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Nerinx Hall Technology

   

   
     

National Recognition

     
Nerinx was chosen from hundreds of applicants for special recognition by Apple Computers. Of the 18 schools receiving the award Nerinx is the only one in Missouri. A profile of the school's approach to six key facets for educational technology programs is posted in the Apple Learning Interchange. The profile includes several pages of description as well as a 6-minute video.

   
 
   

Studying With Laptops

   
In the era before computers, students spent so much time on chores associated with schoolwork that little time was left for deeper thinking about the subject matter. Nerinx has adopted a laptop program in part because the students can use them to deepen scholarly pursuits. No student should consider herself done with schoolwork after a slapdash effort that was speeded up by technology. She should move on to study for her classes.....and the laptop can help with that.
   
Some examples for our students:
   
  Grammar-check all writing, including blogs! Consult your writing handbook or an online site, such as The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation to be sure you understand why some of what you wrote was in error.
   
  Spell-check all writing, including blogs! If you do not understand why a word was considered wrong, then visit some of the many websites available to help you improve your spelling. Mindy McAdams' Spelling Tips page is a good start.
   
  For studying algebra start with one equation and the graphing calculator. Change the numbers and study the graph the calculator shows for it. Do this over and over again until you can picture the graph for any equation before having the calculator display it.
   
  Math students should take the online quizzes and self-tests offered online by their textbooks and by the Web Homework program. Both of these sources offer immediate feedback and even give hints and referrals back to examples in the book.
   
  When studying German, French or Spanish at home increase your exposure to hearing native speakers in the language you are trying to learn. Try listening to some of the international radio feeds through iTunes. Or search the World podcasts, particularly Public Broadcasting, News & Politics, and Sports.
Practice speaking the language yourself by using iMovie and the laptop's own microphone. You can practice making your own audio tracks of yourself speaking the language. Listen to them critically for accent and pronunciation. Then record again to better emulate the speech of a native speaker. Do this repeatedly everyday to study your language.
   
  When classes require memorization, you might find it useful to create digital flash cards as a PowerPoint presentation that you can test yourself with all throughout the day.
   
  Being able to ask intelligent questions about a subject is a sure sign that you are thinking. Anytime a question occurs to you, enter it into your own electronic journal that you keep on your desktop. Practice seeking the answer through reading, by researching or during careful listening to the instructor. Every day try to compose an answer to your own question. This is great preparation for essay questions that may appear on the next test.
   
   
 
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Nerinx Computer Clinic

      
   Located in E1
Staffed 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily
      
   Technology Coordinator
   Assistant Technology Coordinator
   Technology Integration Specialist
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Dangers In CyberSpace

      
      
   When we are in familiar territory, we feel safe. The Internet has become so familiar it seems safe. Email, chat, websurfing all feels so private that we tend to ignore warnings about the harm that can come to us if we are unwary, if we are reckless, if we do not pause to really think about the buttons we push and the cyber trail we are leaving in our wakes.
      
   How To Keep Your Child Safe On The Internet
      
   The Educational Cyber PlayGround has posted a valuable article with tips and hotlinks for training kids to be safe on the Internet. Any parent whose children have access to a computer-- whether their own laptops, a home desktop, or a friend's-- should take a look at this posting.
      
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   President Barbara Roche SL

Why Apple Laptops?
An excerpt from the April 2004 letter of announcement


by President Barbara Roche SL,
Principal Jane Kosash
and Assistant Principal Teresa Corley
      
   Dear Nerinx Families,

......After that initial decision (to become an all-laptop school), the next step was to select the specific laptop that would best meet the needs of our students, complement our curriculum, and further our educational goals and philosophy. A selection committee composed of administrators and faculty met with various computer company representatives, visited other laptop schools and their faculty, and gathered input from our faculty and students. After carefully reviewing all information, the committee chose the Apple iBook for our school laptop program.....

There are many excellent reasons for choosing the Apple iBook but perhaps the most compelling is the integrated music, photo, video, and dvd applications that are bundled with the computer. These tools, which are "second nature" to our students, will allow them to communicate their ideas in ways that are exciting to them and will engage them in the learning process. We believe that developing skills in such multimedia communication will be important for them in college and in the world of work. The Apple iBooks also experience significantly fewer virus problems, are easy to learn to use and operate, and possess a robust operating system. In addition, Apple demonstrates a strong commitment and support for computer use in the educational setting.
      
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