"For a long time, schools were boxes full of classrooms, and classrooms were boxes full of students. Getting things to happen between those boxes was either impossible or discouraged. At Talcott, we make sure there are connections between all the students and all the classrooms as well as to the larger world outside and the emerging technologies that are changing that world." -- TMSC

The hallmarks of middle school are articulation and integration - and that applies to the subjects taught, as well as to the classes and students. Educators have long known that rote memorization has a limited usefulness - without practice or application of information, you lose half of what you memorize every eight weeks! By connecting subject matter across disciplines, and students across classrooms, you can give students the chance to connect their information to the rest of the world, and see its application. Much of that starts by simple sharing, and Talcott has made sure that students can share their learning on campus and off.

iSight, iChat, I See and I Remember, I Do and I Understand
Starting in 2005, we have added iMac G5 iSight computers, iSight cameras, and an on-site iChat server. Students can now (safely) use on-campus text, voice, and video conferencing, simultaneously sharing documents and collaborating on projects and class work. Select projects also participate in conferences off-campus, most notably the MoonMath project being done with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Students in Sandy Reavill's MoonMath classes are working with NASA scientists and staff, learning to apply mathematics to the study of space exploration. Students can now work together across campus, and soon will be able to share their classrooms with parents and family via the streaming video on the web!

Smart Kids, Smart Staff, Smart Boards
Teachers can "hit the wall" literally when using a traditional blackboard. While they're great for some things, the minute you need to work in 3 dimensions, or see something that moves, you've hit the limits of chalk and slate. This year, TMSC and TMA have the benefit of three SmartBoards - interactive whiteboards that connect to any Mac or Windows computer, and allow the entire class to see materials. These boards solve a host of challenges in today's classroom - including the ability of a teacher to engage an entire class while using the power of the computer, to being able to explore the globe with a wave of the hand using Google Earth, or the heavens with Stellarium and Starry Night. In only a month's time. the teachers are expanding the use of these boards to places we never dreamed. As a link to the iChat story above, SmartBoards work with several types of videoconferencing including iChat - watch for the streaming video archives of our interactive lessons.

iTunes & Podcasting
Not too long ago, sharing your voice with the world involved hundreds of thousands of dollars in radio or TV transmitters, FCC licensing, consultants, commercials, and more. Today, every student and staff member at Talcott has Podcasting - audio and video broadcasts - at their fingertips. As part of GarageBand and iWeb, professional-quality "shows" can be recorded, edited and posted for use in classes and projects. Our foreign language program incorporates the built-in sharing of audio in iTunes, and will be enhanced with custom language lesson podcasts. Watch for our field guides and select audio and video classes from TMSC!