Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Winter 2007 | Page 4

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21st Century Science Initiative

When Technology Meets Textbooks

W

ith the 2006-07 Thornton
Fund nearly 70 percent
toward goal as the first
semester ended in late January, it
seems a sure bet that its successful conclusion will coincide with a
successful start to the 21st Century
Science Initiative, which the Fund
is supporting.
“Teachers are doing an amazing job,” says Science Department
Chair Christy Lajoie of the huge
undertaking she and her colleagues started in tandem with the
fundraising. “There is so much
positive energy.”
When word came in May 2006
of the $80,000 in challenge grants
Thornton received to help fund the
initiative if the Thornton Fund increased its goal by a like amount,
the Science Department suddenly
was faced with taking a program
that existed on paper and turning
it into reality. They never looked
back.
First, they came to school during the summer to refine goals.
Once school started, they met with
Associate Head Mary Nasse, Director of Instruction Lloyd Hunt, and
the Technology Department staff
to set up protocols for the technology, choose some needed tools
and decide on the methodology
to evaluate the program. Then the
laptops themselves arrived.
Suddenly, everyone in school
was learning about what it meant
to have 270 laptops
operating simultaneously by science students
along with the
existing 400
laptops in
various
other



ine the classroom without them
departments’ and teachers’ hands,
think at first everyone was trying
after, really, just a couple months
125 desktop computers in comto use them more often, because
of sustained operation.
puter labs, and all those used by
they were new. Now it is settling
Both he and beginning scioffice staff. So much enthusiasm
down as we better understand
ence teacher Matt Amoroso cite a
quickly resulted in unforeseen
where they are most effective and
similar example of something they
volume.
where traditional methods still
never expected—the better man“We expected a spike in the
work best.”
network traffic,” says interim
Agreeing that the 21st Century agement of class time.
“I can have a whole array of
Technology Director Ben Nasse ‘93, Initiative is really a giant, threethings to do ready on the course
“but this spike was incredible. The year lab experiment (the implemanagement system and transigood news was that our teachers
mentation time frame laid out in
tion the students smoothly,” says
and students were really embracthe grant), Lajoie said “it is still
ing this technology, but the bad
way too early” to start saying what Hall, explaining that when he directs students to try something on
news was at a usage rate far higher the best and highest uses of the
the laptop he has prepared, he can
than we anticipated.”
laptops will be.
actually spend more time one-onNasse says the level of Inter“But at the end of three years
one with individual students.
net usage, including access of hits
I think you will see some reAmoroso cites something he
Thornton’s online management
ally great things happening,” she
calls “bell work,” noting that a
system, video streaming, and Web
adds. “We are just so grateful that
long-standing hole in efsite access, jumped nearly
“If I can make it [learning] enjoy- fective class time is at the
four-fold—from 14 gigabytes
worth of traffic last May to
able and they can understand how beginning of the class when
the teacher is taking at52.2 gigabytes of traffic last
science concepts explain everyday tendance, accepting sick or
month. Needless to say, the
preplanning quickly became stuff, then maybe they will engage tardy excuses, and so forth.
Now his students are trained
obsolete and everyone on
more [with science].”
to get out their laptops the
campus began experiencing
minute they arrive in class,
delays and crashes. In quick
—Matt Amoroso, and while he fulfills his
order, however, a new server
science teacher administrative requirements,
was acquired and brought
they might watch a video on
online, but still it was a
the safe use of a Bunsen burner,
rough first month for frustration
alumni and parents are willing
for example.
levels.
to support this marvelous underHall, Amoroso, Lajoie and
“The logistics took a while,”
taking. I think ultimately we will
other science teachers note many
Lajoie notes now with an ironic
learn some very important things
different ways they are experilaugh at her understatement. But
to share with other schools that
menting with the laptops—from
the traffic volume was just one of
will make them use laptops more
simulations to graphing, Webcasts,
the logistics where the plans on
effectively—and make Thornton
science games related to such
pape