Instead of buying new machines, the district purchased high-quality, recertified laptops, which allowed them to stretch their technology budget much farther. For the teachers that aren’t as tech savvy, they used money left over in their budget (as well as grant money from the state) to hire a technology integrator.
Tim Leister, technology integrator for the district, is responsible for educating teachers on how technology can benefit students’ learning, and teach them techniques for using classroom computers to enhance lesson plans. “The kids feel like they are a big part of what’s happening in the classroom," Leister said. “They are not just taking in information, they are creating it as well. It forces them to be interactive, and really engages them.”
Part of what the district is changing is how students present work. They are encouraged to use Web 2.0 applications such as Google Docs, which allows them to save Power Point and Word documents to an online account instead of saving them to a portal jump drive. Another great green idea! Students can use online applications to share their work with fellow classmates as well as their teachers, and with the aid of new classroom laptops, both students and teaches can be connected to their work at nearly any time.
More and more schools are switching from memorization learning styles to 21st Century Teaching. Laptops are a big part of this process, and they have been proven to enhance history, science, English, and social studies. “In the past, teachers may have had students do a report and present their work to the class,” Leister continues. “It was pretty one-sided. Now, they can put up animation, interactive activities, and learn from one another, rather than the teacher saying, ‘Here’s the packet on invertebrates.’”
ISM has several upcoming Association presentations on 21st Century Learning. For the complete Association calendar click here. We are also offering a 12-week, seven-session e-Course perfect for teachers that are about to switch to block scheduling. This course is designed to incorporate and engage teachers in the 21st Century Teaching culture.
Interested in more 21st Century School information? ISM has recently published a new collection, Special Collection 2010: The 21st Century School.
