Technology

Buckley is committed to graduating educated, competent users of current technologies including wikis, skyping, inspiration, podcastings, search engines, animations, video simulations and blogging to name a few. Our goal is to make information and technology as readily available as paper and pencil across all disciplines and through grades K-8 and to “move students from passive recipients of information to active creators of knowledge.”

Buckley students use computer technology as a natural tool of the learning process. With our two computer labs and laptop program in the seventh and eighth grades, students and faculty have access to the latest technology available. Each classroom has a SMARTboard and students learn how to use the various technology applications in library technology classes beginning in the first grade. In the seventh and eighth grades, dedicated laptops are available to students whenever and wherever they are needed, as determined by individual teachers. The use of classroom computers and provision of laptops to each student enhances communication and access to information and improves organization skills and means of expression. In addition, focus is placed on the ethical and safe use of technology and the Internet.

The keys to raising student achievement are to provide students with a solid foundation of basic skills and to motivate them to learn. Technology can help by engaging students and igniting their imaginations. It helps teachers stimulate young minds in ways that make a profound and lasting difference.

With technology integration, technology is only an instructional tool used to deliver subject matter in the curriculum already in place in the classroom. It involves students constructing their own learning while using both hardware and software tools, allowing a student-centered approach to learning to occur.

Using technology allows us to further differentiate our curriculum in addition to providing an enriching and engaging learning experience for the students. Technology integration does not come at the cost of creativity. In fact, it is the opposite. With using technology there is more of an emphasis  on creating and performing (kinesthetic), constructing displays (visual learners), and communicating (auditory) etc.

With technology integration, Buckley students acquire many skills including: the ability to inquire, think critically, draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, share knowledge and participate ethically.

Technology literacy affects students’ ability to write better, express themselves more clearly with digital media tools, and understand presented material faster and with greater recall. By giving students access to a broader range of resources and technologies, students can use a variety of media to communicate their ideas more clearly and powerfully.

“The most effective learning environments meld traditional approaches and new approaches to facilitate learning of relevant content while addressing individual needs” (International Society for Technology in Education). Here at Buckley our philosophy emphasizes the use of technologies balanced with the core skills of reading, writing and mathematics.