The Cushing Academy Laptop Initiative

Philosophy
Cushing Academy recognizes the importance of technology as a teaching and learning tool and the opportunities it presents our students and faculty. To facilitate the use of technology in our students' education, we have chosen to implement the Cushing Laptop Initiative. Every new Cushing student is required to bring a Cushing laptop computer to campus, purchased through the Cushing Academy Laptop Purchasing Program. These laptops will be essential tools in students' academic life at school.

This initiative will provide students with access to all of the academic tools we have developed to ensure their success at Cushing and beyond. These tools include:

• Penguin, the Academy’s intranet where teachers post syllabi, Internet resource links and daily assignments.

• The Fisher-Watkins Library web site, which hosts selected research tools, online databases for student research and tools for using the Internet to the best of their academic advantage.

• The CushNet FirstClass email and bulletin board system, which is used by all members of the community for campus and worldwide communication.

• The CA Server, where students can store their work in their individual folders. These folders are accessible anywhere on our network and are backed up every night.

Students will also enhance their personal growth by developing their communication skills, organizational skills, research skills and writing skills.

The Cushing Laptop Initiative will place students on common ground with the entire faculty, which is committed to each student’s academic and personal growth. Cushing faculty have been using laptops as teaching tools in the classrooms for over five years. While technology is not required in each class every day, it has become an essential teaching component across the curriculum. Our wireless academic network and fully networked campus provide the access and resources for learning, anytime and anywhere.

As a result of the Cushing Laptop Initiative, graduates of Cushing Academy will possess extensive practical experience using the technology tools required in today’s information-rich colleges, universities and workplaces