ACADEMY FOCUSESON
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AHEADOF 2:1 PROGRAM
This fall, the Academy will launch its 2:1 Apple program inwhich each student in grades 5-12
will have an iPad and11-inchMacBookAir. In addition, all facultymembers frompre-K through
12thgradewere issuedMacBookAirs in the spring touse in conjunctionwith their iPads. After
threeyearsof a1:1 iPadprogram, theschool decided it needed toaddaseconddevice to further
enhance student learning. In anticipation of going 2:1, all faculty and staff underwent intensive
training during their professional learning community time (PLCs take place eachWednesday
morningbefore school starts) fromApril to June. Trainingwas brokendown to three initiatives:
learningboth theTPACKandSAMReducation technology integrationmodels,attendingAcademy
TechCamp and attendingApple trainingwithApple representatives. Both theTPACK andSAMR
models provide a supportive planningplatform for teachers at all grade levels using a variety of
technology tools.
In studying both the TPACK and SAMR models, Academy is
solidifying the reasoning behind using two devices—that using
both aMacBook and iPad is not adding technology for the sake
ofusing technology.TPACK—Technology,PedagogyandContent
Knowledge—showshow the three knowledgedomains intersect
tomost effectively teach and engage students with technology.
Themodel looksatwhat teachersknow, how they teachandhow
technologycanbeused tobetter impactstudent learning;however
it says technology ispart of great teaching, not thewhole.
With the SAMR model, also called Bloom’s Taxonomy for
educators, the Academy is striving to move past the world of
SubstitutionandAugmentationvia technology (where technology
is an enhancement) to Modification and Redefinition (where
technology isa transformation tool). ElementarySchool Principal
Bridgid Fishman notes, “We are working with teachers to teach
above the line, thoughwestillgobackand forth in thecontinuum.
The2:1programhelpsus reach the transformation level and the
true global connection.” Ultimately, SAMR can help evaluate
the use of technology and design tasks that target higher-order
thinking skills, engage students in rich learning experiences and
impact student achievement.
For Academy Tech Camp, teachers had the opportunity for
personalized professional development. With the understanding
that technology is not one-size-fits-all, teachers selected the
camps they wished to attend to bring new ideas back to the
classroom. Sessions included Discover Your MacBook, Google
Drive, Google Apps for Education, Lights! Camera! iMovie!,
usingsocialmediaasa teacheror in theclassroom, infographics,
and flipped learning. Teachers taught their peers, with all of the
sessionscontaining lifeskillsstudentswill useat theAcademy, in
higher educationandbeyond.
As a close to their technology training, faculty and staff spent a
full daywith certifiedApple trainers, learning the ins and outs of
their MacBooks. Sessions were broken down to three levels—
beginner, intermediate and advanced—and included Authoring
Dynamic Documents with Pages, Becoming a Power User for
Learning and Teaching through the Yosemite Operating System,
and Creating Compelling Presentations with Keynote. Through
this training, teachers learned how to be more creative in their
lessonsaswell ashow tobetter collaboratewith their students.
Always following the standards of Blessed Marie Rose, the
Academy is doing its best tomeet the needs of the times for its
students. Incompletingthetechnologyprofessionaldevelopment,
facultyandstaffareprepared to launch the2:1program inAugust.
Reproducedbypermissionof thepublisher,©2012by tpack.org
Image thecreationofDr.RubenPuentedura,Ph.D.
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SUMMER 2015
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