Gunston and Technology: A New Frontier

During the final two days of faculty meetings, the entire Gunston faculty worked with an educational technology consultant who began the process of training us to use our new Macintosh computers.  In this most recent technological upgrade, Macs have been installed in each teacher's classroom, as well as in our student computer lab.  We have completed a major upgrade of our technology infrastructure, and the next few months will see the deployment of a laptop cart for classroom use, additional SmartBoards, and the expansion of the school's wireless capacity.

It's important to note that as Gunston begins to significantly enhance its technological capacity, we will not be pursuing technology simply for its own sake, but rather as a tool to powerfully enhance the learning process.  Several weeks ago, I heard an interview on NPR's program Fresh Air with Matt Richtel, who covers technology and telecommunications for the New York Times, and he used a powerful metaphor to describe the role of technology in our lives:

"Just as food nourishes us and we need it for life, so too — in the 21st century and the modern age — we need technology. You cannot survive without the communication tools; the productivity tools are essential," he says. "And yet, food has pros and cons to it. We know that some food is Twinkies and some food is Brussels sprouts. And we know that if we overeat, it causes problems. Similarly, after 20 years of glorifying technology as if all computers were good and all use of it was good, science is beginning to embrace the idea that some technology is Twinkies and some technology is Brussels sprouts."

I won't be using the "sprouts" image too often with our students, but we will be moving ahead in a steady and thoughtful manner as we seek to incorporate some of the extraordinary tools, programs, and solutions that significantly enhance the learning experience, making it much more interactive and multi-modal.  One of my favorite programs is called "Inspiration", a mind-mapping and outlining program that allows the user to develop ideas in a non-linear fashion, and to convert them into clear and concise arguments.