In her article, Sandy Vaughn advocates for one-to-one technology immersion in K-12 schools citing the success story of the Floydada Independent School District (FISD) in rural west Texas. FISD is a low income district serving 900 K-12 students.
Six year ago FISD began piloting technology immersion, starting at a middle school. Since then the program has expanded to include all children in grades 6-12. In its sixth year the district is expanding the program to elementary school students. With local grant money, the district invested in wireless technology, lap tops, document cameras, interactive white boards, digital cameras, etc.
Teachers and staff are invested and feel like an important part of the educational process as a result of technology immersion. Students are excited about learning,they are becoming visual and kinestic learners, test scores have improved, and high school students have access to online college courses.
Evaluation and assessment of the program is an ongoing process of gathering data from a variety of tests and developing best practices. NETS standards are being met in all categories for teachers and students as technology has become integral to the schools, curriculum and pedagogy. Overall the program has been a success as teachers and students show a renewed interest in education and are invested in technology.
Hey Julie,
ReplyDeleteIt's really exciting to read that technology immersion among schools is becoming a large investment for the students and their education. I truly believe that students engage themselves more fully into learning when their schools are filled with new technology and resources that are fun and hands on. It is even greater that technology is helping students to improve test scores and have access to online courses. This prepares them for the future!