Overview
This proposal is for a low income school in a small
PA town. The population is roughly 1,100
students (approximately 600 Pre-K-6 and 500 7-12) of which 75% are considered economically
disadvantaged. The district also has a large English as a Second Language (ESL)
population as well as many transient and limited formal schooling (LFS) students.
I am not familiar with the current technology use and schedule in the high
school, so I will share what I know about the elementary school.
In the elementary school, students 1-6 have computer
class once per week where they use Mac OS X.
Students in grades 2-4 also have weekly access to another computer lab
(Windows) where they use a program to practice math and language skills they
are currently learning in class. Students in 5th & 6th
grade use the same program but instead of going to the lab, they use laptops
(Windows). Each grade level (5th & 6th) each have a
laptop cart that is shared between the 3 sections of each grade. Pre-k and Kindergarten students do not have
any access to technology during school hours, other than the interactive white
boards that are in each classroom.
Many of our kids do not have access to the internet
outside of school, and many of those that do, have no supervision or guidance
as to how to use it to their benefit.
Putting a device into these children’s hands in school, with proper supervision,
will open up a whole new world for them.
Many do not go anywhere… meaning they do not leave this small town or encounter
many people from outside of town. This lack of experience negatively impacts
their learning as they have no background knowledge to relate to. Technology can take these kids to places they
will never go (at least in their childhood), experiences that you and I take
for granted. According to Barseghian
(2008), providing low income kids with devices will empower them as well as
engage them in learning and will help to “bridge the gap” between these
students and their middle/upper class peers.
Device
& Rationale
Considering the financial state of the district, the
acquired devices would have to be the result of a grant. BYOD would probably not be feasible with the economic
status of the students. Even if the
school provided some devices for those who were unable to purchase their own, I
feel the need would be too great and the district would end up having to supply
more devices than not. I do like that
with BYOD, students are using a device that they are familiar with and that
they are able to take it home with them to continue the exploration and
learning process.
I would propose the district explore grant
opportunities for providing each student with an iPad or comparable tablet that
is versatile to be utilized across that curriculum. Benefits
of such tablets include: motivation, interactivity, cooperative learning,
ease of portability, durability, long battery life, and minimal technical
support. Tablets can be easily transported
and handled by students of all ages. Their
convenient size makes them easy to move to the floor for group activities or to
the corner of a room for independent reading or research. Tablets can also be easily carried outside
for an outdoor lesson. The touch screen
is easier to operate for students who have disabilities and the numerous apps can
be customized to benefit ELLs and students with learning disabilities.
Implementation
The teachers should be provided with the device several
months prior to the students. They will
have time to explore the features on their own as well as with the guidance of
the IT specialist. Teachers will be able
to conduct research and collaborate with their grade level partners as to the
best use of the device in their classroom.
When professional development sessions are complete
and teachers’ initial concerns have been addressed, the devices can be given to
the students. To minimize complications,
the roll-out should occur in phases, with 2 to 3 grade levels receiving their
devices at time. This way, IT will be
able to iron out any wrinkles as they arise with each phase, rather than all at
once.
Professional
Development
In order for students to be successful with these devices,
the teachers need to be educated not only on the use of the device, but also
the instructional implications that come along with it. Professional development workshops will be
held during the in-service days prior to the start of the school year. Teachers
will have the opportunity to explore the device with the guidance of the IT specialist
and support from the local IU. Additionally,
follow-up sessions will be held during in-service days throughout the
year. During these times, issues or
concerns can be addressed and successes can be shared.
Possible
Problems
As with anything new, there are going to be issues
when introducing and implement the device.
Students (and teachers) are going to have questions and there are going
to be those who mishandle the device or attempt to use it for unapproved purposes.
Students need to be informed of their responsibilities from day 1 regarding the
device. There also needs to be strict
consequences in place for those that violate the rules. A procedure will be established for
contacting the IT specialist when there is a question or problem.
Hi, Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Limited Formal Schooling students, nor would I have thought that there would be that many LFS students in a school in PA. Interesting!
I have found that the elementary students I teach who have some type of tech device at home only know about playing games or social media, which saddens me. We don't have much technology in our classrooms now, but when we go to the computer lab and use educational links, students usually want me to write them down for them so that they can access them at home. This is why I think that students will need some training on the use of the ipad prior to receiving them.
Do you feel that the students would receive instruction on digital safety prior to receiving their technology at school? Also, would the students be allowed to take them home?
Most of our LFS students are immigrants. We also have a few that move back and forth between here and their native countries throughout the year. Some will leave for a month or so and then return. While they are gone, they often are not enrolled in any formal schooling. I am sure you can imagine the challenges that creates.
DeleteIt would be absolutely necessary to provide digital safety instruction to the students prior to putting a device in their hands. As we learned, even the best filters do not block everything. Considering the student population, students would not be able to take the devices home. This would be unfortunate because they would not be able to take full advantage of the device, however, the risk of a non-returned device is too great and most of our families would not be able to pay to replace it. We have a difficult enough time getting students to return library books and backpacks from the weekend food bag program.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how ownership works in these programs. Do the students own the machines or does the school own them? I see the transiency issue as a potential problem if the school owns the machines and the students suddenly stop attending.
I agree with your assessment that BYOD just does not make sense in light of the high percentage of ED students.
The school would own the devices. Because of the transient population as well as the fact that many of our kids move several times throughout the year (within the district), students would not be allowed to take the devices home. This is unfortunate that they would not have access outside of school, but from experience, I am certain that many of these devices would not be returned.
DeleteKelly - this was an interesting read for me. Although we have some economically disadvantaged kids in my district, most of the population is relatively wealthy. I am also in high school, so the perspective is completely different. I think you covered a lot of the potential problems and chose a really good device. Would students be able to take the devices home? My assumption is that this would just be for school use because of the limited Internet access outside of the school. Do you agree with the comment above that most of the students in your age group are only expose the social media and games? If so I think this program would be of great benefit. Maybe a grant will come your way and this could be a possibility. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Kelly! I also used the "in-service" days to train teachers in my proposal - way to go. Question: did you have teachers "teaching" them or did you plan on hiring professionals outside of the staffed IT people?
ReplyDelete