High schools in Nashville Diocese gear up for tech-savvy students

Published: 2004-01-30

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Integrating technology into the curriculum is a priority for faculty at the three Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Nashville. The teachers agree that having access to technology in the classroom is no longer a luxury, but more and more a necessity for learning. On a typical weekday morning at diocesan-run Father Ryan High School in Nashville, a biology class researches genetic disorders for a presentation using the PowerPoint computer program. A freshman English class works on Web-based research skills in a room equipped with videoconferencing capabilities and a large interactive screen connected to a computer. "These connections make it a wonderful way to enhance education," according to Christy Foreman, library technology specialist at Father Ryan. She has helped link students to about 10 different videoconferences this year. The other diocesan high school, Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, opened in the fall of 2002 with state-of-the-art facilities and tech-friendly classrooms. A new addition at Dominican-run St. Cecilia Academy that was completed in 2001 includes a 90-seat lecture hall, equipped with network connections for laptops and a large interactive screen connected to a projector or computer that displays the desktop contents and is used for in-class presentations.

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