Ursuline Academy

From age three, our students are instructed in how to use computers. The Lower School has a fully equipped computer lab to which students go regularly for classes. Students in grades 5 and 6 have access to computer carts with laptops, and they use these laptops in class to take notes, do research, and write papers.

Each student in the 7th through 12 grade has her own personal laptop, which is used in virtually every element of her particular curriculum. Using our campus-wide wireless network, students use their Dell PC for class notes, check their homework assignments and test grades, communicate with their teachers (who also have their own laptop) and hand in their assignments electronically. Students are able to decide how to find and organize information in a way that best helps them learn, whether by using the word processor to refine their English essay, or by connecting to the Internet to research a chemical reaction during chemistry lab. In foreign language class, they can practice their foreign language skills by communicating with Ursuline students in other countries. But most importantly, our students are able to work at their own pace, be more creative, and integrate the computer into their learning environment at school, at home, or anywhere.

Since the beginning of our laptop program in 1998, students have benefited from increased collaboration, independent learning, increased enthusiasm for schooling, and more engagement in problem solving. For teachers, the program can help individualize instruction for students with a range of needs. Classrooms go beyond the four walls and are open to the world of information.

For more information about our Laptop Program, please e-mail:

Ed Stewart, Director of Technology, at estewart@ursuline.org