Technology has changed the way students interact with everything everyday. From the way we communicate to the way we turn in assignments, it changes the way Mount Michael functions. Here, technology changes how we write, communicate, and most importantly, how we learn.
Teachers, most notably, use technology to teach their material. From writing notes on their tablet with the students to referencing PowerPoints, every teacher uses technology to provide their class with information.
Some teachers strictly teach from PowerPoints to engage students such as Mr. Tom Swanson ‘01 in world history and Holocaust studies.
Swanson uses his tablet to display pictures of historical figures, maps, and places with a few words explaining the content while verbally explaining them more in-depth.
Others only use it to display pictures while they write on their whiteboards, such as Mr. John Roshone ‘99, U.S. history and geography teacher. Roshone uses student-led class discussion to create the notes, adding details periodically, while showing photos that add to the learning environment.
Some teachers create their notes while they are teaching. Mr. Michael Williams, physics and calculus teacher, teaches his class by working out problems on his tablet, so the students can see the complete work and the steps taken to get there. Uniquely, theology teacher Sister Carol Jean Vandenhemel uses class discussion while typing the notes in a premade template similar to an outline.
Some teachers are required to use technology to make their class relevant to today.
Mount Michael’s architecture program uses CAD programs to build their projects as well as design and detail them.
The journalism program uses Adobe products such as InDesign and Photoshop to create the newspaper and graphics, respectively. To make the yearbook, the class uses Walsworth to design and organize the book.
Technology not only helps teachers, but it also helps students access what they need. At Mount Michael, students use Canvas to turn in and submit assignments. Some teachers choose to do a similar technique but with Sycamore, the school’s grading system.
Undoubtedly, Mount Michael would not function as smoothly without technology. It changes how the students communicate with the teachers, check their grades, and take notes. The Mount is dependent on technology to be a successful school.
