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July 1, 2002
Bridging the Technology Gap at Laguna Nueva Elementary School
By Ryan Adams
Like so many others nationwide, Southern California's Laguna Nueva elementary school has suffered its share of budget limitations, resulting in limited computer use for teachers and students. That all changed when a donation from a public/private partnership for education brought modern computer technology to the classrooms. Bridging the technology gap at Laguna Nueva elementary is an inspiring success story for all educators.
Public / Private Partnership for Education
Essentially, a team of private and public sector organizations (Microsoft, UCLA, and California law enforcement agencies) turned a financial drain from criminal activities into a financial gain for the public schools. The Laguna Nueva elementary educational grants were made possible from a software piracy settlement resulting from seizures of criminal counterfeit software enterprises in Los Angeles.
With the funding accounted for, UCLA's School Management Program (SMP), a Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Center, began to change Laguna Nueva elementary by bridging the technology gap with equipment and training. The SMP mission is clear as stated on UCLA's web site: "The SMP works with educators, administrators, and community members to create well-managed schools, to enhance teacher effectiveness, and to improve student learning and achievement through professional development . . . ."
Most notable for teachers, the SMP merges cutting-edge university theory with field-tested classroom practices for primary and secondary school environments. For administration and teachers, the SMP provides training on the implementation and pedagogy of computer technology. For the community, the SMP provides instructional workshops for the students' parents.
Laguna Nueva's Transformation
Laguna Nueva elementary was a poverty stricken, bilingual school with minimal resources and even less computer technology. But that was in the past. Now the supporting evidence UCLA's SMP provides is encouraging. Technological segregation is being eradicated at the nexus between SMP coordinators and Laguna Nueva's faculty and administration. The SMP has injected inspiration into this school and the surrounding community. Testimony from separate administrators, teachers, students and parents speaks in terms of "excitement," "thankfulness," "motivation," "creativity," and so on. The results are profound.
To communicate, calculate and categorize in their future careers, Laguna Nueva's students are now being educated through the use of modern computer technology. Celso Barcena is the proud parent of a Laguna Nueva student. Her appreciation for the technology hints at the far-reaching benefits of ending technological segregation. "It's necessary, as soon as possible, for the kids to learn to use the computer to study, because in tomorrow's jobs those that don't know how to use it will get a lesser job or be out in the street." With the new technology Laguna Nueva students will be better prepared to compete in the job market.
California elementary school teacher Richard Soos underscores the vital occupational importance of Laguna Nueva's integration of modern computer technology: "Scientists use technology in every aspect of their research. A warehouse worker must be able to input data. The UPS delivery person carries around a portable computer as a must-use tool. A store clerk must be able to access a database for many pieces of information in the process of a single transaction-from the price of an item to the current status of the consumer's credit card." The new technology tools that Laguna Nueva students are using in the classroom will give them invaluable experience that will help in the job market.
Parents are hopeful for students' future careers, and faculty at Laguna Nueva are pleased with the present results. Teacher Leticia Ornelas-Carlos comments on the prospect of teaching at Laguna Nueva now that the technology gap is closing. "As a school, it's going to mean that our access to the world and bringing it back to the classroom is going to be a little bit easier. The computer is a tool that will help them enhance, grow, research-keep them learning."
And it is more than academic learning that is taking place. While many students' days were once burdened with the necessity of overcoming language barriers, some now see a light at the end of the tunnel. Many find it easier now that they can use computers in working toward a personal goal. One seventh grader, Francisco Barcena, is filled with elation and creative energy. "Computers make my life easier. I'm very happy about having new computers at school. I'm excited. I want to be an architect, but at the same time I want to be like those people that make cartoons that move. They say that it's involved with a lot of algebra and everything and I'm very good at math." Like most students with access to liberating computer technology, she may find her career choices virtually limitless.
Laguna Nueva's transformation is a success for everyone in the community. With public and private partnerships for education, frustrations over the technology gap may well become a thing of the past. The merging of public/private partnerships is beginning to bridge the technology gap in primary and secondary schools. As seen with Laguna Nueva, introducing modern computer technology into under-achieving elementary schools gets positive results. Teachers, parents and students are motivated and hopeful for the future.
Since the whole of modern business depends on computer technology to succeed, it should be no different for our schools, especially when the ultimate "success" of our schools is measured by how productive our future citizens become. It is a common notion that children are an investment for our country's future. If this is so, then public and private partnerships for education are an investment for our country's future as well. Laguna Nueva elementary school and its surrounding community are inspired by their newfound computer technology-a perspective that is sure to manifest with their students' future achievements.
Email: Ryan Adams
Reference:
Soos, Richard. "Multimedia projects: An Effective use of Technology as a Tool in Elementary Education."
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