Academy of Information Technology and Engineering
Encyclopedia
The Academy of Information Technology and Engineering (AITE) is a college preparatory, inter-district public magnet high school
based in Stamford, Connecticut
. AITE serves the communities of Stamford
, Darien
, Greenwich
, Norwalk
, New Canaan
, Ridgefield
, Wilton
and Weston
, all of which are located in Connecticut. AITE is engaged in educational reform. It has a laptop initiative that distributes a HP Tablet PC
to every student in the school and utilizes a block schedule with 88-minute periods.
-related courses in addition to the technology-related courses already offered. AITE is currently located on the Rippowam Campus and originally shared a building with Rippowam Middle School before moving into its own building in September 2007.
Each of the building's 40 classrooms is equipped with an expansive audio/visual system, incorporating an LCD projector, document camera, DVD/VHS player, and laptop docking stations to allow students and teachers to quickly interface to the classroom systems.
for use by its students, faculty, staff and administrators
in partnership with eChalk. It allows teachers to post assignments, documents, and links for use by their classes, electronic submission
of assignments, group collaboration functions, and provides an electronic mail account to all users.
tablet PCs to all students, faculty, staff and administrators, in order to provide a better and more convenient resource for school work. The tablets are intended to be used both at home and in school, where they can use the school's wireless information technology infrastructure. The school claims to use a paperless system, allowing students, faculty, staff and administrators to communicate and collaborate through electronic
means, though there are printers in each classroom, and many teachers require students to print out their work, and most of the textbooks are available as e-books.
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
based in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
. AITE serves the communities of Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Darien
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
, Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Norwalk
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
, Ridgefield
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough, is defined by the U.S...
, Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
and Weston
Weston, Connecticut
Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The population was 10,179 at the 2010 census. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City, about to the southwest.Like many towns in...
, all of which are located in Connecticut. AITE is engaged in educational reform. It has a laptop initiative that distributes a HP Tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
to every student in the school and utilizes a block schedule with 88-minute periods.
History
AITE was established in 1999, operating as the Academy of Information Technology (AIT). In 2005, the name of the school was appended and became the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering, in order to reflect the school's emphasis on engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
-related courses in addition to the technology-related courses already offered. AITE is currently located on the Rippowam Campus and originally shared a building with Rippowam Middle School before moving into its own building in September 2007.
Facilities
AITE opened the doors of their futuristic facility in September 2007, welcoming in the Class of 2011 after nearly 3 years of planning and construction. The school was a collaborative effort between architecture firm Fuller and D'Angelo, the engineering firms AltieriSeborWieber and Nachman Engineering, and the school's own architecture and engineering students. Located on the Rippowam campus, the school's 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) facility houses 700 students, including a 350 seat cafeteria, amphitheater, atrium, and fiberglass domed media center. The design is centered around the atrium, a naturally-lit 3 story tall space housing a grand staircase, connecting the school's cafeteria, media center, teacher's lounge, offices, and classrooms. Windowed exterior walls let in sunlight, heating the building in an attempt to reduce heating costs and improve student morale.Each of the building's 40 classrooms is equipped with an expansive audio/visual system, incorporating an LCD projector, document camera, DVD/VHS player, and laptop docking stations to allow students and teachers to quickly interface to the classroom systems.
eChalk
In 2002, AITE introduced a new online content management systemContent management system
A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...
for use by its students, faculty, staff and administrators
Academic administration
An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities...
in partnership with eChalk. It allows teachers to post assignments, documents, and links for use by their classes, electronic submission
Electronic submission
An electronic submission refers to a manuscript submitted by electronic means: that is, via e-mail or a web form on the Internet, or on an electronic medium such as a compact disc, a hard disk or a USB flash drive. Traditionally, a manuscript referred to anything that was explicitly "written by hand"...
of assignments, group collaboration functions, and provides an electronic mail account to all users.
Tablet PC Program
In 2005, AITE launched their Tablet PC initiative. The program aimed to distributeDistribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
tablet PCs to all students, faculty, staff and administrators, in order to provide a better and more convenient resource for school work. The tablets are intended to be used both at home and in school, where they can use the school's wireless information technology infrastructure. The school claims to use a paperless system, allowing students, faculty, staff and administrators to communicate and collaborate through electronic
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
means, though there are printers in each classroom, and many teachers require students to print out their work, and most of the textbooks are available as e-books.