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Information Technology Working At The Priory
See Dr. Cody’s letter, page 3, for a summary of where the Priory is going from here.
• The Internet is a terrific student resource. Fine arts students are using the Internet to research history and public art — part of planning a wall mural for Woodside Priory’s fortieth anniversary. Eighth grade readers of Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men used the Internet to find possible causes for the main character’s odd illness. Foreign language students are explor- ing French web sites, and shared a chat room with French kids. Science students hop from the US Geological Survey to UC Berkeley to NASA to the Jet Propulsion lab. Sixth graders are pulling down maps, photos and data to compile on-line reports of the world’s cities, which they will link together to form a coordinated class report. “Students are beginning to get a better sense of how and when to use the Internet, what it works for, and what contributions they have to make in the acquisition of knowledge,” said Nancy Newman, faculty member in the Division of Math, Science and Technology.
• Research and curriculum opportunities appeal to faculty. For Theology, Dr. Cody pulled moral points of view from several Internet sites, loaded them on his classroom computer, and viewed them with his students on the classroom TV screen which he plugged in as a monitor. Copies of the book Billy Budd are unavailable but by installing the text on the library’s comput- er bank, the class was able to read and discuss a valuable resource.
• Working on their own, many students include in their assignments information and graphics (such as maps and photos) they found on the Internet. These students have learned that by starting at a quality web site, they can often “hop” to other high-quality sites to collect these resources. Many students are proficient users of software tools for creating charts, graphs and maps.
• Most students prefer the CD-ROM databases to the printed versions of magazines, encyclopedias and other standard references in the library, says Peter Reinhardt, librarian. About 30 CDs are now in the library collection. Specialized software for study and skill-building is also available, mainly in classrooms. Both collections are growing as teachers identify tools they can use.
• Students are creating their own web pages using HTML programming language as part of the eighth grade curricu- lum. All sites include links, sound and animation. WPS is considering creating an on-campus “Intranet” that will use click-and-go technology to connect people and information created by the school community.
• Science students are part of a world-wide program to collect weather data and conduct soil and water studies. Working with GLOBE, WPS students monitor weather instruments and record their findings in a central computer. Data is linked to satellite photos to provide weather scientists with important, enriched detail. Students learn how science works; scientists gain specific data; the science and student communities keep in touch. Participating students around the world can share data and discuss their work. This is one example of a multi-level “learning community,” considered an up-and-coming creative use of information technology.
• Families keep in touch. More than 40 percent of WPS families receive the daily school bulletin on e-mail. The school calendar, parent newsletter, course guide, school magazine, student handbook, college prep bulletins and more are (or soon will be) available on the school web page. Course syllabi may follow next fall.
• A student technology team is on call to diagnose and solve both hardware and software problems, or to help some- one learn to use a new tool. Students update the web site and supervise the computer lab in the evenings.
Students Mark Lewis and Chris Upjohn are installing an electron micro- scope, which provides an amazing 250,000- X magnification. The typical high school microscope magnifies about 400X. Photographer Jerry Coy, who used it pro- fessionally, donated the scope, backup equipment, and many hours of work with students in the installation process. Students already have plans for projects involving cell membranes and crystalline structures, said Mark.
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