Apple tours Mt. Blue

FARMINGTON – A team from Apple Computer was at Mt. Blue High School Tuesday studying how the district uses technology in the classroom.

Accompanied by members of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, the group went from classroom to classroom, reviewing the use of new MacBook computers acquired last year through the state’s 1-and-1 program. From geology students using GPS to plot geological features to a history class dissecting a thesis in a chat room to timed foreign language writing activities, the team saw teachers using some of the outer reaches of educational technology. And they’d like to see more.

“So often the technology is just replacing what was already there,” said MLTI’s Steve Garton, who coordinates educational technology for the organization. “It’s so great to see [teachers and students] moving forward, especially here in Maine.”

The Apple people asked to visit teachers after reading a series of articles written by Heather Ahern Huish, a Spanish language teacher and technology integrator at MBHS. Huish used a series of ongoing activities as examples of how the 1-and-1 program, which provides students with laptops, was working within the district.

In Patricia Millette’s Earth Science class, for example, students spent a day in the field, recording the GPS coordinates of geological formations in New Sharon. That data was taken to Community GIS in Farmington, who plotted out maps of the formations for the students to study. Students could then access the maps on their laptops and use the detailed, bird’s eye views to develop theories regarding the geological history of the region. The technology turns what would be an enormous, potentially-impossible project by hand into a matter of a few minutes to accomplish it.

“It can save time,” said Jim Wells, who works with the MTLI. “Taking care of the nuts and bolts and putting that into a usable format for the class.”

Other teachers used the technology as a way to improve the discussion in the classroom. Teacher Nate Theriault, AP U.S. History, has his students discuss and improve their essays in a chat room before having a verbal discussion. Quietly tapping away, the students and teacher use the chat program to dissect the thesis on their screens, providing a record of suggestions for the student to use. In Lisa Dalrymple’s Spanish class, students pair up for a writing assignment; 100 words in 10 minutes, with the partners taking on alternating sentences.

“We’ve gotten past the meat and potatoes for the most part, the basics of tech integration,” Huish said, as the Apple team watched students rate editorial podcasts. “We’re moving on to more complex issues.”

Department heads met with the Apple and MLTI personnel after the tour, looking ahead at potential future challenges for the school as it undergoes a significant renovation.