MKA Gearing Up For Start Of School Year With Shiny New Laptops And Building Upgrades

     Students at Montclair Kimberley Academy will be greeted on September 8, their first day of school, by fully equipped, shiny new 13-inch MacBook Pros. MKA officials say the distribution represents the culmination of years of intensive planning funneled into MKA's 1:1 Laptop Learning Initiative, an effort designed to promote learning through technology.

     With an eye towards educating independent learners in an era of unprecedented change, MKA has resolved, as part of its Strategic Planning process, to equip its students with the technological fluency and digital citizenship necessary to sustain learning, foster leadership, and ensure success, officials said.

     Since 2007, when every faculty member was issued the same laptop equipped with the same software, professional development has focused on helping faculty find ways for students to use and to see technology as a powerful learning tool, they said. 

     MKA implemented a Student Laptop Leadership group, comprised of 5th-12th graders, who played a pivotal role in determining what applications would be made available to students, how best to train students to use their laptops in a safe and responsible manner, and how to support students in trouble-shooting and problem-solving those issues presented by technology.

    "Putting responsibility in the hands of our students was a primary goal," said Director of Educational Technology Jenny Zagariello. "Our students have grown up with technology and tend to be more open to its possibilities than many adults. Harnessing their knowledge has been key to the successful implementation of this program."

     These students will continue to be called on to give a young person's perspective as they evaluate new hardware and software.

      Evernote is just one of many applications that will be provided on the new MKA laptops, which will be made available to students in 4th-12th grades. Already used by more than 3 million people around the world, Evernote will pilot educational uses of its application at MKA.

     "This is a terrific endorsement of the work that we have done leading up to this point," said MKA's Director of Technology William Stites. "In looking at applications, we start with the question 'How can this application best support learning?' so the opportunity to have input into application development is tremendously exciting for our faculty and our students."

     In addition to getting new computers, MKA students also will notice extensive renovations at the Middle School to the Penick Centre, which includes the campus entrance, lobby, and 450-seat auditorium. The renovations are perhaps one of the most visible facility upgrades resulting from Strategic Planning initiatives.

      The auditorium, which not only hosts fine and performing arts productions such as the annual 6th grade musical and 7th grade Shakespeare play — as well as band, chorale, and dance concerts — is also the location for MKA's public Academy Forum lectures.

      Renovations include the addition of state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems as well as seats with tablets and wiring for laptops so that the space also can be utilized as a classroom.

      Furthermore, all three MKA campuses have been painted — most noticeably at Brookside, where the building has been transformed by the use of a brighter color. At the Upper School, the greenhouse is being renovated to accommodate biology classes, the environmental club, and independent research in science.

       "This is a tremendously exciting time for MKA," says Headmaster Thomas W. Nammack. "These renovations are an essential investment in MKA's exceptional programs."