1:1 Technology for Learning

Turning universal and robust technology access into a springboard for dynamic learning and limitless creativity

First recognized as an Apple Distinguished School in 2013, MKA provides dynamic, effective technology tools to support curriculum and instruction, communication, and professional development in ways that promote learning. Through its 1-1 initiative that provides Apple products to the entire community, MKA is committed to equal and ubiquitous access to technology, and students use technology to become more flexible, innovative thinkers and to understand and respect the moral and ethical issues related to their use of technology.

Students and faculty on all three campuses are excited about and engaged in using technology. MKA students and faculty are assigned a Macbook Air in fourth through twelfth grade, and students at the Primary School are issued iPads. These products have identical suites of software, ensuring a common platform for instruction, while Primary School students have access to iPads and a library technology space. Learn more by visiting the History of the 1:1 Learning Initiative.

All campuses have wireless Internet access, all classrooms are equipped with a projector, and all students and faculty can save their work to MKA’s servers. In addition to their laptops, students on all campuses have access to an extensive array of tools and services, such as Technology Centers for Apple Certified support, scientific probes, digital video, and still cameras. MKA provides students at home access to a variety of resources, too, including Moodle, technology tutorials, subscription online learning software, and library databases.

Technology and the Curriculum

Veracross, the web-based course management system used on all three campuses, provides a student-centered, dynamic, interactive learning environment. Veracross allows teachers to gather and organize their course resources for student access and to provide continuity from one class meeting to the next providing a powerful communication and collaboration tool that enable teachers and students to share ideas, provide and respond to feedback, and build knowledge together.

Primary School uses:

Creating short videos, slide show presentations, or e-books that demonstrate student thinking.
Documenting student work using iPad camera, audio, and screencasting apps.
Using Libguides and other online databases to guide and support students through the research process.
Exploring our world and making global connections utilizing iPad apps.
Practicing problem-solving and spelling concepts using iPads in station models.
Working on unit specific enrichment projects that demonstrate understanding of curriculum content.
Recording original songs and exploring music.
Introducing basic keyboarding and coding skills.
Using open-ended iPad apps to create and share work that supports assessment, reflection, and a deeper understanding of content.

Middle School uses:

Creating an iMovie to present a personal narrative or the findings of historical research.
Self-assessing writing by recording a piece, listening, and revising.
Publishing science research results on a web site.
Creating podcasts to self-assess and increase fluency in foreign language.
Composing images that demonstrate comprehension using Photoshop.
Creating animations to explain mathematical concepts.
Collecting data with probe ware.
Using Moodle to discuss ideas with others in forums or chats, to reflect and self-assess with online journals and questionnaires, and to manage assignments with the personal calendar.
Practicing keyboarding skills using MKA’s web-based software.

Upper School uses:

Demonstrating results of scientific research by vodcasting (video casting).
Improving fluency in foreign language by creating and listening to podcasts.
Collecting and annotating oral histories using an iPod.
Analyzing phenomena in physics using computer-generated simulations.
Peer-reviewing research papers in Turnitin.com.
Designing a web site to reach an audience.
Reflecting on learning in a Moodle journal.
Debating a historical or current event in a Moodle forum.
Summarizing and collaborating on the day’s classwork in a Moodle wiki.

1:1 FAQ

Privacy, Policies and Tools

History of the 1:1

Leaving MKA

Apple Distinguished School

MKA is pleased to announce it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2023–2026 program term. MKA was selected for this distinction based on its commitment to continuous innovation in education and using Apple products to create exemplary learning practices.

MKA’s long-established 1:1 Initiative provides all MKA faculty and students in fourth through twelfth grade a Macbook Air, and students at the Primary School are issued iPads, providing equal and ubiquitous access to technology. At MKA, technology is viewed as a tool to acquire knowledge, practice skills, problem-solve, demonstrate and communicate understanding, and explore learning in new and developmentally appropriate ways. Students are challenged to use technology to become more flexible and innovative thinkers and to understand and respect the moral and ethical issues related to their use of technology. Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge celebrated the recognition and said, “Being named an Apple Distinguished School for 2023-2026 is significant because it recognizes the continuous work and effort that MKA educators put forth daily to inspire, imagine, and impact the lives of our students.”

Apple Distinguished Schools are recognized as some of the most innovative in the world. They’re centers of leadership and educational excellence, with a clear vision for how technology-rich environments support learning goals. In Apple Distinguished Schools, forward-thinking leaders and their communities work to inspire, imagine, and impact teaching and learning, and they have documented results of academic accomplishments. Schools all over the world are using iPads and Macs to transform learning. As teachers incorporate technology into their lessons, they empower students to lead, learn, and thrive, to discover new opportunities, and to make their world a better place.

As part of the Apple Distinguished School process, MKA was asked to represent the school’s program in three areas that exemplify our strong and rich use of technology. Within each of these areas, we shared examples that illustrate this commitment. The videos below represent the response to these areas as they relate to the daily experience at MKA.

On the National Stage

MKA has secured a national reputation for excellence in the field of educational technology and is regularly visited by teams of educators from across the country interested in implementing 1:1 laptop programs in their own schools and districts.

MKA was designated the Spotlight School at the 2012 Laptop Institute in Memphis, Tennessee, where members of the faculty and administration led workshops covering professional development on technology integration, using students as Laptop Leaders, financing a laptop program, and using the Evernote application.

At a 2010 Faculty Tech Institute, teachers quickly saw the potential the Evernote app held for providing dynamic assessment and feedback. Members of MKA’s Technology Department and representatives from Evernote met to discuss both how the application could promote learning and how input from the school could help Evernote’s product development. Now Evernote is one of the most widely used applications in the school. It goes beyond allowing quick and easy capture of Internet research materials to enabling an MKA athlete to post notes by phone from the team bus, a Middle School drama student to have an annotated discussion about a character with the teacher, or a young scientist to record, caption, and analyze photos of a science experiment.

Intrigued to see its product in action at its flagship school account, Evernote came to MKA to film classrooms and interview administrators and representatives from the Middle and Upper School Student Laptop Leadership group.

Imagine

Agency, Collaboration, Creativity, and Culture

Inspire

Vision, Leadership, Teaching, and Learning

Impact

Research, Success, Accessibility and Inclusion, and Equity and Diversity