It may be summer, but the campus of Princeton Day School is in constant motion with significant renovations and upgrades currently taking place in many of the Middle School classrooms and library.
On the technology front, PDS Chief Information Officer Jon Ostendorf states that integrated audio/visual systems with interactive projectors will be installed in the Middle School classrooms and library. These projectors will display onto a standard whiteboard, but allow teachers and students to interact with the board so they can use it as a digital whiteboard. It is similar to a Smart Board, but the intelligence is in the projector so no special board is required.
In some Middle School classrooms, the walls will be painted with a special type of paint called IdeaPaint, which will allow students and teachers to write directly on the wall using standard dry erase markers. This “new-old” technology will take the place of whiteboards.
In addition, in one section of the library, there are plans to create a maker space, which will include a 3D printer, access to a 3D scanner, and other items for creation (including “low-tech” items such as glitter and glue). There are also plans to have some areas in the library painted with IdeaPaint. There is currently a wall in the Upper School Library with IdeaPaint, which has proved very popular with students.
These physical and technological upgrades reflect a general refresh of the Middle School, with similar upgrades planned for the rest of the school in the coming years.
