Bus Tour of 1:1 Computing Schools
On Friday, October 19th, Gina Pinch (Director of Technology) and I attended a bus tour of schools who have integrated 1:1 computing initiatives in Tucson, organized by AzTEA (Arizona Technology in Education Alliance). The tour included a number of Arizona K-12 administrators and related stakeholders, representing a statewide body of interest.
We toured Brichta Elementary in the Tucson Union School District and Empire High School in the Vail District.
This was an amazing opportunity to see 1:1 in action! Interestingly, like most things related to technology in the classroom, it is not the technology that is the transformative feature. What calls out is that the Superintendent's, Principal's and Teacher's had (have) a cohesive vision and focus. That focus is less to 'put technology into the hands of their students as it is to 'put 21st Century Tools into the hands of their students, preparing them for the real-world global workplace'.
They continue to reflect on their actions and the results. There were some other things that really made a strong impression upon me:
- School and Class size - The day of mega-campuses is waning! Vail has opted to design a smaller High School that supports the vision, focus, purpose of that campus. While the population was originally leaning toward students-at-risk and Special Needs students, these students have excelled in this very collaborative environment and the school now attracts parents and students who appreciate this sort of learner-centered environment. Vail boasts 2 other High Schools, so they are in a position to service different types of learners with a high degree of equity. They believe it is their mission as educators, to design the programs and buildings according to the needs of the students
- Teachers - Some teachers here clearly are master teachers and the others are well on the path to becoming so, they have migrated to these environments, or been successful in these environments because of their teaching abilities. Excellent technology merely helps them to reflect that to a higher degree, upon their students. They are highly engaged in learning and in the mission of their school's. It is acknowledged, by administration and teachers alike, that not all students or teachers excel in this environment, but that is true of any population. When the Principal at Brichta was asked if they 'screen' for technology skills during teacher recruitment, she said no, the questions and prompts in the interview will tell the story (example: how do you...) Interviewers are purposefully 'looking for' some technology supported response and often enough - an electronic portfolio.
- Physical Buildings - While Brichta is an older elementary school building in the heart of a residential area, smaller class sizes and highly motivated instructors are clearly supporting their focus. At Empire (only 4 years old) vast green areas and windows, open floor plans are welcoming and research now shows that windows and green areas improve student engagement and scores. Wisely, Empire has ramada's with Solar Panels, to help offset the electric bill. In Arizona, it makes sense that any new construction should incorporate solar where they can. Window areas are designed to not be south and west (hot) facing. There is significant deep shade in the student pathways between classes.
- Textbooks and Lockers - Empire does not possess any textbooks, nor do they purchase on-line texts (CD, on-line programs...), they rely on creativity, ingenuity, real-world text (library and internet and other relevant resources). They estimate that the district has saved $500 per student (offset between laptop purchases and textbook adoptions).
- The Dog Ate My Homework - At both schools teachers and administrators agreed that on-line delivery of appropriate content (most content, except art & drama) eliminated the excuses - I didn't know what the work was (It's posted on-line), the dog ate my homework (the dog did not eat your laptop). In fact, I heard an amazing comment from the Principal at Empire HS - Laptop failure is no excuse for not getting work done on time - students are expected to backup to flash drives and be aware of alternate electronic resources (home, library..). Students submit most work electronically through a program that scans for plagiarism.
In the shift to 1:1 computing, the real change happens in student-centered learning and student-responsibility. In the end, isn't that what we all want for our children and our students!
POSTED BY Amy Chayefsky AT 10/22/2007 12:59 PM
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