Dear Trinity Parents,
I am excited to share with you an initiative that has been recently approved by the Trinity Board: The Digital Learning Initiative, or the DLI. In the fall of 2015, Trinity will enhance our digital learning capabilities by increasing the available shared devices in grades TK–5 and supplying each student in grades 6–12 with a tablet or laptop, and investing in Instructional Technology personnel to work with teachers as well as infrastructure enhancements to support these initiatives.
You might think that a classical school would be the last to introduce new tools into the learning environment. Aren’t we “old school” instead of “new school”? The surprising answer is that the classical arts of learning (what a good liberal arts education has always taught) are some of the best ways to master what forward-looking educators call “twenty-first century skills.” Trinity’s great opportunity is to be a “Once and Future School,” one that leverages the new tools and opportunities of the future with the wisdom of the past.
This kind of learning is already happening at Trinity: Upper School Spanish classes blend online curriculum with real-time personal instruction; Middle School history classes engage with primary documents online through the Curriculum Pathways resources developed by SAS; humanities teachers use Google Docs to give feedback to students writing essays and a sophisticated website called Membean for vocabulary study; a Theology class takes on the editing of a Wikipedia article as a demonstration of its understanding; a math teacher coaches students as they practice and then test themselves through Khan Academy. In a video posted on the DLI site, Trinity Middle School history teacher Spencer Dicks explains a lesson that leverages digital content and tools for a learning experience that develops critical thinking and communication.
This kind of learning is already happening at Trinity, but it could happen more. It could happen more smoothly and effectively. And it will happen for our students even more as they move out into college and their professional lives—technology is transforming education at every level. For all these reasons, we are launching the DLI now. The DLI will strengthen learning technologies in the Lower School, and it will establish what is commonly called a one-to-one (1:1) learning environment for our older students—one device for each student.
I am especially pleased that this move will fulfill the school's dedication to equity of access as set out in its Technology Policy. This program will allow every Trinity student access on campus to the same learning opportunities.
We are in the process of raising funds to support this commitment so that we can soften the impact that this move will have on tuition. We will announce the cost to parents as part of our tuition for the 2015–2016 school year. (Parents who are anticipating the purchase of a laptop or tablet for their student over the next year or two might consider waiting on the school's decision and the implementation of this program.)
Trinity is moving thoughtfully and carefully into this initiative. The philosophical, pedagogical, and policy foundations of this decision have been developed over the last several years. (See the recorded presentation I gave at February’s TPO Parent Education “Third Thursday” meeting, available on the DLI site.) In making this decision, the Board considered carefully both the upsides and the downsides of digital initiatives. We understand that concerns such as privacy, inappropriate content, distractedness, hyper-connectedness, and cheating must be addressed by establishing policies, rules, boundaries, and expectations. Our goal is to promote a savvy balance among our students, so that they can learn to use technology effectively without being mastered by it.
I will be holding a Headmaster's Coffee on Wednesday, March 19, at 8:00 a.m. in the Great Room, and I am pleased to be able to provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and share comments about Trinity's DLI at that time. Additionally, part of the DLI will be an ongoing program for parent education. We believe that the best policies and procedures for managing this program will be developed in consultation with Trinity parents, with whom we have a strong partnership.
Thank you for that partnership, and I look forward to working with you as we give students a classical Christian education that prepares our students to serve Christ in their generation.
Sincerely,
Chip Denton
Headmaster
P.S. Click the button below to visit the DLI site and learn more about the DLI!
