Fortunately, our schools can turn to LPIE for important funding needs. This year LPIE is providing nearly $400,000 to finance learning opportunities for grades TK-12. From supporting each school's computer lab, to providing LCD projectors in classrooms, to offering Acalanes students the opportunity to benefit from the 1:1 model (one computer for each student), LPIE's investments are truly "powering" our schools' technology needs.
Learning in the Digital Age
It's a typical Friday at Happy Valley and Mrs. Benz's second grade class is settling into their morning math routine. Dividing the students into groups, Mrs. Benz lets each choose between several learning stations. At the desktop computers, three boys have chosen a racecar game that requires identifying even numbers at an ever increasing rate. The girls have chosen a game that requires matching base ten number blocks with the corresponding standard form.
"In the lower grades, the computer programs we've chosen encourage the children to approach the work as a game in which they push through the challenges to move to the next level. Because they are so on task, I have the time to teach in small groups or provide one-to-one where needed. And because I set up the learning task on the computer, I know exactly what they are working on and can monitor their progress."
- Amy Benz, Second Grade Teacher, Happy Valley Elementary
Classroom computers provide teachers with an important tool for delivering differentiated educational opportunities - the essential process of providing students with different avenues for learning. By considering varied learning needs, teachers can develop personalized instruction so that all children in the classroom have an opportunity to learn most effectively and at their own pace.
As students advance grades so does their use of technology, moving from simply serving as a learning device to being an important productivity tool. In the upper grades, students use computers regularly to develop and hone essential research skills, to create individual projects and to collaborate and share ideas with fellow students.
This year LPIE provided funding for new laptop carts, allowing students in a class to each have a computer to complete class assignments. In Mr. Moe's 5th grade class students use the laptops to work on a Native American project. For this particular lesson, the class works in groups, with each student in a group responsible for researching and writing a portion of the overall group report. The students use Google Docs, an online word processor, to create and format their individual sections. Google Docs also provides the ability for students to access their work from home; to share work virtually among the group; and for the teacher to provide real-time feedback and check on the students' progress.
"The fifth grade laptop cart has put a laptop in each students' hands. This has allowed us to have all students work simultaneously on writing, editing, and revising their Writer's Workshop pieces without having to use valuable computer lab time."
- Scott Moe, Fifth Grade Teacher, Lafayette Elementary
With the ability to access and utilize online resources, students expand their learning environment. At Stanley, Mrs. Shegoian moves from table to table in the school library offering suggestions and encouragement to her 8th grade history students as they each take on the persona of someone living in Colonial America in the 1750s. With the help of technology, "my students are writing diaries about their person's experiences during the events that led to the Revolutionary War," says Shegoian. "If the students only had textbooks, their characters would be 2D but with the use of technology, they have been able to enter the world in which these people live to create 3D characters that come alive."
Innovation within our Ranks
As an Apple School of Distinction, Acalanes High School is one of 43 schools nationwide recognized by Apple for its innovative use of iPads in the classroom. This year, LPIE provided $100,000 to Acalanes for iPad purchases, as a step towards its goal of one computer for each student (1:1).
"We have been using iPads for the last couple of years and have collected a significant amount of data showing that students are more engaged, are learning skills necessary for college and careers and are learning material at a deeper level."
- Aida Glimme, Acalanes High School Principal
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Before going 1:1 teachers would share carts of iPads, which required precious class time at the beginning and end of class as students got their iPads, set them up and then returned them to the cart for use by the next class. Students needed to erase their work at the end of the period and were not able to work on longer-term projects or continue a project at home. With the 1:1 model, both teacher and student productivity is increased.
The benefits of technology can sometimes be more subtle. For instance, students who are uncomfortable speaking up in class are often more at ease presenting their views online. In Mr. Schottland's history class and Mr. Honda's English class they use iPads to facilitate classroom discussions and increase participation. The sixty students set up their chairs in two concentric circles. The students in the inner circle carry on a verbal discussion while the outer circle contributes digitally with their iPads, allowing all the students to participate in the discussion. At the next session, they will switch, giving each student an opportunity to participate in a different mode.
In 21st century classrooms, teachers are no longer simply the dispenser of information. Ins
tead, they are facilitators, setting goals as well as providing guidelines, resources and intervention when needed.
"Technology allows me to be a 'guide on the side'. Instead of standing and presenting, the students are now active participants in their own learning. Instead of giving answers, I provide the resources and they develop the ability to find the answers themselves."
- Cass Mulholland, Social Studies Teacher Acalanes
This concept can be seen in Mrs. Heaton's 9th and 10th biology classes where students are using iPads to create an e-movie on osmosis. Clustered in groups of four, students gather information - some download images, some collect quotes or snap photos of a white board with hand drawn titles, and others consult with their peers or the teacher for additional resources. Once the information is collected, one student from each group loads the slides onto his/her iPad to edit and assemble at home for presentation during the next day's class.
Students at Acalanes are being empowered in new ways and learning skills that not only advance their knowledge in academic areas, but also prepare them for the world they will soon enter. For instance, online collaboration is not only a tool for sharing ideas, it is a life skill as well. Students tend to take greater pride in their work-product when it is being shared and viewed by their peers.
"We see reverse mentoring every day when students take on leadership in identifying problems and locating resources. Quite often, it is the students themselves that become the resource."
- Karen Findlay, Acalanes Librarian.
Often termed "Digital Citizenship", students learn that their actions online are just as important as their actions offline. Group online collaboration facilitates improved interaction and support among students.
Investing in Advancements
A thoughtful plan of how technology will enhance student learning is critical for successful integration into the classroom. Each school has a dedicated Site Tech Committee comprised of the school librarian, the computer lab instructor and several teacher volunteers who collectively research programs that have proven successful in other schools, identify new applications and opportunities, provide teacher training, evaluate on-site technology needs and help plan for the future.
So what does the future look like for our students? The Lafayette School District's five-year goal is to have one computer or device available for each K-8 student. With textbooks, individualized lessons, work-product and tests all moving online, the schools are working hard to equip our students with the tools to effectively support the way curriculum will eventually be delivered.
At Acalanes, about 500 students are currently participating and benefiting from the 1:1 iPad program. Acalanes' goal is to have an iPad in every student's hands in the next couple of years.
But to accomplish any of this requires money and the financial outlay is more than simply the
cost of the computers themselves. For instance, the true cost of adding computers or iPads to our schools also has to include the cost for IT support, network upgrades, software and apps, and training. The future of our technology advancements is dependent on the ability to procure funds for all these costs, not just the cost of the device itself.
Because all our schools must rely on outside revenue to finance technology advancements, LPIE is a committed partner to supporting both Acalanes and Lafayette School District's technology needs to the greatest of our fundraising abilities now and moving forward.
For more information on each district's technology plans, please visit:
Lafayette School District - http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/techplan
Acalanes High School - http://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/domain/456
