Laptop Program

Learning with Laptops

At the start of the 2006-07 school year, every Breck Upper School student received a MacBook laptop computer for school and home use. Breck's laptop program, which began with laptops for students in grades four and twelve in 2005-06, is constantly evolving. As one faculty member puts it, "Computers aren't changing what we teach. But they're definitely changing how we teach."

Upper School advanced science research students have been using iMovie to practice their presentations, which lets them self-critique and make suggestions for improvement.

Experiments with podcasting are ongoing in a number of classes and some extracurricular teams and groups, and a number of teachers are using interactive online quizzes and activities for student test preparation and enrichment. 

Technology is also transforming academic basics in some very important ways. “I think that the ability to post assignments and handouts on line will be especially helpful to students who lose track of assignment sheets," says English teacher and department head Frank Eustis. “They’ll always know how to get the information they need."

Upper School biology teacher Jake Miller, whose curriculum includes occasional group projects, thinks the fact that all his students have laptops and wireless internet access is extremely helpful. "They’ll be able to work together on class prep and projects at times that are convenient for the whole group," he suggests.

The laptops are also helping to increase confidence and the options for students with different learning styles, something that their teachers discovered last year when the current freshmen were in eighth grade. Says eighth-grade history teacher Sarah Flotten, "The laptops have been an amazing tool for students for whom technology is a real strength. Some of them might have been very quiet in class. Now they’re sought after by their classmates for help."

"Some of the interactive applications really let students explore concepts far more deeply than pen and paper will allow," says Upper School instructor Mary Gentry. “I’m excited about the opportunities to really strengthen my students’ understanding of math. And isn’t that what it’s all about?"