I want to make sure elementary schools get all the equipment, training, etc. provided to the other schools so that our financial impact will be significant. Just a thought. Smile.
I agree with you--we need the equipment and training in order to make this technology initiative successful. The potential is huge for our school and our students, it is just taking time to see it come to fruition.
I feel a little neglected being a 2nd grade teacher. I know the focus is on 5th grade and up but it will be the teachers at the younger grades to help teach our students how to use computers and other digital tools so they are ready when they get to 5th grade. I know my students get excited when we use our school's laptops and you would be surprised at the fact that many of my students have to be taught how to open a laptop, how to log on, and then how to use the touch control mouse on a laptop. Even younger students can learn how to do many of the things we want 5th graders to do. We would just need sturdy laptops or netbooks to withstand the mishaps that can happen in a young classroom.
I agree that the lower grades need to learn how to use computers. I would really like to see a computer lab in our school for the K-3 classrooms. We have not had one for many, many years and many of our students do not know the basic foundational skills on the computer such as keyboarding, using a mouse, or navigation through different sites. I sometimes feel that we have gone backwards. When our school opened, we had a computer lab and a facilitator. Our students had software and programs in which they had to use basic keyboarding skills in order to navigate through the programs. These disappeared for various reasons, funding being number one. Is there a way to bring this back?
I hope the district is moving into this direction and will make laptops available at all grades. We all know that the sooner you start the better students will be at 5th grade
I agree that the younger grades need to be included in this initiative. It would be great to see a classroom cart per grade level that can be rotated between teachers. I also think it should mandatory that students learn keyboarding skills in the elementary level. It is a skill that will only benefit them in the future. Like Mary mentioned, if the students in the younger grades are introduced to the digital tools they will be more prepared when they get to the fifth grade 1:1.
Training for all of our K-5th grade teachers would be great. More people would utulize the roving laptops. Also, if our lab had more working computers, that would help. If all of our teachers feel supported, then we are providing our students with a very strong base so that when they get to 5th grade they know how to use a computer and can focus on the academics it provides.
Training would be wonderful. I think that the potential for immediate and future financial impact for our students are great. Getting our kids introduced to the skills they will need for their furture will set them up and the district for significant financial gains. As elementary teachers become better at implementing the learning that we need to give our students the more financial impact we will have. We do need more training and our schools set up so that programs can run smoothly so we can use them.
Training is important for teachers to use technology tools, and it would be nice to have everything in place so instruction would run smoothly. There has been much improvement made compared to when phase one laptops were first distributed. But there is still need for some programs to be running without problems or delays.
Training in a timely matter, and making sure everything is working properly is key in implementing the technology initiative. We have had vision training and wireless projector training, but in both cases the software was not working properly. We looked at the powerpoint but were unable to actually see how these tools work. Getting the training but not being able to go into the classroom and use this tools the next day or even week is very frustrating.
Mary Ann you bring up a good point. Younger grades should also be part of this technology transition. Even if students aren’t using laptops a desktop could be used to learn the basic functions of computers (computer labs). If the district does decide to go all grade netbooks, there is sure to be both financial and academic gains.
I worry about sustainability in Sunnyside. Teachers need training. Students need computers. Everyone needs an infrastructure to support technology. Project RED states there will be savings but how does Sunnyside make the transition until the savings start to show?
Elementary is all about building the foundation for student success, and it is our job to create technology-literate students for middle and high school. I agree that it is imperative that elementary schools get the same resources and training in order to properly prepare students for the next level.
We really need to make sure that elementary schools are included in all areas of technological upgrading. Until we go 1:1 in K-4 as well, all computer labs need to be maintained in order to give all of our students the "digital advantage."
Jeanne, I couldn't agree with you more! Functioning computer labs with instructors should be an essential step in elementary schools.
ditto
Jeanne is 100% correct about this! We need to have functioning labs, or functioning carts on wheels. And I wish all of our elementary sites could have access to the approach Jeanne uses in her library at Los Ranch to get all students using the Learning.com "Easy Tech" program to provide grade-level specific individualized tech lessons to get them the baseline skills they need to be successful. An earlier post suggested that people would be surprised at how 2nd graders need direct instruction in opening their laptops and logging on - these skills are not "native," but are learned. We accelerate our students' growth and potential with technology exposure at early ages, exposure they are enthusiastic to receive but are not necessarily getting at home.
I agree that elementary schools should not be left out of this initiative. Teachers need training and schools need the necessary upgrades. In the last three years, my elementary school had to dispose of 100+ computers that do not work! This leaves my school with very few "workable" computers. The portable laptops are a joke and sometimes the teacher computers have problems.
Our district needs to communicate to everyone what the vision will be for five years, 10 years down the road, so all our students can benefit from this important initiative. I know this is hard to do without knowing the outcome of the bond election. Maybe this is something they can add to the pamphlets on the bond.
It is definitely hard to think about the "financial impact" of computers and digital media in elementary schools when only one grade is in on the 1-to-1 initiative. That means that teachers and students in the 5 other grades are doing things the "old fashioned way" and we won't be seeing too much in the way of cost savings.
Of course, this is assuming that the network and accessibility is working properly for those 5th grade teachers and students. Until equipment and infrastructure is in shape for the "99.9% uptime" it's hard to get any cost savings at all. Teachers still must have a back-up for their digital lesson and that is usually a paper/pencil activity.
Perhaps once network and accessibility issues are fixed at all sites, we could get several sets of computers on wheels for each school (5 sets per school, one for each grade level besides 5th?). That way we could use these laptops with the other grades without investing in one for each student.
Teachers definitely need professional development on using computers with their teaching, but they need to know that their time spent planning for a great digital lesson will not be wasted because of network downtime or inaccessibility to computers for their students. Though I love technology and would love to work with 1-on-1, it would be hard for me to spend much time and effort learning about technology integration if I don't actually have the equipment or access to it in my classroom.
I agree. Training is critical for all teachers. I'm very thankful to have received so much training already but think our focus should be on implementing the technology with the core that we already have.
I like the idea of a laptop cart for each grade level. Pair that with lessons modeled by our new tech coaches, in which teachers and students are introduced to some meaningful ways of implementation and allowed to explore some of the possibilities. I think this would be a wise use of funding.
I really think that access to technologies for students is a major issue for all non 1:1 students. Even 4:1 is not possible on a regular basis at our school. If equipment was more uniform in the school then perhaps all trainings would be relevant to all. I am also wanting more trainings on specific technologies and many ideas of how to use those effectively and in addressing the state standards.