonstrate excellent formal qualities, but use a strong perspective and allow the viewers to feel as though they are present and witnessing the happenings in the images. His use of color in the works is refreshing and smart, as the composition of color not only adds to the overall structure, but creates a vivid and sometimes shocking display of urban environments.”

Let us know what you think at communications@stlukesct.org SLS Marketing Communications Team 377 Editors: Nancy Troeger, Jane Ahrens Photography: Desirée Smock, Jane Ahrens Feature Article: Judith Dryden, Nancy Troeger Design: Peapod Design 2/2011/#3/Technology