• High School Technology Goals

    Foreign Language Goals

    • Use technology to support the ability of each student to write in the target language
    • Use available resources, local or Web-based, for research, review and practice in the target language
    • Use technology to support each student’s ability to speak the target language

    Students enrolled in Spanish and French classes will continue to create written documents in a variety of formats, incorporating both text and graphics. Research for the projects will involve both print and electronic media. Students will continue to access images from, the Web, use scanners and digital cameras as well as desktop publishing software to produce publications.

    Classes will record, edit, and perform original digital video presentations and slide shows will continue to be created with narration in the target language. Students will continue to create audio files for both practice and for assessment and Internet sites will continue to be used to access current events programming and newspapers, language practice (conjuguemos.com; classzone.com; quia.com) as well as artworks and aspects of the target language’s culture.

    Many teachers will continue to develop grammar and culture lessons using presentation software, allowing students to review class work at any time.

     

    Mathematics Goals

    • Use graphing calculators as problem solving tools; use motion detectors in conjunction with the calculators to explore real world principles
    • Use spreadsheets for problem solving, data analysis, and graphic display
    • Investigate mathematical concepts using appropriate local software or Web sites

    The handheld graphing calculator will continue to be the primary technology tool used in the department. All students in pre-calculus, calculus, statistics, Math 431, Math 433, and essential concepts (Math 441), will continue to be instructed in the use of the calculator to solve problems.

    Students in course I (Math 413) and essential concepts (Math 441) will continue to use spreadsheets to create functions, solve advanced problems, analyze and graph data. Applications such as Geometer’s Sketchpad, WinPlot, ActivStats, and Calculus in Motion as well as Internet sites will provide simulations and opportunities to investigate mathematical concepts.

    All students in honors pre-calculus will study some basic programming, and will write programs to perform intricate calculations, such as Riemann sums. Teachers will continue to make extensive use of MathType, and TI-Interactive, as well as peripherals (scanners, document cameras, interactive whiteboards, etc.) in planning and teaching lessons.

     

    Science Goals

    • Use technology to collect, organize, and analyze data
    • Use simulations to investigate real-world and ideal systems
    • Access information from local and web-based sources
    • Create scientific reports using appropriate applications
    • Create multimedia projects related to science

    The collection of data and the presentation of conclusions are fundamental skills developed in all science classes. A variety of computer-based probes will continue to be used in biology, chemistry and physics classes. In virtually all cases, experimental data will continue to be organized, plotted and analyzed using the program Graphical Analysis.

    Biology classes will continue to use local simulation software to investigate scientific principles.

    Students in physics classes will continue to use Interactive Physics as well as Web-based applets to investigate laws of mechanics, optics, electrodynamics, and nuclear physics.

    Earth science classes will continue to use Geographic Information System software to map regions of the earth showing physical, demographic, and man-made characteristics. The department will also introduce Google Earth as a tool to analyze geological data. Internet resources will continue to be used to analyze real-time data in the study of meteorology and tectonics.

    In the Science Research course, technology is an integral part of the entire curriculum. Students will continue to use technology to mine databases for primary sources of literature, to collect and analyze data amassed during their experiments, and, using programs such as PowerPoint 2007, to present their findings to the larger scientific community.

    Members of the department will be involved in compiling and categorizing a database of online resources.

     

    English Goals 

    • Use appropriate research resources to support student composition
    • Assess Web-based information for reliability
    • Use software to improve writing skills and to create documents with correct format and citation
    • Create a multimedia slide show or digital video for class presentations.

    English classes utilize a wide variety of resources during the research/writing/publishing process. Students will continue to be instructed in methods for verifying the reliability of online information and will be encouraged to use the subscription databases for research. These resources have been used investigating the background and historical context of readings, as well as traditional literary research.

    Students will continue to create documents in a variety of formats (brochures, posters, newspapers) using Photoshop CS3, Adobe InDesign CS3, Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint2007. Students in a senior year elective will continue to write, perform, and edit digital videos.

    The department recently has been using common access folders on the network to archive files and resources and has made extensive use of peripherals to develop and present lessons.

     

    Art Department Goals

    • Use digital still and video cameras for student projects
    • Use peripherals (scanners) to digitize images from film or print
    • Use computer graphics applications
    • Use the Internet to research artists and works of art
    • Showcase student work 

    Digital cameras have been used extensively in Computer Photography, Media Foundation, and by other classes to record student work for future lessons and for student portfolios. All students in the Foundations course will continue to use video cameras and edit video with Adobe Premier Pro.

    The use of graphics applications in Media Foundation, Computer Photography, and Computer Animation will continue to grow and evolve. The use of sophisticated 3D graphics program, such as Cinema 4D, Particle Illusion, Body Studio, and Poser provide opportunities for students to create three dimensional scenes and animated videos.

    Students in AP Art History classes will continue to make extensive use of ARTSTOR, while students in virtually all classes will continue to use the Internet to find specific works, or research an artist, period, or movement. In addition to in-house video displays, the department will continue to showcase student work on Cable Channel 77 for Youth Art Month.

    The department will continue to incorporate the use of technology into the curriculum, from freshman foundation courses to advanced placement courses. In addition, the use of teaching peripherals, like document cameras, is expected to grow in the next three years.

     

    Social Studies Goals

    • Use software and Web-based resources to support student research
    • Use a variety of media (print, multimedia, video) to support presentations
    • Create and edit Web sites when appropriate
    • Use databases, spreadsheets, graphing programs, tax software to input, examine and analyze information
    • Capture and use images from Web sites

    All freshmen will continue to be introduced to the High School network during the course of a research assignment. Students will continue to learn how to login to the HS network, manage files, use the library card catalog, and access subscription databases both in school and from home. The District Acceptable Use Policy will also be reviewed and discussed.

    Students at all grade levels will continue to use print, subscription databases, and Web resources to research both historic and current events. Presentations in a variety of print, multimedia, or video formats will be created in most classes.

    Students in World Studies will continue to use GIS software to investigate resources and areas affected by natural disasters or war. Students in senior level classes will continue to use spreadsheets and other appropriate software to create budgets, tax reports, and stock portfolios. Some members of the department will increase their use of multimedia presentations or Web sites to give their students specialized resource material.