The days of debating the need to incorporate technology into the curriculum have long since passed us by. Instead, today we face the issue of managing the process as responsibly as possible, while the tools we use continue to change. The fact is that our students’ adept use of technology is critical for success in college and beyond, and if our students are to be well prepared, we will need to keep our teachers equipped and trained.
The Greenhills Technology Endowment was established by Tom and Connie Kinnear in 2001 to support the school’s technology initiatives, which enhance teaching and learning excellence. In any given year, this can mean hardware, software, training, or curriculum development.
Recently, astronomy and physics teacher Dr. Jim Lupton shared the following example:
New software has enriched our stargazing in Astronomy; we’ll soon drive our telescope with this software. My physics students have worked on an investigation of static and kinetic friction and have been able to discover the physics model of friction rather than have it explained. These software and computer additions have allowed my students to simulate experiments, such as projectile motion, that we do not have the equipment to construct physically in our laboratory. We also now have an orbital simulation program on our laptops to derive Newton’s Law of Gravity. In a nutshell the laptops and software are wonderful and have almost instantly become an integral part of the curriculum.
