Getting Technical: Symposium News

At an educational conference at the University of Denver last April, DA parent, Debbie Campbell, and Director of Education, Philippe Ernewein, both led workshops on the topics of technology and executive function respectively. This crossing of paths led to both of them asking questions of the other and reflecting on DA's current approach to learning technology. Both wanted to know, "How can DA remain at the forefront of technology in education?" The outcome of this confluence was the formation of a community-wide technological research committee devoted to answering that question.  

The committee––spearheaded by Director of IT Anthony Slaughter and DA parent Beth Godzich in addition to Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Ernewein––has been collecting data from DA teachers, students, parents, and other schools around the country for several months. The dialogues they’ve initiated have been so fruitful that they’ve decided to focus the school's biannual symposium on technology and education. In addition to guests from within the DA community, the symposium, scheduled for March 10, 2017, will feature New York Times bestselling authors and representatives from schools around the country.  

“The goal here is to re-examine our educational use of technology going forward,” said Mr. Ernewein. “It’s the healthy and reasonable thing to do for any school that wants to remain on the cutting edge.”  

The technology committee knows that the cutting edge is precisely where any school should want to be. Given the ever-increasing importance of technology in all professional fields, it is clear that one goal of contemporary education should be to equip students with the tools and skills they’ll need to thrive in a technological society.  

One skill students will certainly need is technological flexibility. In a world where students use a multitude of devices that are constantly seeing updates and advancements, the ability to look at a problem and ask, “What kind of technology can help me solve this?  What features am I looking for in a particular app?” is crucial.  

“The idea is to get away from being brand-specific,” said Mr. Slaughter. “The leading software companies today may not necessarily be the leading companies down the line.”

Indeed, the companies of tomorrow will led by innovative engineers and entrepreneurs who were educated in technological classrooms. While DA is already quite committed to technological innovation––the use of web-based, collaborative learning tools and MI course offerings in computer coding are just a couple examples––the technology committee now looks forward to making even more innovative offerings a reality at Denver Academy.  

“But this isn’t about de-emphasizing the importance of literacy, critical thinking, or mathematics,” said Mr. Ernewein. Rather, it’s about asking the question: how can technology best be used to assist in intellectual development? This has proven to be an enormous question for the technological research committee, but one thing is certain: the opportunity to engage in collaborative dialogues with the DA community and the larger educational community has been invaluable.  

“Most schools would not allow parents to engage in a committee to this degree,” said Mrs. Campbell. “It’s part of what makes this school so special.”  

“It’s all about the partnership model,” added Mr. Ernewein. “We’re challenging the constructs of what parents are supposed to do, of what teachers are supposed to do.”