TECHKNOW

Academic technology at USM will provide the autonomy to create, collaborate, explore, share with the global community, support a variety of learning styles.
 * Academic Technology Philosophy as defined by the faculty: **

The TechKnow Conference is a unique opportunity for faculty to collaborate in grade level and departmental teams on curriculum design central to a successful 1:1 learning community. To make this conference meaningful and authentic, teachers played a key role in constructing its framework; they utilized information on 21st Century Skills and the deep content and skills their students need to be successful in the future to identify the challenges and opportunities ahead in the 1:1 program; that information guided the process, content, and skills teachers will work on together with leading 1:1 technology integration experts, including some USM faculty.

The 1:1 program that will launch in August of 2012 includes many types of technology devices designed to best meet the developmental needs of students as they grow. For example, iPads will be new to the students in third and fifth grades, so those teaching teams, along with fourth and sixth grades, will work in special sessions to harness the power of the many instructional apps that the iPad has to offer. The apps teachers will use focus on creativity, collaboration and exploration, key components of the philosophy that drives how technology is used at USM. Likewise, the seventh and eighth grade teams, who will be using MacBook Pros with their students in the 1:1 program, will learn how to use the full power of the Apple tools built into the new operating system on the computers. Upper School teachers will spend time designing new cross-disciplinary integrated units for students in ninth and tenth grades. Those students will be using their own laptops, be it Macs, PCs, or Linux devices, so teachers will not only create opportunities for students to develop projects that address challenges, but how they will work with students on the Internet to create and share content. All teachers will also spend time learning how to manage content they share with students who have a variety of learning styles so they receive meaningful feedback in an efficient and effective way.

Designing the TechKnow conference itself has transformed how we work together creatively as a school to prepare for the future with our students in a 1:1 technology environment. June 13th and 14th will be days full of discovery, innovation, collaboration and the creation of newfound plans to provide the same for students at USM next August!