What’s the status of the district 1:1 study team?

This past winter, our school board asked the district to establish a 1:1 study team to investigate the idea of providing a mobile technology devices (laptop or tablet) to students.

Full details of our 1:1 study team are available at:  https://wdmtech.wordpress.com/11-study/

What’s the status of the district 1:1 study team?
The study team has been asked to present to the school board during a workshop session, which will take place on Monday, May 13th at Walnut Creek Campus in the media center from 5:15pm to 6:30pm.   Presenting for the study team will be Kevin Neal, VHS social studies teacher; Scott Brown, Crossroads Park 6th grade teacher; and Brian Abeling, Director of Technology.

What is the study team making for a recommendation?
The study team is NOT making any recommendations related to implementing 1:1, as we were not asked to make a recommendation as to whether the district proceeds with 1:1.  Instead, we were asked to investigate the following questions…

1. Why are other schools doing 1:1?

2. What are the benefits?

3. What are the concerns?

4. How will this change teaching & learning?

5. What is the interest level from students, parents, and staff?

6. Information and factors related to cost.

What about the device?  Is the group recommending a device, like the iPad or laptop?
The study team was not asked to recommend a device – and will not be doing so, it would not be appropriate.  Our district has NOT determined if we will pursue 1:1, so there is no need to recommend a device, grade level/content areas, or any thing related to roll out details or time frames.

Within the last month, there was an online survey about 1:1 –  was that a vote for whether we  go 1:1?  
The survey that was sent to parents, students, and staff was used to help answer question #5) What is the level of interest students, parents, and staff?    The survey was NOT a vote for whether we will do 1:1, instead, it was used to measure current interest in the topic.

So where are the results from the 1:1 surveys?
After the board workshop, we will post online (on this blog) the full results of the survey, including all written responses from staff, students, and parents.

Has the study team finished their school visits?
Yes, our school visits have been completed. Members were invited to visit…

Council Bluff Schools

Waverly-Shell Rock Schools

Johnston High School

Cedar Rapids Prairie

Bettendorf High School

Digi-Tools class presents online through Flat Classroom Project

The Digi-Tools class is taught by Sarah Bird.

Valley High School Digi-Tools students have been participating in The Flat Classroom Project. The Flat Classroom Project is a global collaboration project based on Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, that joined students together from around the globe. Students used a variety of Web 2.0 tools to communicate, research, evaluate, and create. Other schools that participated in our project were from Illinois, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Ohio, California, Colorado, Canada, Mexico, India, and Australia.

The purpose of the project is for students to experience the flattening of walls within the classroom. U.S. businesses no longer work in isolation, but rely on global partners just as our students experienced during this project. Students researched ideas discussed within Friedman’s book, collaboratively wrote a summary on a wiki page, and created a video that included an outsourced segment from a student in another classroom.

In true Digi-Tools fashion, the culmination of this project will take place online. Please join us on Monday, May 13 from 10:00 am -10:45 am for our online Student Summit. You will be able to watch students present online by clicking on the link below. Each student will share in one minute or less their experience of working through this project. Simply click on the link below, enter your name & log in.

http://tinyurl.com/studentsummit2012-2013

The Digi-Tools class is taught by Sarah Bird, business education teacher at Valley High School.  Her class has participated in the Flat Classroom Project in previous years. To see their information/products from prior years, please visit:   Digi-Tools/Flat Classroom Video from 2011  and  Valley High School Student Summit from 2011.