Technology Integration at Athens Academy
Anytime, Anywhere Computing - The Philosophy Behind the Initiative
Athens Academy began the Media Across the Curriculum Project (MACP) in 1990, and in the ensuing years, has pursued the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning, utilizing evaluation to inform these developments. MACP has three primary goals:
expanding the innovative practices with the integration of personal technologies (laptop computers)
enhancing and developing models for faculty development
developing and implementing an evaluation study to document the impact and the effectiveness of the personal technologies on teaching and learning
21st Century Skills
Information Access
Communication
Visualization and Interaction
Creating Quality Products
Student-Centered, Project-Centered Learning and Authentic Assessment
The original rationale for the infusion of laptop computers focused on creating a “toolset” that could be effectively used in almost every curriculum area and could be used anywhere, anytime to facilitate writing, communication, and resource use. The laptop initiative at the Academy is predicated on the belief that computing has become an essential tool for thinking, problem-solving, and learning in the 21st century.
Students enter the laptop program in 7th grade and keep the same unit for three years. In 10th grade, they are issued new laptops to use through the senior year.
To support teachers as they develop authentic, project-centered learning and assessment, staff development sessions are now focused on individual teacher projects that focus on using technology to improve student performance and attain curricular objectives.