|
Adults see technology as information and communication. Children view technology as entertainment and socializing. How do schools manage this cultural divide? The start of a one-to-one laptop program brings the issue into sharper focus and forces communities to address the wide gulf between adults and children in the area of technology. Moving to a one-to-one program is not just about enhancing teaching and learning in an academic setting. It is about being open to the online world of students and being ready to deal with the social landscape that forms such an integral part of their lives.
The Nueva School motto is "Learn by Doing, Learn by Caring" and we have taken the launch of our one-to-one laptop program and seized upon each situation as a learning opportunity, not only for ourselves, but also for the larger community. We have framed a healthy, albeit difficult, ongoing conversation between school and home to bring the community closer together around technology.
Download our Acceptable Use Policy to see where we are in the conversation.
|
|
Written by Leslie Segal
|
|
Throughout Nueva’s classrooms and on homework assignments, students rely on their web-surfing resourcefulness, growing their abilities to uncover current, trustworthy, and relevant information. School days are no longer spent reading a stack of course textbooks, or relying narrowly on conventional sources. Evenings are no longer spent at the town library, two-finger tap dancing through the card catalog, or fishing through microfiche for facts. With technology providing information at a rapid pace, Nueva students can find information -- or misinformation -- on almost any topic instantaneously. Change is good, but not without its complications.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Last year, Nueva began to work with Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the media lives of children and families. Common Sense Media has conducted parent workshops at Nueva and shared strategies for creating a safe home media environment. Their schools program provides Nueva with a community of educators to share best practices and to learn about how to better navigate the media landscape at school.
Download the Common Sense Media Schools Program brochure.
Watch a video about the Common Sense Media Schools Program. |
|
Written by Matt Levinson
|
|
In a New York Times article, “New Class (room) War: Teacher vs. Technology (11/07/07),” Professor Michael Bugeja, director of the journalism school at Iowa State University, noted that "The baby boomers seem to see technology as information and communication. Their offspring and the emerging generation seem to see the same devices as entertainment and socializing." Where our teachers want to explore applications with students and develop online courses, the students’ eyes see the social possibilities that the laptops bring. There is a profound disconnect and we realize that we need to find ways to bridge the gap.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Matt Levinson
|
|
Officer Steve DeWarns, who has dedicated himself to online child exploitation cases and the education of online safety, has visited Nueva twice to speak to our students. He has appeared on The Today Show and Dr. Phil, in addition to giving presentations to hundreds of schools in California. Officer DeWarns discussed the disclosure of personal information online, chat rooms, gaming and instant messaging and the caveats that accompany all of these forms of communication.
|
|
Read more...
|
PurposeWe have gathered the following tips and thoughts about the 1-1 laptop program from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade parents at Nueva. They have shared these thoughts with the hope that they might help other parents have a smooth transition into this new program. While every family is different, as is each child, some of these comments might help you and your child to avoid problems and maximize the benefits of the laptop program. You might also want to download and review the booklet, "Growing Up Online" from the PBS Frontline episode.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
