Looking into the classroom window: Technology at an elite, California high school
Marymount High School is a celebrated independent, all girls institution in Los Angeles. Among other accomplishments, the school has set itself apart as a leader in technology by nabbing an Apple® Exemplary Program distinction, which has only been earned by 38 schools and/or districts in the nation. According to the high school’s website, “only programs that have demonstrated a strong use of Apple technology in education and illustrate ‘best practice’ qualities of a 21st century learning environment receive this honor.”
As he announced the Catholic high school as a recipient of the distinction, Apple’s Vice President of Education, John Couch, said, “in reviewing the great work underway at Marymount High School, I was especially impressed by the school’s use of Apple hardware and software to create a rich teaching and digital learning environment. Your program serves as an example for other schools both locally and nationally.”
Heather Downes is a 9th and 10th grade English teacher at the picturesque academy. She shares her insights on the prevalence and effects of technological innovations in her classroom and award-winning school.
Q. How have technological innovations in education impacted the way you teach?
A. Now that I am teaching at Marymount, technology greatly impacts my classes. Marymount won the Apple Exemplary Program distinction, which is reserved for educational programs that are model implementations of Apple products. Marymount has a one-to-one laptop program and Smartboards in every classroom. My classes are virtually "paperless" since my classes have shared folders and each student has a laptop. The students use technology every day to create, participate in class, and extend their thinking. I also grade my essays electronically and email graded versions back to students.
Q. How do you see education-related technological innovations implemented in your institution as a whole?
A. Marymount stresses the importance of using technology, specifically laptops in the classroom, for meaningful purposes. The technology department, and the school as a whole, discourages using technology just to use technology. Teachers at Marymount are very conscious about not using laptops to do "busy work." We are always striving to incorporate technology in a cooperative and thoughtful manner.
Q. What role do you think technological innovations in education can have on the amount of material a student maintains, especially at the high school level?
A. My students have all my lessons, including PowerPoints®, that I have created or they have created on their own when they go home, which greatly increases retention because the have the “right” material to study. They also take notes electronically on my worksheets, which I think also increases retention because they find a way to make the material comprehensive to them. Also, when they create and design something using technology, I believe they remember it much more than a mere class discussion on the same material.
Q. What role do you see technological innovation playing in the future of the U.S. education system?
A. As society advances technologically, schools need to be fluent in that technology and implement technology into lessons on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the trend that I see is typical of education: Those students at better schools will have more technological resources and thus, be better equipped for the 21st century.
Q. How critical do you think technological innovations in education are to the nation's education system? Do we need them to maintain/improve test scores and improve our ranking internationally and on international placement tests?
A. Technological innovations are extremely important in terms of the success of America's education system. Schools need to be able to use the technology that is available in the world in order to compete with others. I believe the learning that goes on in my classroom is greatly enhanced and an overall “better” educational experience due to the technology used. So yes, I think we need to use technological innovations in order to improve test scores. What can beat students learning more and learning at a higher level of rigor and critical thinking?
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