Published: August 29, 2008 11:44 pm            

Edmond schools keep up with technology through bond proposals

EDMOND — Oklahoma schools overall rank 11th in the nation for school technology and they do especially well in effectively using the technology they have, ranking fifth in the nation, Education Week magazine proclaimed this week in its annual “Technology Counts” report.

That 11th place ranking speaks well for the Oklahoma schools since their classroom technology is primarily financed through bond proposals.

“There is no state funding for school technology in Oklahoma,” said Rich Anderson, director of technology for the Edmond Public Schools.

In Edmond between $2 million and $2.5 million is spent annually on technology through bond money, Anderson said, and the amount includes hardware and software.

In addition to computers the money goes to buy printers, classroom projectors, data networking, Smartboards, document cameras, sympodiums, classroom amplification systems and eInstruction Classroom Performance Systems known as “clickers.”

Sympodiums use a special 15-inch monitor screen and an interactive pen, instructors can write on the monitor while displaying Web sites, graphs, charts, maps and more. The monitor’s contents are displayed via projector onto a large screen at the front of the class — a screen that can be much larger than traditional electronic whiteboards.

Clickers help the teacher poll the entire class’ comprehension, not just gauge what one or two students know.

“We started with classroom amplification systems (microphones) for all the kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms, and now we have them for sixth-grade classes,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to hopefully find money to put them in all the classrooms in the future.”

Results nationwide have linked amplification systems with higher performance for students, he said.

“We don’t purchase technology for the sake of technology,” Anderson said. “Our purchases are designed around asking is this improving learning and test scores?”

Linda DeSpain, associate superintendent in charge of curriculum services, said all state testing at the high school level is going to be online beginning in the spring of 2009.

This will include tests given for Algebra I, Geometry, English II, Biology I, English III, Algebra II and U.S. history.

“This is the first year ninth-graders will be required to pass four out of seven of the tests to graduate,” DeSpain said. “Up until this year they took the tests, but they were not required to pass them.”

Anderson said one of the software programs purchased is called Success Maker, and if the students fall behind, this software can help them catch up.

“This program helps us spot students that are needing help and we are able to remediate them well before they get to the point of failing,” Anderson said.

The schools will have a three-week testing window to administer tests in the spring.

“Yes, we will have difficulty scheduling our students on the computers we have,” DeSpain said. “We plan to create some testing labs.”

DeSpain said she thinks testing online is going to become more prevalent in the coming years.

Anderson estimated that 50 Smartboards were installed and 250 projectors will be installed soon.

Writing labs are located in each of the high schools and an additional two to three classrooms have computers that are either dedicated to specific subjects or are open labs.

“The new Freshman Academies have two labs,” Anderson said. “One reading lab has 10 work stations and an open lab has between 32 to 36 stations.”

Anderson said each year two or three schools have classrooms open up, and they are requesting labs in those rooms.

Edmond schools has a five-year technology plan formulated by teachers, principals and media coordinators who decide how to invest the bond money.

“This is the first year and we are placing projectors in 20 percent of the classrooms until we have a projector in each classroom,” Anderson said. “Each year 5 percent of our classrooms, or 60 classrooms would receive some kind of interactive technology. The teachers can decide what kind of technology they want.”

Francis Tuttle also has placed about 300 PCs in Edmond high school classrooms as part of their program where they go into the classes to teach.

“Our goal is for the students to be more hands on,” Anderson said. “One thing that astounds me is how devoted our people are and that they always want the best for the children.”

Anderson said the district’s lean budget drives what they can purchase and when it can be acquired.

        

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