EDMOND —
As educators strive to stay on top of learning techniques, they are constantly learning new methods to help their classroom learners achieve their highest learning capacity. In doing so, teachers learn educational terms or buzz-words that many times are used this year but shelved a few years down the road.
Blended learning is not just a new education buzz-word that is here today and gone tomorrow. It is here to stay, educators say.
Cutting-edge digital technology is being used by students, teachers and administrators at Memorial High School, the first district school to be immersed in digital learning.
Edmond Memorial High School students are being used for the Edmond Public School wireless/BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) pilot program.
“Teachers and students are exploring ways to integrate wireless networking and mobile devices into instruction, while support staff works out policies, procedures and technical details,” said Rich Anderson, EPS director of technology.
Digital learning will be spread to students district-wide as wireless networking is expanded to schools in the next three years at a projected cost of $1.5 million, Anderson said.
“The potential benefits of district-wide wireless networking are many. In addition to increased student engagement, the integration of mobile devices into instruction will better prepare students for college and the workplace, where mobile technology is ubiquitous,” Anderson said.
“By allowing students to bring their own laptops, tablets and Smartphones to school, Internet access for research and classroom activities will be dramatically increased. Whereas the district currently has 3,750 student workstations, it is not hard to imagine half of all EPS students eventually bringing some type of wireless device to school, effectively increasing that number by 10,000. Laptop and iPad carts will also provide flexibility and mobility to the learning environment, and the infrastructure will be in place to support digital textbooks and other emerging trends,” Anderson added.
Along with the benefits come challenges including a learning curve for students and staff and teaching strategies will need to transition to take advantage of mobile computing, Anderson said.
“Students will be accessing the Internet without direct supervision for the first time, and we must ensure that all students are able to participate — even if they do not have their own mobile devices,” Anderson said.
State Superintendent of Schools Janet Barresi said she looks forward to blended learning expanding across Oklahoma schools.
“All schools in Oklahoma can achieve this same level of innovation, but it is going to take vision and the staying power to fund it. Preparing students for life and work in the 21st century is worth it,” Barresi said.
Tom Vander Ark, executive editor and partner of Getting Smart, said blended learning is not just another district initiative,
“It is a large-scale opportunity to develop schools that are more productive for students and teachers,” he said.
Digital Learning Now! (DLN) explores blended learning as a phase change with a goal of accelerating learning toward college and career readiness.
“Blended learning is the future of education and by combining the best personalization offered through technology with the best of face-to-face instruction it provides students with an education that meets their individual needs,” said John Bailey, executive director of DLN.
“Blended learning is about transforming the learning experience for students through the effective use of technology to create a high-quality digital learning environment to better equip all students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in this 21st-century economy.”
Local News
Blended learning is here to stay
Memorial H.S. site for wireless pilot program
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EF-5 tornado called 'worst in history'
President Barack Obama pledged the federal government’s full support for disaster relief in what is being called one of the most devastating tornadoes in history. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed a team to the state.
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ME’s office begins identifying Moore, OKC victims
The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office today began releasing names of those who perished in Monday’s 17-mile long EF-5 tornado in Moore and Oklahoma City.
As of this morning the official death toll remains at 24. Of those dead are 10 children. -
Okla. officials vow not to quit looking until everyone is found
The tornado that killed 24 people and injured at least 100 others in the Moore and Oklahoma City area cut a 17-mile-long path that started in Newcastle and ended at Lake Stanley Draper. Nine of the dead are children.
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UPDATE: How to donate, find drop-off locations for relief supplies
Below is a listing of where donations may be taken in the Edmond area to help the Moore/Oklahoma tornado victims:
• The Edmond Sun is serving as a drop-off location for the downtown Edmond area. Supplies only may be dropped off at 123 S. Broadway and residents may use the backdoor to enter the building. Parking is available behind the building at the Festival Market Place. From 5-10 p.m. donations may be taken to Café Evoke, 103 S. Broadway.
• Edmond North High School is serving as a drop-off location for bottled water through today
• Memorial High School is serving as a drop-off location for food through today.
• Santa Fe High School is serving as a drop-off location for supplies such as work gloves, tools, etc. through today. -
Storm shelter inquiries up; customers take a number
After the horrific tornado set down in Moore Monday afternoon, storm shelter inquiries hit new highs.
Tuesday Ashley Cunningham, office manager for Red Dirt Septic on Waterloo Road in Edmond, and Mark Webb, owner of the Armor Vault Tornado Shelter in Oklahoma City, said their phones have been ringing consistently starting Monday afternoon. -
Edmond detective describes tornado devastation
Like other Oklahomans, Edmond Police Detective Marion Cain was keeping an eye on the weather Monday.
The storm, which produced the tornado began at 2:45 p.m., about 4.4 miles west of Newcastle and its 20-mile long path went through Newcastle, Moore and south Oklahoma City. About 10 minutes after it formed, it was already causing EF4 damage. Maximum winds of the tornado, upgraded to an EF5, were 200-210 mph, according to information released at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday by the National Weather Service. Its estimated maximum width was 1.3 miles. -
Edmond high schools aid Moore, OKC tornado victims
Sometimes good things come from texting.
Monday afternoon, Sydney Richardson, who will be Santa Fe’s student body president next year, was driving home and it was raining. Once home, she talked to her mother, who told her about the tornado in Moore. Then she began seeing the damage on TV.
“It was devastating,” Richardson said. “We watched it all night long. I just felt like we needed to do something immediately.” -
Insurers respond to Moore disaster
Insurers, like other agencies related to the Moore tornado disaster, are assessing the damage.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department has made an emergency declaration, allowing out-of-state adjusters to work storm damaged areas, said agency spokeswoman Calley Herth. It’s too soon to have tabulated damage estimates, Herth said.
“We are working hard to collect any and all numbers, but it’s just too soon at this moment,” she said. -
AG issues charity fraud and schemes alert
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt Tuesday issued a warning for Oklahomans and donors around the country to beware of charity fraud and scams following the severe storms in Oklahoma.
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City schedules debris collection for May 28
The City of Edmond’s Field Services Division of Public Works will be collecting storm-related debris from the May 19 tornado in accordance with the City of Edmond’s Emergency Operation Plan’s Level Two Response.
Affected areas where debris pick up will occur include in the area beginning one-half mile south of 15th Street to 33rd Street and from Boulevard Avenue east to I-35; and the Territories and Timberlake additions. Please see the map for clarification. Pick up is available for residential homes located within the designated boundaries.
Tree debris must be cut into no more than 6-foot sections and must be placed by the curb of the residence no later than 8 a.m. May 28. Crews will begin collection on Tuesday and continue until they have covered the area. - More Local News Headlines
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