EdTech from the Jesuit Perspective

Technology is omnipresent in the lives of our students, and with this, tech's role in our classrooms is a subject of much debate. As a 1-to-1 iPad school, how do we balance our use of devices in class with methods steeped in the Jesuit tradition and define a purpose for technology at Saint Ignatius College Prep that prioritizes student success and is aligned with our mission as a school? While it is not the intention of this site to define that purpose for our school, below you will find resources to help you define that role for yourself in your own classroom. By no means is this a complete resource, but just something to start the conversation. Check back for more updates!

Where does technology fit in at a Jesuit school?: Examining foundational Jesuit documents and the mission of SICP

"Our Way of Proceeding: Standards and Benchmarks for Jesuit Schools in the 21st Century"

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4.9.6: Curriculum and instruction equip students to become proficient and socially responsible users of technology. (p. 19)

4.10.4: The school articulates a robust vision for how digital technologies will enhance student learning and provides faculty with appropriate professional learning opportunities to implement this vision. (p. 20)

"What Makes a Jesuit School Jesuit?"

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From Criterion #7: “The most recent congregations have also called attention to the great progress in technology, communication and information exchange, and the need for a reasoned critical knowledge of the cultural revolution they have brought about. Stress is placed on education in communication in order to foster ‘critical knowledge of the rhetoric of this new culture,...an appreciation of its aesthetic dimension,...[and] the skills required for teamwork and for the effective use of media and information technology’” (General Congregation 34, d. 15, nos. 1-2, 9).

Saint Ignatius College Prep: “Profile of the Graduate at Graduation”

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Under “Open to Growth”: The Grad at Grad...

19. views emerging technology as potentially supportive to personal and professional growth.

Under “Intellectually Competent”: The Grad at Grad...

9. uses technology resources to support collaborative work for learning, problem solving, and communication.

10. uses effectively a variety of media resources to acquire, create and process information.

11. assesses media and content critically, attending, for example, to issues such as credibility of sources, values expressed or promoted, and civility and respect for persons.

Saint Ignatius College Prep: “Profile of an Ignatian Educator”

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The Ignatian educator...

Engages in ongoing development as an educator in light of new research, best practices, and social and cultural changes.

Incorporates into the teaching-learning process the advances in technology, the expanding knowledge of how the brain works and the increasing awareness of students’ health/physical well-being.

Reflection: Evaluating technology's role in the classroom as an Ignatian educator

Clearly, the documents guiding Jesuit education (see citations above) encourage Ignatian educators to teach students how to employ digital technology at the service of our Catholic and Jesuit mission. At the same time, we must do this prudently, without losing sight of the timeless principles that have animated Jesuit education for over four hundred years. Therefore, Ignatian educators should use digital technology as one tool within a larger “toolbox” that includes a variety of proven pedagogical strategies. On the one hand, we must meet students “where they are” by understanding and by working within their digital context; on the other hand, we must challenge them to grow beyond the confines of the virtual worlds they inhabit.

In order to inspire such growth, Jesuit education has sought to form students in the art of eloquentia perfecta since its earliest days (see the Ratio Studiorum of 1599). Deriving heavily from classical Greek rhetoric, EP refers to the art of reading, thinking, writing, and dialogue necessary for students to contribute to the common good as socially responsible citizens. To this end, we challenge students

to read closely,
to think critically,
to write clearly,
to speak eloquently,
to listen empathetically, and
to create imaginatively

as they explore the curriculum under our guidance. Therefore, as we consider the purpose of digital technology in the educational process, we should assess its appropriateness by asking the following questions:

Is this particular use of digital technology (application, activity, etc.) facilitating the students’ efforts

...to read closely?
...to think critically?
...to write clearly?
...to speak eloquently?
...to listen empathetically?
...to create imaginatively?

Fusing these educational objectives with Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s call to form men and women for others, Ignatian educators seek to form young women and men who will use their thinking, writing, and speaking abilities as Christian disciples at the service of God and others. We ought to evaluate the effectiveness of digital technology in the educational experience by the degree to which it serves that fundamental purpose.

Resources for evaluating technology use in your classroom

Critical Evaluation of a Content-Based iPad App - This link will take you to a useful resource that will help you determine the usefullness of any iPad application.

"How to Build a Better Student: Can a 16th-century discipline improve modern scholarship?"

From America: The Jesuit Review - This article is a reflection on eloquentia perfecta, one of the goals of Jesuit education based on the Ratio Studiorum.

The Ratio Studiorum (Plan of Studies) - 1599

This early document outlines the plan of studies for the first Jesuit schools. While lengthy, it is key to evaluating whether technology use furthers our Jesuit mission.

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