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Field
Lessons—A look at technology and education
leadership
award winners
By Philip J. Bossert
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Students designing Web pages for local business and
industry. Laptop
computers available to every student—regardless of
their ability
to pay for them. Teachers accessing free home dial-up
Internet service.
Students taking virtual field trips. Parents attending
Cybersuppers
to see firsthand how technology is being used in the
classroom.
These are but a few examples of excellence in education
recognized
by the Ohana Foundation, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to unlocking
the promise of education for all children through
technology.
In search of these models of excellence, hundreds of
school districts
from across the United States were screened as part of the
selection
process for Ohana's Technology and Education Leadership
Awards.
The 12 school districts that stood out as leaders in
technology
in education were honored last year at the National School
Boards
Association's Technology & Learning Conference in Denver,
Colo.
To be eligible for this awards program, school districts
had to
do more than just install some computers. The national
winners integrated
technology into education throughout the total learning
environment—from
curriculum and teacher development to physical
infrastructure and
community support.
Ohana commissioned the Center for Information and
Communication
Sciences, located at Ball State University in Indiana, to
identify
leaders in making technology a successful part of
learning. The
Center asked state departments of education to identify
prospects
for this award. After an initial screening, telephone
interviews
were conducted to better understand how these candidates
incorporated
technology innovation into their organizations.
From this research, three school districts from each state
were
selected as the best in their state—150 in all. Each
of these
schools was recognized last year and awarded certificates.
After
additional evaluation, the list was pared to 50 finalists.
In the
fall of 2000, further review narrowed the field to 12
national finalists.
The study represented a culmination of five year's worth
of research
on the impact of technology on educational excellence. Key
criteria
for judging included the use of various technologies to
enhance
the classroom learning experience and improve educational
outcomes.
Each school district demonstrated the willingness to take
risks
and try new technologies. All of the school districts
recognize
the importance of integrating technology with the
curriculum and
share the philosophy that networking is an important part
of innovation.
By showcasing these pioneering districts, the Ohana
Foundation believes
that other schools will be able to learn from their
experiences.
Anaconda School District
Anaconda, Montana
Number of students: 1,516
Number of teachers: 110
Located in the Rocky Mountains, Anaconda School District
sits eight
miles from the Continental Divide. The community
experienced a drastic
population loss following the closing of its copper
smelter in 1980.
Today, 33 percent of the student body qualify for free or
reduced
lunches.
With high unemployment rates and little job opportunities
in Anaconda,
the school board decided to make a commitment to
technology. The
board knew that students would need technology skills to
be competitive
in the marketplace.
Today, the high school and middle school are connected
with fiber
to share applications, Internet and video conferencing for
instructional
purposes. Each elementary school is connected to the high
school
via a wireless WAN connection. There are seven network
computers
and a TV-VCR and TV-PC connection in every elementary
classroom.
Media centers in the school offer a Cablevision in the
Classroom
program that retrieves educational programming from cable
TV and
feeds into a computer and into print. Every teacher in the
district
has a computer. Five ZapMe computers in the library
provide satellite-based
Internet access.
A curriculum committee regularly evaluates software.
Students are
becoming computer proficient: The average typing speed of
fourth
graders is 50 words per minute. "We incorporate
technology
into the learning," says Kim Buryanek, principal of
Anaconda
Senior High School. "Students are actively engaged in
their
learning process and technology is one of the tools we use
to make
that happen."
Anchorage School District
Anchorage, Alaska
Number of Students: 50,000
Number of Teachers: 3,500
In the past five years, the Anchorage School District has
come a
long way down the technology road. All was not equal
within the
confines of the school district. Some schools had a 3:1
ratio of
students to computers, while other schools had a whopping
450:1
ratio. Today, the district has five students to every one
computer,
with each teacher having a computer as well.
Through a community-supported effort, the Anchorage School
District
progressed from having just a few networked schools to
connecting
every classroom in all 89 schools. Every student and
faculty member
has access to e-mail. All classrooms have Internet access
and are
equipped with TVs and VCRs.
"We felt staff development was a real critical
issue,"
said Sharon Bandle, Coordinator for Instructional
Technology. "The
district made a commitment to hire a full-time person at
each high
school. That person has no student responsibility. Their
full-time
role is to support teachers with the integration of
technology."
The district has partnered with three rural Alaskan
districts to
connect children across the state on literacy projects
that will
foster an appreciation of cultural heritage.
Beaufort County School District
Beaufort, South Carolina
Number of students: 17,000
Number of teachers: 1,200
Beaufort County is located in a mostly rural area of South
Carolina.
Although the county includes the lush resorts of Hilton
Head Island,
it also is home to farmers and fisherman. In fact,
Beaufort County
has some of the wealthiest and some of the poorest
families in the
Southeast.
Beaufort County School District began its efforts as a
national
technology pioneer in 1996. The district began installing
$10 million
in new technology throughout district schools. And it was
intent
on bridging the local digital divide through its
"Learning
With Laptops" program.
The idea behind the program was to provide notebook
computers to
any interested middle school student, regardless of
economic status.
To make this dream a reality, the district created a
non-profit
organization, called the "Schoolbook Foundation"
to subsidize
needy families.
With this assistance, more than half of the county's
students that
come from families who qualify for free and reduced-priced
lunch
programs have received laptop computers. An independent
study indicated
measurable improvements in grades since this program's
inception.
A systematic, multi-phased approach was used to implement
the technology.
"We never had teachers say, 'What do I do with the
computer?'
They knew before we made the investment,'" said Dr.
Steven
Ballowe, deputy superintendent.
Central Columbia School District
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Number of students: 2,150
Number of teachers: 143
The theme for Central Columbia School District is
"making connections."
During the past several years, the school district has
successfully
made connections inside the classroom, outside the
community and
throughout the world.
A wide area network connects the school district to local
universities
and other education organizations for distance learning
opportunities.
The distance learning language lab offers Latin II,
Japanese and
other "fringe" classes. Students go on virtual
field trips
to places such as England, Australia and Florida. Because
these
visits provide live interactions, the learning experience
goes well
beyond watching television programs.
"It really is a global classroom," says Harry
Mathias,
superintendent. Each classroom is equipped with drops for
full video
conferencing. High school students design Web sites for
local business
and industry.
The high school curriculum offers advanced technology
courses, including
graphics, C++ and desktop publishing. All told, there are
12 technology-based
elective courses at the high school level. A Tech Prep
program aligns
high school curriculum with that of institutions of higher
education
for seamless integration.
"Everything we put in place had to be based on how it
helps
students learn and how it helps student achievement,"
says
Mathias. "Otherwise, you can spend a lot of money on
technology
in a hurry."
Says Mathias: "What we have tried to do is look at
what's important
for the students, to get technology in the hands of
students, make
sure teachers are well trained, and make sure we put the
[infrastructure]
in place so that we can expand."
Henry County Public Schools
Collinsville, Virginia
Number of students: 8,800
Number of teachers: 485
Henry County Public Schools, located in a small, rural
community
in Virginia, is focused on eliminating the "digital
divide."
The goal of the school district is to create equality
among students—regardless
of economic situations.
To this end, a "Laptop Initiative" was
introduced to provide
laptop computers for students in grades four, five and 12.
Within
the next few years, each student between grades four and
12 will
have laptop computers to use. "Laptops are issued
just like
a text book," says Janet Copenhaver, director of
technology.
"Students pick up their laptops just like pencil and
paper—they
don't even think about which to use. They are so familiar
with the
technology that it becomes just another tool for
them."
More than 300 wireless iBooks are used by eighth grade
students
each day. Students do not have to plug into any electrical
or networking
components to use the laptops. A distance learning lab at
each high
school allows one teacher to teach at all four high
schools via
digital lines.
In addition, at least one networked computer is located in
each
classroom. In order to make it easier for student to
access homework
assignments, some teachers have created their own home
pages on
the Internet, so students have a place they can check for
homework
assignments and other instruction.
Little Falls Community School District
Little Falls, Minnesota
Number of students: 3,600
Number of teachers: 300
Little Falls Community School District in Minnesota
believes pioneering
spirit, risk taking and bold steps forward will pave the
way in
the use of technology in education. When the personal
computer revolution
occurred in the early 1980s, Little Falls had some of the
first
computer labs in the state. Today, Little Falls has 1,500
computers
located throughout the district's five buildings.
The student to computer ratio is almost 5:1. The
district's goal
of one computer for every three students will soon be
realized.
Some of the recent innovative programs in the Little Falls
Community
School District include the implementation of the Laptop
Initiative.
This initiative, funded by a state grant, provided Apple
eMate laptops
for each of the district's fifth graders. The district
extended
this initiative by purchasing 800 more laptops and
distributing
them to all six through eighth graders in the district.
"We have found that our test scores have increased in
writing,"
says George Maurer, superintendent. "We believe that
the Laptop
Initiative has made a dramatic increase in those test
scores."
Students in the high school Web design class provide local
businesses
with Web sites. In the elementary schools, teachers use
digital
video and computers to produce curriculum-based projects.
Middle
school students produce projects using multimedia in many
curriculum
areas including the Holocaust and world study.
Malvern Special School District
Malvern, Arkansas
Number of students: 2,200
Number of teachers: 184
Malvern Special School District is located in about 40
miles from
Little Rock. Traditionally, Malvern has ranked near the
bottom of
Arkansas schools in terms of expenditure per student. In
1984, however,
the first seeds of technology were sown with the purchase
of 24
computers.
Today, every facet of the Malvern School District
curriculum is
impacted by technology. Kindergarten students use
computers at least
once a week to assist in learning colors, shapes, letters
and numbers.
Grade school students use computer-assisted instruction to
support
individualized learning in reading and math. High school
students
have access to five ZapMe computers that are networked and
linked
to the Internet by satellite.
Every Malvern classroom has at least one multimedia
computer with
Internet connectivity. In the early 1990s, school
officials started
a program called "PRISM"—it stands for
People, Resources
and Imagination in the Studios at Malvern. The PRISM
program is
a project-based way of learning where students are
required to think
creatively in problem-solving situations. For example,
PRISM students
used Global Positioning System to map where the fire
hydrants are
in Malvern. The project resulted in lowering home owners'
insurance
rates, reports Oren Culpepper, director of technology.
Nixa R-II School District
Nixa, Missouri
Number of students: 3,800
Number of teachers: 292
Nixa County, located in the Ozark Mountains, is the
fastest-growing
county in the state. Student population grew from 1,100
students
in 1980 to 3,800 today. The Nixa School District believes
technology
is not a separate curriculum, but an indispensable part of
every
curriculum at every level of instruction.
All elementary school students receive instruction from a
computer
lab teacher every week. "A fourth grade eMints
program—the
classroom of the future—has a computer for every two
students,"
says Terri Crews, director of instructional services.
Through its
technical adoption program, Nixa science teachers receive
a Technical
Teaching Center that includes a power Macintosh, big
screen monitor,
VCR, laser disc player, speakers, camera, printer and
color scanner.
This technology allows students to work on lab assignments
in the
classroom and submit them to the teacher directly from a
PC. A satellite
was installed to receive information about the weather.
A video conferencing system will soon be available. The
school district
also offers specialized instructional technology to
students, including
digital video production software. A computer-aided design
lab also
has state-of-the-art CAD software.
Opelika City Schools Opelika, Alabama Number of students:
4,500
Number of teachers: 314 Located in an industrially based
community
of 25,000 in east Alabama, Opelika City School System has
been recognized
as a leader in the state for integrating technology into
classroom
instruction. "To simply relay information through
lecture and
demonstration may not provide a complete process for
learners of
today and of the future," says Dr. Phillip Raley,
superintendent.
Opelika City Schools made a commitment more than five
years ago
to provide technology in every classroom in the district.
That goal has been realized. Five networked IBM computers
exist
in each elementary classroom. The middle school and high
school
have up to 12 Internet computers in each classroom, with
three Internet
labs at the high school and two at the middle school. All
told,
the district invested more than $5 million in computers,
networking,
software and additional media equipment. In addition, the
district
has purchased about 35 laptop computers that are available
to school
faculty and students. The middle school offers a 26
station technology
exploration lab that includes robotics, electronics, radio
and television,
video editing, weather tracking, bio-medical and wind
tunnel dynamics.
In an effort to involve the Opelika community, an
awareness campaign
was conducted for all parents through open-house programs
and "Cybersuppers."
These Cybersuppers are early evening events that welcome
community
residents into the schools for basic computer training and
to see
first-hand how technology is being used by Opelika
students.
Red Hook Central School District
Red Hook, New York
Number of students: 2,316
Number of teachers: 163
The Red Hook Central School District, located in the
historic Hudson
Valley of New York State, recognized in the early 1990s
that technological
literacy would become as important as the 3 R's. Red
Hook's technology
program—known as Tech 2000—provides voice,
video, data
and distance learning opportunities to all 200 classrooms.
Every classroom is equipped with a large video monitor
connected
to the control room through a series of fiber optic lines.
Teachers
use the media retrieval system to emphasize a particular
point in
a lesson. This comes in the form of 20 to 30-second clips
of information
from any one of a variety of sources—e.g. videotape,
laser
disc, DVD and traditional slides. "Regardless of the
technology
available, nothing replaces a good teacher. The
improvement in instruction
comes by adjusting technique through the use of visual
information,"
said Dr. Edward Zajac, assistant superintendent in Red
Hook.
The Red Hook School District decided to break with
tradition regarding
the use of personal computers in the classroom. In lieu of
providing
five machines in the rear of a classroom, the district
decided to
develop virtual labs of 25 notebook computers on a cart
that had
a wireless connection to the district file servers and
Internet
connection. As long as the notebook computer is within 150
feet
of the receiver on the cart, a student can have access to
the districts'
resources on the network. This provides flexibility for
both teachers
and students. Through the use of this concept, high school
art students
listen to and watch a lecture over the Internet from the
Museum
of Modern Art.
Shoreline School District
Shoreline, Washington
Number of students: 10,000
Number of teachers: 600
Located just north of Seattle, Washington, the Shoreline
School
District has been a recognized leader in educational
technology
since the late 1970s. Over the past 10 years, the school
district
has spent more than $20 million on bringing innovative
technology
into its schools. Every computer in the district has full
connectivity
to district network resources and the Internet.
The school district makes a point of teaching its students
about
the importance of technology in today's world—and how
to make
effective use of it. At the elementary level, students
make routine
use of word processing, Web-based research and multimedia
programs.
Second graders are taught how to make video book reports
on laser
disk instead of having them turn in paper-based projects.
In the intermediate and middle school grades, presentation
software,
Web authoring, digital video production and more
sophisticated desktop
publishing techniques are introduced. In high schools,
these tools
are commonplace with even more specialized technologies
used in
various disciplines. Shoreline's videoconferencing
facility is receiving
increased use. In the spring of 2000, each staff member
received
an iMac DVD computer. This was the third rollout of
teacher computers
since 1987.
Wilson County School District
Wilson, North Carolina
Number of students: 12,000
Number of teachers: 920
Wilson is located in a primarily agricultural county in
the eastern
part of North Carolina. Technology is viewed as a means to
engage
students and to motivate them to learn at Wilson. With
more than
4,000 PCs and 73 servers serving 12,000 students, the
district technology
program is an integral part of the instructional program.
All classrooms
have at least two PCs and a printer. Internet access is
available
in 81 percent of the classrooms in the district.
"I'm most excited about the support we get from all
levels
for our technology program—from teachers, board
members and
parents," says Dr. Lane Mills, assistant
superintendent for
accountability and technology services at Wilson County
Schools.
"Because you can have a lot of equipment, but if you
don't
have support of folks actually doing it, it's not going to
work."
For the past five years, the district has provided free
home dial-up
Internet access for all staff through a cooperative
agreement with
East Carolina University. Specific strategies used to
implement
the integrated technology program include an intensive
staff development
plan, increased technology opportunities for students, a
strong
integration component, a flexible preventative maintenance
program,
and school level technology teams. "We focus on
students first,
everything that we roll out, first question is: How will
this impact
students? If we cannot show a direct link between student
achievement,
it does not go. No matter how popular it is, or how much
the superintendent
or board wants it, it will not go. We do not do it."
And the winner is... To recognize the best
of the
best, the Ohana Foundation commissioned a national panel
of independent
judges to select four school districts from these 12 model
school
districts. While all 12 represent outstanding examples of
21st century
educational technology, four were selected as top winners
of the
first Technology in Education Leadership Awards. They are:
Anaconda
School District, Anaconda, Mont.; Beaufort County School
District,
Beaufort, S.C.; Central Columbia School District,
Bloomsburg, Pa.;
and Wilson County School District, Wilson, N.C.
The top winning school districts each received a $2,500
cash award
from the Ohana Foundation. And all 12 finalists received
an all-expenses
paid trip to Denver and a crystal trophy. The Ohana
Foundation applauds
the efforts of these model schools and encourages other
school districts
to follow their example.
About the Ohana Foundation
Headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Ohana Foundation is
an outspoken
advocate of integrated teaching and learning technologies.
Its mission
is to unlock the opportunities of learning for all
children through
technology. By working with educators, policy makers,
curriculum
publishers and corporate partners, Ohana develops and
promotes new
learning solutions to deliver high-quality educational
experiences.
Copyright © 2001, ISTE (International
Society for Technology in Education).
All rights reserved.
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