Why Apple?

The process of becoming a 21st century school and developing a new pedagogy is challenging and exciting. Three years ago the leadership of Madison Academy made the decision to join the Apple one-to-one program and invest in our school, our community, and our future.  Trying to record successes and failures has been fulfilling and has increased our awareness of each step of the process. The approach Madison Academy has taken led us in a new direction, and an apparent paradigm shift has begun.  We have learned that higher order thinking skills, creativity, innovation, reflective learning, authentic assessments, and communication skills are essential for today’s student in our ever changing society.

In order to do this we supply our students, teachers, and staff with Macbooks to allow for 24/7 access to learning. The lifelong process of learning has been revitalized. We now have teachers and students who are both working towards becoming digital citizens prepared for tomorrow’s world. Our teachers are redefining who they are as professionals, and the students are searching to find their own identity in an unfamiliar future.

Collaborating with peers in meaningful, real-life projects is a necessary tool for developing 21st century skills. Students are expected to create relevant and meaningful products illustrating the application of content knowledge, demonstrating essential skills, and making a difference within their community.  For this initiative to be effective, the infrastructure must fade into the background.  If it is noticed, something is usually wrong.  Everything must work cohesively to avoid teacher and student frustration.  To meet the technical needs of our program, the administration outsourced our network management.

Professionally our teachers are redefining their pedagogy, collaborating as departments to create 21st century scope and sequences, and documenting their success in portfolios. We are working with our staff individually to determine what teaching style best fits their classroom and creating an environment where the teacher and the student are curators of knowledge. We understand that each class has a different set of goals and projected outcomes so we must focus on a testing solution to meet the needs of teachers, as well as students. The one-to-one laptop ratio allows MA to take full advantage of the Northwest Evaluation Association’s (NWEA) adaptive testing structure. Through the use of NWEA computerized tools, metrics can be assessed with respect to student achievement and growth. Throughout the year each student’s progress is tracked at various levels, individual, grade-level, or department. This allows teachers and administrators to make informed decisions to refine pedagogy, pinpoint learning achievements and deficiencies, and assess the benefit of technology integration at the classroom and individual level.

Madison Academy’s primary objective is to equip the whole student to become a better reflective learner.  Emphasis is less about organizational awards, recognition, or driving performance to achieve qualitative metrics. What matters most is the development of successful students, and citizens, who recognize and accept risks, do not fear failure, and understand how to capitalize on success.