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July 26, 2005 - Vol. 6, No. 30
TechLearning News
- A study of technology use in the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools concludes that technology is not helping students learn because teachers and students do not know how to use computers to increase academic achievement. How would your district fare on such a study?
- Missouri is assigning a 10-digit identification number to all of its 900,000 public school students, facilitating tracking of student information. Is your state working on a statewide student identification system?
- Montgomery (AL) Public Schools boasts a student to computer ratio of 4 to 1, though many of the computers are more than three years old. Does your school have an effective computer replacement program in place?
- Juniors and seniors enrolled in Hawaii's Kihei Public Charter's virtual high school come to campus from 12:30 to 3 PM to attend language arts, social studies or science classes and check in with their facilitator about class projects and their required internships. Would this hybrid model work in your district?
Instructional Technology Use Still a Stumbling Block
Despite an investment of more than $30 million, a study of technology use in the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools concludes that technology is not helping students learn. The report found that most teachers, administrators and students lack the skills to use computers to increase academic achievement. Perhaps more telling is the fact that 60% to 75% of teachers do not regularly use technology in their lessons. This reflects a nationwide problem with what is commonly called ýtechnology integration.ý There are many reasons that computers and the internet are not regularly used as part of instruction. Teachers face many competing demands for instructional time and often are not comfortable with the technology. Equipment is too scare or too old to be very useful. Taking students to the computer lab is a hassle. Further, research on the topic is mixed, and national education experts are divided on whether teaching with technology improves student test scores, motivation or attendance. Jefferson County is tackling the problem on several fronts. This summer, 1,000 teachers will be trained on using technology, with an emphasis on practical ways to weave it into lessons. Three hundred middle school math-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers will get laptop computers and projectors, making it easier for them to use technology with the whole class. The district is creating a new web site with links to 5,000 curriculum-related sites, along with dictionaries and other research tools. District officials also will examine how they might make teachers more accountable for meeting state skill standards, such as being able to show they can use a computer to support their lessons.
Source: The Courier-Journal
Number Please?
In what surely is a sign of things to come, Missouri has begun the process of assigning a 10-digit identification number to each of its public school students. The number will stay with the student from preschool through high school, making it easier for districts and the state to track information about individual students. The state expects to have completed the process of assigning numbers to some 900,000 students by January of 2006. The ID numbers will make it easier to keep track of students and their progress, even if they move from district to district and might help with the increasingly thorny issue of counting drop outs. While No Child Left Behind does not require a unique student identifier, using one makes NCLB-required reporting more economical and efficient. For now, participation in the Missouri program is voluntary. The state is ensuring privacy by keeping Social Security numbers hidden and requiring a security clearance for people who operate the system, which cost $600,000, paid for through Federal money. District official expect that the transition will be difficult, but in the end hope to save time and money and gain access to more reliable information.
Source: St. Louis Post Dispatch
Hawaii Students To Experience Hybrid Virtual Schooling
Juniors and seniors enrolled in Hawaii's Kihei Public Charter High School's virtual school program may be able to sleep in, since they aren't required to be on campus until afternoon. From 12:30 to 3 p.m students will attend classes in language arts, social studies or science at the school. They will spend the last hour of each day in the school's computer lab, where a Virtual School facilitator can oversee their required internships, class projects and other school activities. All other work will be done online, placing the responsibility for learning squarely on the shoulders of the school's 53 eleventh and twelfth grade virtual schoolers. Students must register online every school day, and, depending on the course, complete class work at a specified pace. Students enrolled in the Virtual High School each have an individualized learning plan and are also required to complete community-based projects and participate in supervised internships that relate to future career interests. Some of the internships already set up are in marine science, medicine, and technology fields such as video production and Web page design. Students are also encouraged to enroll in Maui Community College's Running Start program, which lets qualified high school students attend college-credit classes while still in high school.
Source: The Maui News
Aging Computers Handicap Montgomery Students
Montgomery (AL) Public Schools boasts a student to computer ratio of 4 to 1. Burt the computers are not evenly distributed, so that Montgomery's Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School has one computer for every three student, while across the street at Brewbaker Junior High School there is one computer for every nine students. The district has spent more than $18 million over the past several years putting the infrastructure in place that allows 100% of the system's classrooms to have Internet access. Montgomery Superintendent Carlinda Purcell is now focusing attention on the large number of aging computers and computer software in place. Two-thirds of the computers in use in Montgomery schools are more than three years old, meaning that they often cannot run new software programs that demand more power and speed. Purcell says she is committed to improving the system's hardware and software so that students have the opportunity to become proficient in basic computer skills. Her 120-day plan, released at the end of June, calls for a district-wide assessment of technology needs. The district will then create a plan to replace aging hardware and software, and develop a variety of professional development activities to improve use of technology by both students and educators, including training for local school technology coordinators to help maintain equipment. Part of the problem, Purcell notes, is that few resources are available to address the need for systematic replacement of old hardware.
Source: Montgomery Advertiser
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