OPEN THE BOX
You’ll find an incredible life-long learning tool inside.
The computer boxes have been opened, and the first laptop computers are in use by members of the Class of 2011. The 42 students attending the summer computer class became the first students to explore the one-on-one computing environment that will be part of daily life for Guerin Prep freshmen and sophomores beginning with this school year.
And according to Ben Freville, assistant professor at Dominican University who teaches future teachers how to use technology, the daily life of these students will necessarily be about computers—about the Web—about encountering the world through digital technology.
His advice?
“Students need to be prepared for college, for the workplace, for the future. Information literacy skills are key skills for students today…We have a responsibility to teach student to find information on the Web; we also need to teach them what is reliable information.”
In the process of teaching these skills, Freville says students also learn how to operate the machines; they learn how to navigate various software tools, which leads to a sense of ease for them in college and later on in the workplace.
But more importantly, Freville believes students will also learn cooperation and how to work collaboratively. Eventually, they will learn how to analyze and synthesize information. They will be led to what he calls higher order thinking. They will become problem solvers.
However, the best byproduct of a computer-based education, according to Freville, is that the use of the computer increases interest in learning, it helps motivate students, it creates an engaged classroom.
“The use of the Internet alone opens up the world to students. Imagine sitting in your classroom and actually visiting sites through virtual field trips. The world becomes a much larger place. It is no longer about a teacher talking to you and you taking notes. You’re engaged in learning, in searching out information."
"You’re working with other students. Instead of thinking that the computer isolates people, the computer can connect people; it offers opportunities for collaboration and cooperation with other people.”
Freville hopes this will happen for students at Guerin Prep, and he is playing a role in bringing that about. He has already offered a day-long workshop for Guerin Prep faculty, and he will meet with them once a month throughout the coming year to offer ideas and suggestions about how technology can be incorporated into the classroom.
The advantage of this kind of learning environment for the future, says Freville, is “incredible.”
 Read more: Understand Guerin Prep's goals for our One-to One Computing environment, see the system components and Q&A for Practical Matters.
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