Latest stats indicate that more students, parents and educators are turning to digital learning resources than ever before.
From personal mobile devices to electronic communication with teachers and exploration with 3D printers, robotic and specialized labs, area private schools are making cutting-edge technology a priority.
Take a look at a handful of the most exciting, innovative offerings below:
During the summer, Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette converted one of its classrooms into a specialized Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) Lab.
“The STEAM Lab opens the door to a more creative environment for the students to learn and grow,” Sandy Locher, RDHS mathematics teacher and a former engineer, explains.
The lab will be home to the school’s robotics club as well as a 3D printer. Locher stressed the importance of an innovative learning environment for female students who are uniquely motivated by global issues.
“They want to feel like they are helping and improving people’s lives,” she says. “Whether it is making prosthetic limbs or designing buildings that can survive hurricanes or earthquakes, they want to contribute to a bigger ideal. The STEAM lab will demonstrate how girls can tackle global issues on a local scale.”
As part of an ongoing 3D-printer curriculum at North Shore Country Day School (NSCDS) in Winnetka, its 5th grade class has partnered with Over the Rainbow, an Evanston-based organization that supports people with physical disabilities.
Many of the OTR residents are in wheelchairs, and some use Dynavox devices to assist in speaking.
“The residents have a variety of physical disabilities that make daily living significantly more difficult,” explains Dani Chung, communications associate for NSCDS. “Working in small groups with their OTR partners, the fifth-grade students brainstormed ideas for items they could design to make daily tasks easier for the residents.”
Patrick Hughes, founder and CEO of Inclusion Solutions, an Evanston organization that helps people with disabilities navigate the world, says he appreciated how the group jumped in to learn more about each other. “I think it was a win-win partnership for everyone.”
At Nazareth Academy in LaGrange, students combined scholarship and service while developing Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS). The program, which originated at Purdue University, connects students with area charitable organizations and provides an innovative outlet to explore engineering solutions.
“We are so lucky to have students who want to make a difference in the world,” explains Dr. Roberta Zasadzinski, the Nazareth physics teacher who brought EPICS to the school following a workshop in 2012. “Sometimes they don’t see science and engineering as a way to do that, so they shy away from those subjects.”
Last year, Zasadzinski’s AP Physics class and students participating in an after-school club partnered with the MidAmerica Service Dog Foundation and Aspire, a human-services nonprofit.
For the 2015-2016 school year, students hope to work with Helping Hand Center, another nonprofit dedicated to those with disabilities. Also on the horizon: weaving EPICS into the school’s Environmental Science curriculum.
In Libertyville, students at St. Joseph Catholic School enjoy a bevy of digital tools right at their fingertips. Middle-schoolers each have Chromebooks, and the school regularly uses iPads, Google Apps for Education and PC technologies to teach students 21st-century skills.
“In general, the technology in our building provides teachers and students with tools to create, formatively assess and differentiate instruction,” Kelly McMahon, director of technology, says. “Our staff and students find new uses every day.”
Whether students are reenacting a novel through movie creation on an iPad, sharing a Google Doc with a teacher to exchange feedback during the writing process or explaining mathematical thinking using screencasting software, students are encouraged to embrace varied tech tools and look for new ways to think critically and creatively.
The school employs a robust technology staff, and it is also home to a media center and Engineering for Kids, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program.
