Technology and Facility
Technology
From our inception, DSST has focused on providing students a strong liberal arts education and 21st century skills for students to successfully compete in an information-rich, global work place. The DSST is the first public high school in Colorado where every student uses a wireless networked laptop. This eliminates the "digital divide" and enables students to be able to operate at a very high technology level, both at school and at home.
DSST uses technology, via laptops, on a daily basis for virtually every facet of our school's work. We view technology not as a subject to be learned, as much as a tool in the educational and administrative processes. Technology drives DSST’s intense focus on student achievement data and providing real-time solutions to daily individual student learning needs. Technology also drives important operational efficiencies for the organization.
DSST is one of the nation’s leaders in developing an effective one-to-one education program in a public high school. A recent national study conducted by Dr. Andrew Zucker, a leading one-to-one computing program expert, concluded: “The school has a compelling vision of how laptops can contribute to students’ and teachers’ work.
Facility
DSST’s building was designed to be a “building as a lab” and has served as a living laboratory for our students, national school reform efforts, and school design and construction initiatives, and green building efforts In 2006, DSST received a “Great Schools by Design” award from the American Architectural Foundation which exemplifies how our physical environment enhances our academic commitment to learning and student achievement. For further information on DSST’s building and awards, see the DSST section on Designshare.com. It also won the “Gold Hat” 2005 Outstanding Design Build project in Colorado. The Morgridge Middle School building is the first LEED certified Denver Public School building.
The school design has served an exemplar in several ways:
- Using the building as a lab to teach students about engineering, math, green building and construction.
- Creating dynamic learning environments that support and enhance school culture and student achievement.
- Creating a space that successfully supports a wireless laptop infrastructure in a variety of interesting learning spaces. Outdoor courtyards, flexible classrooms, pods and more allow teachers and students to take full advantage of the freedom that wireless technology offers.
- Demonstrating cost and energy efficient school design and construction approaches that ultimately save resources.