Redwood City School District and iPads

By Sean Scarpiello

The Redwood City School district has recently invested a lot of money into technology for its students. A large portion of the money has gone towards iPads which are being distributed to all students and teachers. Like many other school districts in America which are also undergoing large changes by incorporating technology into education, the Redwood City School District is making sure it gets the most bang for its buck. In fact, the district is going above and beyond to make these new iPads a daily part of school for its students.

In order to maximize their technological resources, administrators are ensuring that all instructors are knowledgeable in using the iPads. This is important because it is easy for districts to assume that all teachers are up to date with the latest technology. Also, the iPads are being used to their full potential. Teachers are storing assignments on the iPads which make their job easier in case they forget an assignment at home or at school. iPads also enable students to turn in work electronically, reducing the amount of paperwork both teachers and students need to deal with in traditional schooling.

One program available with the new technology in school is called PowerSchool. This program enables parents to track the grades and progress of their children. It is great to utilize this resource because statistically, students whose parents are actively involved in their children’s education do better in school. This also gives the parents the opportunity to know what their children are learning about in school, so they are able to help their children and ask questions about class. Plus, by making it easier for parents to stay involved with their children’s classwork, they can be updated by the teacher and keep the teacher informed of any of their children’s difficulties with the material taught in class.

One other innovative uses of the school district’s new technology are by teaching students after school. Using the Khan Academy education software, students can be assigned certain videos to watch which deal with what is being taught in class. This is a very good idea because students will be able to learn from the comfort of their homes, in a way that is not tedious or boring. All students like to watch movies instead of classwork, so they would be anxious to learn in this new and creative way.

There are currently over 20,000 applications available in the iTunes Store which are designed solely for education, so possibilities are endless. Plus, colleges and universities are beginning to bring technology into their classrooms as well. This allows students to be more prepared for both higher education and the workplace.

Overall, it is a good idea for school districts to introduce their students to technology in schools. Eventually, schools everywhere will incorporate a lot of technology so it is best to start off students while they are young. Also, new software, computer programs, and apps are being released every day, making the process of education easier for teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

Sources:

http://redwoodcity.patch.com/articles/elementary-school-teachers-embrace-technology-others-wait

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/digital-classroom

The FOCUS Program

By Sean Scarpiello

In New York, the Liverpool School District is implementing the FOCUS program for the 2011-2012 school year. The program is being implemented to raise the 81% district graduation rate. The new program will be held in a recently closed elementary in the district and is expected to have approximately 50 students enrolled in the program by the fall. This program is designed to focus on students who have trouble in high school by personalizing classes and giving students more individualized attention. Although the program looks like it will be successful, many parents are skeptical and feel that it is not a prudent investment.

The program has good intentions and will definitely raise the graduation rate. It is important to personalize education for students that struggle, especially in high school. As society attempts to educate more and more people, education is becoming less personal. When students have less individualized attention, many begin to struggle because they have different learning styles, ineffective teachers, or because they need more time to grasp information. As educators find successful methods of educating more people in a shorter time, it is important to remember to keep education personal to some extent.

The FOCUS program however looks as if it will find success only at a high cost. The fact that the district is reopening a school for 50 students is a bit ridiculous. It costs a lot of money to reopen and maintain a school. The original idea to shut down the elementary school in the first place was to save money. Reopening the school for a small group of students is not efficient. When it comes to educating students in a public school, districts try to limit the amount money being spent on each student. My high school spent about $9,500 a year to educate me. This included everything from books to my share of teachers’ salaries. When the FOCUS program is implanted, the majority of students will have a similar amount of money being put towards their education, but there will be 50 students with much larger amounts of money being put towards their education.

In all, the FOCUS program will be good for the students who need it but there are easier and more efficient ways of carrying the program out. The only problem which really seems to upset the district’s taxpayers is that the local elementary school is being reopened. If the FOCUS program could be carried out in the high school, the program would be perfect. This would reduce a lot of the costs that accompany reopening and maintaining a building for a small number of students. Perhaps the administration will recognize this after the first year of implementing this program. The current state of the economy forces school districts to use their money wisely and the best way to make this program cheaper and efficient is to use high school classrooms.

Source:

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/liverpool_prepares_to_launch_f.html