Fintelo : Online Solution

Source: eschoolnews.com

By: Laura Devaney

A free online learning program from Microsoft is helping middle and high school students think about careers they might like to pursue and the skills necessary to attain those careers.

CareerForward debuted in Michigan two years ago when the state became the first in the nation to require students to have an online learning experience before they graduate from high school. It was developed through a public-private partnership between the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Virtual University, and Microsoft.

Alabama recently became the second state in the nation to adopt an online-learning requirement for high school graduation, and in May the Alabama Department of Education announced plans to implement CareerForward statewide for the 2009-10 school year. State education officials said they hope the program will make students college- and career-ready and will leave them equipped with the 21st-century skills necessary to compete in a global economy.

The course’s four components address specific aspects of 21st-century careers. The course has students examine their skills and interests as they investigate potential career paths and other aspects to independent living, such as financial management skills. Throughout the course, students are asked frequently to reflect on what they’re learning, to write their thoughts down as a continual refinement of their thinking, and to discuss their thoughts with other students, either in person or online.

Students can work with local educators to access the online course, which takes about four to six weeks to complete. The course is designed to be facilitated by a local teacher and can be used independently or as part of an existing face-to-face course in career planning, business, or global studies.

The Alabama Best Practices Center will receive funding from Microsoft to develop and provide professional development to schools and districts that select CareerForward as part of their curriculum. Michigan Virtual University also will receive support to serve as a consultant to help Alabama deploy CareerForward statewide.

CareerForward focuses on the critical development of a skilled work force, helping young citizens assess their skills and interests, explore global opportunities, and recognize the importance of technology in jobs of the future.

Joe Morton, Alabama’s state superintendent of education, said the program will help Alabama students successfully participate in the global economy.

“CareerForward will help our students see the connection between school and work, and it will strengthen students’ 21st-century skills as it asks them to critically think, reflect, and do online research,” said Tommy Bice, deputy state superintendent of education for instructional services.

Microsoft officials praised Alabama for its online-learning requirement and its attention to 21st-century skills.

“Alabama is taking a necessary step as it adopts more rigorous high school graduation requirements,” said Anthony Salcito, general manager of U.S. public-sector education at Microsoft. “CareerForward meets the state’s criteria for online learning, because students’ career choices are critical to the talent pipeline and future business prosperity in the U.S. When you set a high bar for student expectations, we’ve learned our kids will exceed it–and our schools will adapt to support it.”

“CareerForward will support our district’s goals of helping students explore career choices and develop a plan to get there while building online skills,” said Susan Poling, technology coordinator for Alabama’s Shelby County Schools.

Poling said students will most likely enjoy the program’s interactive budgeting tool, professional interviews, and video clips.

“We want to give all our high school students the opportunity to complete the CareerForward course,” she added.

Source: eschoolnews.com

By: Maya T. Prabhu

Members of an internet safety task force on July 8 suggested several ways to improve cyber safety for children, focusing on three key areas in particular: education before a child gets on the internet, control while the child is online, and having set procedures if problems arise.

The task force, which included representatives from Verizon, Comcast, Cox, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, Symantec, Common Sense Media, the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe), the National Parent-Teacher Association, Family Online Safety Institute, and the Children’s Partnership, met for more than a year to develop its report and recommendations.

The coalition not only identified best practices in the report, titled “PointSmart.ClickSafe: Task Force Recommendations for Best Practices for Online Safety and Literacy,” but also outlined areas where government can help to increase cyber security and safety.

The report states that policy makers should consider expanding online safety efforts to emphasize digital media literacy and education programs for parents and teachers, designating a lead federal agency to work with stakeholders to marshal recourses for cyber safety, adopting a set of national goals, ensuring that the programs are funded through competitive grants, and providing funding for research, assessment, professional and curriculum development, and public awareness campaigns.

“The goal was to discuss prevention up front, but have a plan if bad things happen,” said Tara Lemmey, who was the task force facilitator. “And many of the task force members have agreed to continue working on the issue.”

Some policy makers already are looking to adopt some of the policies outlined in the report. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said she is preparing to introduce the Aware Act, a bill that would set aside $175 million in competitive grants for nonprofits working to improve cyber security.

“As one of few [members of Congress] with small children, I have no higher priority than keeping our children safe from harm–and that includes online,” she said. Schultz has twin 10-year-old children and a five-year-old. “Internet safety is something that parents need to have the tools to discuss with their children. … We need to teach our kids that what they put online stays online, and they can never ever get it back.”

Before children go online, the task force recommends they learn about media literacy and digital citizenship and are taught to think critically about the content consumed and created on the internet.

“Children need to learn how to use technology efficiently, effectively, and ethically so that they can participate fully in social, economic, and civil life in the digital age,” the report states.

“If you don’t have education and don’t have knowledge of how to interact in that space, you’re illiterate,” said Pablo Chavez, managing public policy counsel to Google.

Web sites should provide a clear explanation of how information collected at registration and setup will be used, make safety information available during the  registration process, provide information in the terms and conditions that defines acceptable behavior, and provide notice that violating terms will result in specific consequences, the report states.

In addition, the IT industry should continue to explore age-verification and identity-authentication technologies and should work to develop better safety and security solutions, the report recommends.

While a child is online, the task force concluded, parents and educators should use content-screening technologies, and vendors should include specific information about how to conduct a safe search, how to set filtering options, and an explanation of privacy settings.

When problems arise, web sites should have a procedure in place to handle complaints and provide a reporting mechanism for users to use.

Companies need to “make it easier to report abuse. If they are getting [cyber] bullied and are feeling alone, kids need to recognize that they can report that abuse,” said Marsali Hancock, president of iKeepSafe.

But educating parents, teachers, and students about cyber safety and security is the first priority.

“Cyber security is about parental empowerment. … But it’s a dynamic environment. Twitter was not even a verb 18 months ago,” she said. “There’s a need for more discussion.”

Source: examiner.com

By: Chris Ethen

It’s no secret that online education is growing by leaps and bounds. It truly has something for everyone. For Omaha students, it offers freedom and convenience. For the schools, it offers profit, profit, and more profit. By operating in the virtual world, the school is able to enroll more, and teach less. Many online classes contain 50 students or more, and have only one teacher.

In reality, online education is ultimately a recipe for success. Most online courses are structured so that you must interact with every other student. Usually, you’re asked to read other student’s entries, and post a response. In this way, the students more or less teach each other. Can you imagine trying to interact with every student like this in a classroom? It would be chaotic at best. So, online education can be just as valuable or more than a pure classroom setting.

Before enrolling in an online program in Omaha, there are a few things to figure out. For example, what is the reputation of this online college? Sure it’s expensive and accredited, but is it just a bit too convenient? [No tests, no papers, and minimal attendance rules] Believe it or not, employers throughout the nation are keen to this type of online education. Some resumes get thrown directly into the trash that contain degrees from these schools. This is from personal experience. You’ve got to do some research and ask around.

Also, be aware that some tuition assistance programs may not be compatible with purely online degree programs. The Post 911 GI Bill, for example, has stipulations for online programs. This needs to be incorporated into your research as well.

You also need to know your limitations. If you are good with numbers and enjoy mathematical torture, then take the online calculus program. But, if you are like the other 99 percent of us, take this in a classroom setting, and hope the class is small. Also, be aware of who you take advice from when deciding to take a class online or not. This is also from personal experience. Take accounting online if you already have a reasonable disposition to this type of mental anguish. Yes, accounting contains simple math—plus and minus. This is not the problem with accounting. The problem with accounting is where you put the plus and minus. This may be better served in a one-on-one teacher-student setting. Know yourself.

Some Omaha schools are turning to hybridization. This allows classroom attendance in a traditional setting and online sessions as well. This blended structure could be the best of both worlds. This type of instruction works well with degrees that are computer oriented via hardware or software. It may also be great for degree programs that are intimately collaborative, like engineering, drafting and architecture.

So, keep your options open. Do your research. Know your limitations, and consider blended learning. You will find that online learning has something for everyone.

Source: examiner.com

By: Donielle Prince

Online education is a growing venture, and as a supplement to traditional education, it may not be a bad idea.

Many of these online education options do charge, but at rates less than hiring a personal tutor or advisor. You can find online tutoring at websites like TutorVista. This tutoring experience is entirely online, and offers features such as their Virtual Whiteboard interface. The company believes this format makes the tutoring session more engaging for children. A secure instant message box allows for one-on-one assistance with questions. For the monthly fee, sessions are unlimited.

Many parents can feel overwhelmed by the prospect of adding another appointment for tutoring to already hectic schedules. Even more overwhelm is created from not knowing exactly how to help your children with homework assignments.  Having safe options for online tutoring helps to address your child’s academic needs  in the safety and convenience of your own home.

Online options are available for more than just supplemental educational support. Some students who are struggling with traditional high school and who might otherwise drop-out, are managing to earn their diplomas by attending virtual high schools. And recently, Tamar Lewin of the New York Times reported plans for the first global online university to be offered for free, by Israeli entrepreneur Shai Reshef.

Presently, relying on online high schools or colleges for one’s entire portfolio of educational credentials is probably not the best strategy. These institutions may not have the same accreditation (or the reputation advantages) as mainstream high school and college campuses, facts which could hamper future efforts to attend college or graduate school.
However, these online options may be just the strategy to supplement one’s learning, either to address a learning gap while at the same time attending a traditional  high school or college, or to simply pursue an interest.

As the FY10 budget process unfolds in Congress, ed-tech advocates want funding for a new grant program for pre-service teachers

Source: eschoolnews.com

By: Maya T. Prabhu

Educational technology advocates are hoping that Congress amends the fiscal 2010 budget to include funding for a grant program that focuses on improving new teachers’ abilities to use technology in the classroom.

Lawmakers created the Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners (PTDAL) program last year when they reauthorized the Higher Education Act. The program awards three-year grants to colleges of education to make sure they are equipping pre-service teachers with the skills they’ll need to integrate technology effectively into K-12 classrooms. Congress did not specify a dollar amount in creating the program, however. Instead, it authorized “such sums as necessary.”

Ed tech advocates are pushing for funding of a federal tech-training program for future teachers

The Obama administration’s proposed FY10 budget did not provide any funding for PTDAL. As the budget progresses through Congress, members have the opportunity to propose amendments that include funding for the program. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is requesting that Congress provide $50 million to fund PTDAL.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Heath and Human Services, and Education “did its markup [of the budget] at the end of last week, and it didn’t include funding for the program,” said Hilary Goldmann, director of government affairs for ISTE. “The Senate’s going to work on its [version of the] bill July 28.”

Goldmann said the entire House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on the budget bill July 17, moving the bill to the House floor.

“The program is important so that our cadre of new teachers know how to use modern digital tools in [their teaching] when they enter the classroom on day one, and they don’t need any kind of additional professional development,” she said. “When new teachers are doing their field service or student service, they often don’t have any experience using technology … in the classroom. So this program would provide an opportunity for that.”

She added: “Our new teachers often know how to use technology, but they often don’t know how to use it for teaching and learning.”

The House Appropriations Subcommittee’s markup of the budget would provide $64.7 billion for the U.S. Department of Education “to help ensure that all Americans have the educational opportunity that is our most powerful tool in helping the poor and middle class climb up the economic ladder,” said Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis., subcommittee chair, in prepared remarks.

The subcommittee’s markup included base funding of $545 million for the School Improvement fund, which is $1 billion less than the Obama administration requested, and it kept the base funding for Title I grants to school districts at $14.5 billion. The administration proposed cutting Title I funding by $1.5 billion.

“As a result, the bill does not include several new and unauthorized initiatives that the administration proposed to finance by cutting Title I grants to 14,000 school districts,” Obey said.

The PTDAL program supports pre-service teachers by funding innovative grants to institutions of higher education. The institutions will work with their college or department of education, their school of arts and sciences, at least one state or local education association, and a private or public entity that can contribute to technology-related reforms of teacher preparation programs. Individual grants would not exceed $2 million, and the law mandates a 25-percent matching requirement.

The program serves as a successor to the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) program, a pre-service grant program created during the Clinton administration that received federal appropriations ranging from a high of $125 million in 2001 to a low of $62.1 million in 2003. PT3 provided more than 400 grants to schools of education during its five years of operation, according to ISTE.

PTDAL would “reinvigorate and continue that program with an increased focus on student service years. The last time PT3 got funded was in FY04,” Goldmann said.

Source: usnews.com

By: Jessica Calefati

In the days since President Obama announced plans to invest an unprecedented $12 billion in the nation’s community colleges, he has received praise for training the national spotlight on institutions he says are too frequently “treated like the ugly stepchild of the higher-education system.” But the shimmer of that spotlight already has started to fade, and critics are raising questions about whether the president’s goal to rebuild the economy by helping 5 million more Americans graduate from two-year schools is feasible, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

About 75 percent of the money the president hopes to spend on community colleges will go toward creating grant programs for schools and states to test promising programs, ones that improve student learning, student completion rates, and schools’ abilities to track their students’ academic progress.

Experts say the $2.5 billion Obama hopes to spend revitalizing community colleges’ infrastructure is vital for those schools’ success in the future. Between the academic years that ended in 2002 and 2006, 2.3 million new students enrolled in community college courses, the largest number of new students since the 1960s. During the same period, two thirds of all state community colleges reported deferred maintenance needs, according to a 2007 survey by the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center.

Obama’s proposal constitutes the first major, federally funded community college construction project since the 1960s, when the government doled out $1 billion each year between 1965 and 1970, says Stephen Katsinas, the policy center’s director. “It’s probably not enough; it’s probably nowhere near enough,” he says of the $2.5 billion infrastructure proposal. “But this is the first administration since Lyndon Johnson to see the need.”

Questions have also been raised about the efficacy of Obama’s plans to spend $500 million expanding students’ access to online education. The administration hopes various federal agencies will collaborate to create new online courses, which will be “freely available through one or more community colleges and the Defense Department’s distributed-learning network.” However, it’s unclear how students would gain access to the courses, how they would earn credit for completing a course, and whether the free courses would be competitive alternatives to the many online community college courses already offered.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

By: Gina Kirchweger

Of all the qualities that distinguish humans from other species, how we learn is one of the most significant. In the July 17, 2009 issue of the journal Science, researchers who are at the forefront of neuroscience, psychology, education, and machine learning have synthesized a new science of learning that is already reshaping how we think about learning and creating opportunities to re-imagine the classroom for the 21st century.

“To understand how children learn and improve our educational system, we need to understand what all of these fields can contribute,” explains Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Terrence J. Sejnowski, Ph.D., professor and head of the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and co-director of the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center (TDLC) at the University of California, San Diego, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. “Our brains have evolved to learn and adapt to new environments; if we can create the right environment for a child, magic happens.”

The paper is the first major publication to emerge from a unique collaboration between the TDLC and the University of Washington’s Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center. The TDLC focuses on the study of learning - from neurons to humans and robots - treating the element of time as a crucial component of the learning process. This work complements the psychological research on child development that is the principal focus of the LIFE Center. Both have been funded as part of the NSF’s Science of Learning initiative.

Among the key insights that the authors highlight are three principles to guide the study of human learning across a range of areas and ages: learning is computational - machine learning provides a unique framework to understand the computational skills that infants and young children possess that allow them to infer structured models of their environment; learning is social - a finding that is supported by studies showing that the extent to which children interact with and learn from a robot depends on how social and responsive its behavior is; and learning is supported by brain circuits linking perception and action - human learning is grounded in the incredibly complex brain machinery that supports perception and action and that requires continuous adaptation and plasticity.

As the only species to engage in organized learning such as schools and tutoring, homo sapiens also draw on three uniquely human social skills that are fundamental to how we learn and develop: imitation, which accelerates learning and multiplies learning opportunities; shared attention, which facilitates social learning; and empathy and social emotions, which are critical to understanding human intelligence and appear to be present even in prelinguistic children.

These and other advances in our understanding of learning are now contributing to the development of machines that are themselves capable of learning and, more significantly, of teaching. Already these “social robots,” which interface with humans through dialogue or other forms of communication and behave in ways that humans are comfortable with, are being used on an experimental basis as surrogate teachers, helping preschool-age children master basic skills such as the names of the colors, new vocabulary, and singing simple songs.

“Social interaction is key to everything,” Sejnowski says. “The technology to merge the social with the instructional is out there, but it hasn’t been brought to bear on the classroom to create a personalized, individualized environment for each student.” He foresees a time when these social robots may offer personalized pedagogy tailored to the needs of each child and help track the student’s mastery of curriculum. “By developing a very sophisticated computational model of a child’s mind we can help improve that child’s performance.”

“For this new science to have an impact it is critical that researchers and engineers embed themselves in educational environments for sustained periods of time,” says coauthor Javier Movellan, Ph.D., co-PI of TDLC’s Social Interaction Network and director of the Machine Perception Laboratory at UC San Diego. “The old approach of scientists doing laboratory experiments and telling teachers what to do will simply not work. Scientists and engineers have a great deal to learn from educators and from daily life in the classroom.” Movellan is collaborating with teachers at the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Center to develop social robots that assist teachers and create new learning opportunities for children.

What makes social interaction such a powerful catalyst for learning, how to embody key elements in technology to improve learning, and how to capitalize on social factors to teach children better and foster their innate curiosity remain central questions in the new science of learning.

“Our hope is that applying this new knowledge to learning will enhance educators’ ability to provide a much richer and more interesting intellectual and cultural life for everyone,” Sejnowski says.

Researchers who also contributed to this work include Andrew N. Meltzoff, D.Phil., and Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph.D., co-PI and PI, respectively, of the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center at the University of Washington

Source: www.gosanangelo.com

By: Emily Peters

Brownwood Independent School District Superintendent Reece Blincoe brought his district one page closer last week to his ambitious plan to be a paperless school system in the next five years or so.

The district earned $500,000 with the state’s Vision 2020 Immersion grant that pays for every eighth-grade student to have a laptop as early as January. Blincoe believes that grant probably came through largely because the district already dedicated about $1.2 million to equip all 1,000 high school students with laptops this fall.

On top of that, Blincoe spent his spring and summer lobbying legislatures for a new state law that passed and now gives districts freedom to spend their textbook allotment on technological substitutes like digital texts, software and possibly computers.

“I’m going to try my hardest to get to a point where we’re totally paperless,” Blincoe said. “I think we can do it.”

He acknowledges sometimes paper is better for things like long math problems, but he plans for students complete all tests, assignments and homework on the computer and e-mail them as an attachment to the teacher. The teacher will grade it electronically and send it back.

“That’s where we need to be,” said the 45-year-old superintendent. “There’s never an ounce of paper that switches hands.”

Some other Big Country school districts have struggled to figure out long-term funding to continue their one-to-one laptops and technology programs. Dublin Junior High is discontinuing the program after grant money ran out, and Coleman ISD has talked about needing to tap into the reserve funds to keep it up.

But with the new legislation freeing up funding and potential savings on copy paper, Blincoe said, “Any education system can sustain this kind of program, but you have to get rid of some of the other costs you incur.”

He said his district could save the $30,000 to $40,000 it spends on paper and copy machines each year.

“We bring in paper by the pallet-loads,” he said. “You would not believe the amount of paper a school system goes through.”

And while the state is still working out how to dole out textbook funding, that money could prove invaluable to help districts sustain technology.

Currently, the state approves texts for each subject to be replaced on a cycle about every 10 years.

“Say I have 400 copies of this book coming from the state at an average textbook price of $125 a piece,” Blincoe said. “That’s $50,000. I could say send me a class set of books and put the rest of that money in my account and we’ll have to prove that we spent it on educational materials and technology that fit in with the (state’s grade-level education standards). They are still working out the details.”

Gov. Rick Perry signed HB 4294 despite members of the largely conservative State Board of Education lobbying for a veto, largely over concerns about whether digital content would continue to be controlled by the board. To offset that objection, Perry issued an executive order ensuring the board a role in digital-content review.

“It’s a fabulous bill,” he said. “We had a finance bill and an accountability bill this year, but in 10 years, we’re going to look back and this is going to be the bill that changed education.”

Mark Gabehart, Abilene ISD’s technology chief, said the digital textbooks really only benefit the schools that can afford to give each student a laptop, which are typically in smaller school systems right now. However, the law’s wording might allow larger districts like AISD to use textbook money on things like laptops, he said.

In recent years, approved textbooks have been offered in digital and paper form. That’s how Ballinger High School students have started using some digital textbooks on their personal laptops that the district started furnishing last school year.

Ballinger junior Maggie Hogan said she’s pleased her backpack has been lighter. She admitted she still uses her paper texts sometimes at school, like in Spanish class when it is easier to flip to the back to look up words in the glossary, but she’s pleased more texts will become digital in upcoming years.

“I would definitely like to have all our books on the computer,” she said. “Sometimes it gets tiring looking at a screen all day, but it’s a lot easier and a lot lighter to carry around than three or four books a night.”

And because Ballinger students are turning in tests and homework through the computer, Superintendent Laura Strube said, “Overall, the paper order was less than in previous years.”

She could envision a nearly paperless district, but she believes some special needs students might always work better with a text version.

Still, Blincoe is a believer.

“Maybe this is bold, but I hope in five to 10 years people won’t recognize a classroom,” he said. “I hope they will walk in and say, ‘Man, this is nothing like the classroom I used to be in.’ There may be students on the floor, lying in bean bags with laptops in front of them, but they will be engaged, working with their peers and excited to go to school.”

Source: chronicle.com

.

Source: thejournal.com

By: Denise Harrison

As with many school districts, the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) in Alabama had challenges delivering consistent education to many and varied schools across a large area. Mobile is one of the largest in the country, however, with more than 100 schools across 1,644 square miles, which made it difficult to find an efficient solution.

In 2004, Governor Bob Riley initiated a program called Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS). ACCESS is a distance learning program designed to address those challenges and provide equal opportunities to all students to receive advanced courses whether they live in rural or urban areas.

To accommodate ACCESS, MCPSS incorporated Tandberg video communication systems for distance learning. Alma Bryant High School, a rural high school in Irvington, AL, was selected as one of the pilot sites.

“As teachers stepped forward to accept the challenge of teaching via distance, they became models for interactive video delivery of curriculum.” said Michele D. White, interim technology coordinator for MCPSS. “This was transformational for the school.”

ACCESS allows students to receive instruction that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to get, such as honors courses and, in some cases, even required courses for advanced diplomas. A student may need AP Calculus to graduate, for example, but the course schedule may conflict with other required courses. With ACCESS, the student can fit it into the schedule and obtain the desired advanced diploma.

One of the goals of the governor’s initiative was to have one distance learning lab in every high school in the state by 2010. “All high schools are now full ACCESS sites,” said White, “one year ahead of schedule.”

White said that, in addition to providing distance learning opportunities to high school students, MCPSS set a priority to provide the same opportunities within the district to middle schools. E-rate and local district matching funds were used to purchase eligible middle schools a distance learning lab. The other middle schools received portable distance learning labs through grants made available via the federal Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) program. The elementary schools also have five portable units available for check-out as requested.

All schools–elementary, middle, and high schools–use the video equipment for virtual field trips and connecting classes within the district. The middle schools use distance learning to assist with teacher vacancies and to facilitate the gifted program at remote sites. For gifted students in rural areas, distance learning is particularly valuable, since it opens up opportunities not previously available. With geographical barriers removed, gifted education teachers can now serve those underserved schools. Also, with the short supply of gifted education teachers, distance learning maximizes use of each of those teachers. Distance education also results in cost savings by eliminating the need to hire gifted education teachers for each school in need.

For more general purpose use, the videoconferencing technology helps students who may miss class or need additional assistance. MCPSS can record classes and put them online for students to review, so if a student is absent or didn’t fully understand the lesson, the student can go back and review it. Meanwhile, the teacher can continue on without taking extra time away from the rest of the class to bring that student up to speed.

White said a current priority of the division of information technology is promoting 21st century technology tools for the classroom. The grants written by the department have funded staff development and equipment for teachers who commit to these projects.

“Projects called SmartMath and TEACH21 have been implemented to provide Smart Boards, laptops, document cameras, wireless slates, and response systems to the classes and tremendous staff development to teachers who participate and commit to transforming their way of delivering the curriculum,” she said. The staff development program is so successful, she said, that even teachers who obtained equipment from other sources continue to sign up for the professional development portion of the projects.

Teachers who attend professional development can do so via videoconferencing, which saves travel time. They can travel five minutes to a conferencing site (rather than having the teachers from all 103 sites travel 30 to 40 miles to one designated location). Videoconferencing also helps with logistics, since no one location need worry about parking availability, meeting room seating, or equipment. These sessions are also recorded so they can be accessed later on the Web.

As for the students, White said technology first and foremost helps engage the students. “Students today ‘disconnect’ when they walk into their classrooms,” she said. “We are trying to assist schools with reconnecting the students through great delivery of the curriculum in a way that students feel involved and engaged in their learning.”

The department also said that exposing students to these technologies now helps them understand what they are and how they are used. That gives them a head start when they again encounter these technologies in college or out in the work world.

For now, the department is working with all the schools to integrate those 21st century tools to all children in all classrooms. “The division of information technology saw an opportunity to provide some excitement and energy to the classroom,” said White. “Attendance, participation, and test scores will improve with student engagement in this interactive delivery of the curriculum. Technology is changing how the curriculum is being delivered, not the curriculum itself.”