Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 6

Keeping Pace with Change

Thornton Academy teachers gather in
the Professional Development & Support
Center of the Technology Department in
the New Media Center. Here, Thornton
Academy hosted staff from Apple to teach
new software programming strategies.
Teachers from surrounding schools
were also invited to attend. Technology
professional development has become
integrated into routine in several ways.

David Arenstam said faculty “also teach three-dimensional
art and animation, which is important in a number of areas,
including the entertainment industry. Watch a movie trailer.
How many elements on a movie screen do you think are created
in an office, as opposed to a studio? Elsewhere, in the business
industry you see 3D design used in advertising. People make
their living designing and redesigning things like bottles and
boxes to hold products. A company like Poland Spring has
redesigned their bottles to reduce plastic use. Ergonomic
furniture is another example. Manufacturing includes lots of
ties to 3D design. We encourage students to think: ‘what would
you do for work if you knew how to both write well and design
three dimensionally?’

BY PATRICIA
ERIKSON

How Thornton Academy’s curriculum keeps up with
the rapid pace of technological innovation
As anyone with a computer or cell
Department explains, “The pace of
“We have purposefully realigned our curriculum
phone knows, technology changes
change is mind boggling. I remember
and created a whole new department to give
at a brutal pace. It seems like we just
programming with punch cards. My first
students meaningful courses that prepare
settle into a new device, new software,
job at a bank, the machine read the cards.
them for the workforce or college. There are
or a new app, and then we’re forced
You never wanted to drop those cards!
three strands in our department: computer
onward, our knowledge always,
Processors and systems are bigger, faster,
programming, New Media and Design, and
already out of date. Now imagine
stronger machines now allowing us to
Journalism, Writing, and Communications with
it’s your job to teach technology to
create things that never existed before.
cross pollination between the strands.
the next generation and
imagine how challenging
“We
make
a
“The overarching skills we teach are the ability to think
it would be to stay ahead
conscious
eff
ort
to
critically and solve problems. When your boss asks ‘why
of the trends well enough
bring in speakers
are we doing things this way? How can we do it better?’
to bring them into the
and presenters from
classroom. That’s the then that training kicks in. It’s about persistence. Fail. Try outside: journalists,
challenge facing Thornton again. Keep going.” -David Arenstam, Chair of Technology graphics designers,
& New Media Department
Academy faculty.
and
computer
programmers
so
Thornton’s recipe for
that students can
keeping up with the pace of change
This year, 35-40 percent of L.L. Bean’s
make those connections (see photo at right).
includes two main ingredients:
holiday business was through mobile
As teachers, you constantly have to stay abreast
professional
development
for
devices. Programming for that is very,
of trends, issues, and programs. What we’re
very diffi