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Posted on Oct 6, 2015

bryanWhat is Milton’s approach to technology?

How do we affirm historical core values as well as relevance, well beyond 2015?

In September 2013, Milton’s board of trustees convened a Technology Advisory Council (TAC) and charged the members with digging into this ever-changing landscape. The Council’s task was to develop a master plan that would guide Milton’s thinking about technology that supports teaching and learning. KublerWirka, a Boston-based consultancy that worked with Milton to develop our Strategic Plan, consulted on this project as well.

The planning process was broad and thorough, methodical yet reasonably crisp. Through conversations that included Milton’s faculty as well as our technology services staff, the TAC considered four foundational questions:

• What principles should inform the use of technology in the educational mission of Milton?

• What are the pathways for technology to support teaching and learning?

• How should these questions connect to curriculum discussions at Milton?

• What are the infrastructure, staffing and support requirements to make pathways dynamic and successful over time?

Understanding the successes and challenges other private and public schools have experienced in a broad array of technology initiatives was particularly helpful to the Council’s effort.

Last January (2015), the Technology Advisory Council presented the board a technology plan that includes the following tenets:

• Create an instructional technologist position and hire one or more teachers to implement this new role (particularly at the Upper School; K–8 has addressed this need). An instructional technologist is a faculty position. The ideal candidate is an experienced educator who understands Milton’s program. This educator seeds and develops a culture that identifies ways in which technology can support and, in certain discrete ways, even transform the teaching and learning process.

• Experiment through well-defined pilot projects. Research is not supportive of a “one size fits all” approach to technology. Evidence is ample of costly “iPads for all” programs where participants did not identify desired outcomes prior to implementation. Milton must define desirable outcomes and execute through pilot approaches; assess those initiatives at meaningful intervals; and be prepared to accept that not all projects will be successful.

• Develop meaningful professional development strategies (for faculty) and ongoing training opportunities (for faculty and students). Establish baseline competencies for all faculty, and create measurable ways for faculty to demonstrate competency in those skills. Be prepared to partner with our faculty and students as they explore possibilities and skills.

• Assess the tools available to faculty and students as well as the underlying computing infrastructure on campus. Define a device strategy for our students (bring what you have, Milton specifies, or Milton provides), and evaluate whether we are equipping our faculty with tools that inspire them to innovate. In terms of infrastructure and technology staff, develop our campus to support broader use of technology in and out of the classroom.

Technology does not replace great teaching, or face-to-face conversations, hallmarks of Milton’s identity. However, today’s Milton graduates are connected and engaged with their world through technology, and they will navigate a future that we cannot foresee. Thoughtful use of technology will deepen the value of a Milton education.

by Bryan Price
Chief Information Officer

Milton Academy Technology Advisory Council

Erick Tseng ’97, Trustee,

Co-Chair Bryan Price, Chief Information Officer,

Co-Chair Trustees

Randall Dunn ’83

Kitty Gordan P ’96

Claire Hughes Johnson ’90

Erika Mobley ’86

Administrators

David Ball ’88, Upper School Principal

Indu Singh, Dean of Teaching and Learning