Committee to study “why?” related to 1:1 technology

As announced last week, the school board has requested a committee to study the “why” related to 1:1 technology. (for more info, see: http://wp.me/s1JF02-11study)  Our next steps are to identify who will be on the study team, which is outlined in the information below.

What tasks will the group *NOT* be responsible for?

1. No discussing devices: There is no need to compare technology devices – we do NOT have approval for deploying 1:1
2. No discussing roll out plans:  There is no need to discuss which grade levels and/or which schools are impacted.
3.  No discussing time frames:  There is NO approval for 1:1, so the time frame / deployment options does not need to be discussed at this time.

What tasks/questions will the group be responsible for?

1. What are the pros / cons of providing devices to students?
2. What are the benefits and anticipated results of going 1:1? If we did 1:1, what do we expect to see as results?
3. What specific benefits are other districts seeing as a result of 1:1?
4. Gauge community (staff, parents, community) interest in 1:1

When will the group meet?

• First meeting:  Feb 18th, 4pm to 6pm at the LRC
• Second meeting: Feb 26th, 4pm to 6pm at the LRC
• Following the 2nd meeting, we are anticipating some visits to other in-state districts to study why they are doing 1:1 and what results they are expecting.
• Next meeting: date has not been set, but expect to share visits and compile results.

What is the make up of the study committee membership?

• Each 7-12 school will have a number of representatives:  VHS(4), VSW (2), WCC(2), ST(2), IH(2).  
• Elementary schools will have a total of (4) individuals. 
• We’ll also be seeking administrators and parents, along with two school board members.

I’m interested in being on the group – who do I talk to?

• 7-12 Staff:  Contact your building principal to let them know you are interested. Each 7-12 school may use their own process to decide their representatives.
• K-6 Staff:  Contact Brian Abeling to let him know you are interested.  He’ll work with elementary principals to make the final determination on the elementary spots.
• Parents:  Interested parents should contact Brian Abeling (abelingb@wdmcs.org)

If the meetings are outside of contract time, will teachers be compensated?

Yes, teachers will be compensated for any meetings outside of contract time.  At this time, we’re anticipating 3 meetings outside of the normal work day.

Is the district going to deploy more iPads to classrooms?

When is the district going to deploy for iPads?

Q1. Last year, the district had an opportunity for teachers to apply to get 3 iPads in their room… Does this district have plans to buy more iPads this school year (spring 2013)?
A1. The district does not have any plans to purchase additional iPads this spring (2013).  We are not ruling out future deployments – but for this spring we know there will no additional rounds/deployments provided by the district.

Q2. How many iPads were deployed by the district?
A2. Jan 2012, the district purchased 300 ipads and deployed them to 100 classrooms.

Q3. Schools were allowed to purchase iPads on their own, correct? Is this still true?
A3. Yes, schools were allowed to purchased iPads on their own  – this is still accurate.

Q4. How many iPads are in the district now?  
A4. In Jan 2013, district-wide there is over 1,000 iPads.  This means that buildings, parents groups and others purchased an additional 700 iPads over the last year, at a cost of $280,000.

Q5. Why are we not proceeding??  Wasn’t the iPad roll out successful?
A5.  The roll out during 2012 was successful for many classrooms, but not all. In general, we are seeing that the iPads fit naturally into  K-6 classrooms that utilize small group rotations with students.  With only 3 iPads available, it was much harder to utilize the iPad in classrooms that did not use small group work / rotations. In addition, some content areas had a harder time finding appropriate apps.

Q6. When will district decide if/when its will proceed with buying more?  
A6.  We are not purchasing any additional iPads during the winter/spring of 2013.  We are waiting until the K-6 reading adoption selection is finalized, which is expected to be March/April 2013.  After that time, we will have a better idea of what resources are needed to support the new curriculum adoption.  At that same time, we can review what is needed at secondary level as well.

Q7. I was asked by some parents…   If the district proceeds with purchasing more iPads – will each school be assured an equal amount of iPads?
A7.  Based on the information from question 4, I believe that district technology will need to play the role of “equilizer”  which means each school will NOT receive the same amount from the district.  Instead, we will need to fill in the areas where devices are needed to bring everyone to a standard level.