Technology

The instructional technology utilized at TJS covers a wide range of modalities, including, but not limited to:

• Digital textbooks and notebooks
• Magnification software
• Speech-to-text software
• Text-to-speech software
• Touchscreen tablets/iPads and/or laptops
• Webbing, brainstorming, and editing tools
• Word prediction software

Speech-to-text software is helpful for our students who struggle with dyslexia or dysgraphia, as it enables them to get their ideas written down with less worry about the spelling or legibility of their written work.

Programs like OneNote can help students better formulate, organize, and recognize their thoughts, as well as edit their work independently.

Text-to-speech software can help students increase their reading fluency and comprehension, as well as listen to their own written work to identify any mistakes they have made or ideas they may have left out.

Touch screens, keyboards, and digital pens can help students navigate the digital world quickly, easily, and, at times, more efficiently than through hands-on means.

Instructional technology is introduced to all students beginning in the third or fourth grade through direct instruction of the class teacher and our Instructional Technologist.

Students who may need instructional technology at the younger grades (i.e., read-aloud worksheets) can also receive these services as needed.

iPads are introduced in our kindergarten through third grade classes, while students in the fourth grade and up have access to laptops in addition to the iPads.

Keyboarding/typing is introduced in the upper elementary grades (third through fifth) to ease the transition from handwritten work to published documents. For students requiring additional support, instructional technologies are available.

Students also engage in a myriad of online curricula that encourages further individualization of materials within the educational environment of the classroom. While teachers are able to customize the use of online curricula to meet the needs of the kids in each of their classes on a year-to-year basis, there are some universal websites that most of our teachers utilize.

Other Programs the Lower School Uses Include:
Bookshare	Microsoft Office 365 (Edge, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, & Teams)
Boom Cards	Mystery Science Mystery Doug
Brainingcamp	Nearpod
Discovery Education	Prodigy Game
Epic!	Quizizz
Flipgrid	Raz-Kids
Flocabulary	Reflex and Frax Math
IXL	Seesaw
Kahoot	Tumblebooks
Learning Ally	Typing Club (Grades 3-5)
Learning A-Z	WordQ

 

Students in our Middle School program, sixth through eighth grade, are given touch screen tablets/laptop devices to use at school and at home.

These devices come pre-loaded with our Microsoft Office 365 suite of programs that allow for seamless collaboration between students, their peers, and teachers.

Beginning in fifth grade, there is a push for students to prepare for their Middle School education by using OneNote to manage digital workload and communication. OneNote functions as a digital binder that holds all the students' work and is accessible by students and teachers in real-time.