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NWI TIMES: Technology in the classroom is here to stay
By Carment McCollum
NWI TIMES
Porter Township School Corp. is the latest school district in Northwest Indiana looking to adopt a wireless network.
If approved and installed, it will join Tri-Creek School Corp., the School City of Hobart and the School Town of Munster, in creating a wireless environment -- the first step in enabling teachers and students to use mobile devices such as iPads and netbooks.
Porter Township Superintendent Nick Brown said the district is eyeing a wireless high school campus that would provide about 550 access points for students and 50 for teachers.
"We have been looking at what others are doing in terms of computing initiatives," he said. "We're being cautious. If we move to a mobile device like an iPad, netbook or Samsung Galaxy, we have to prepare to be able to use it. We need a good plan on how those devices can be used appropriately in the classroom. We believe that most of the instructional material will be available via the Web. Textbooks can be purchased electronically, and we believe that's going to become the norm. We need to prepare ourselves to access that kind of material in the classroom."
Brown said the School Board has not yet discussed how to implement the plan and whether the devices would be owned by the school corporation or rented. In Munster, for instance, the rented devices are included in book rental fees.
From Moodle, an instructional Web-based learning program used as a teaching supplement, to one-to-one computer initiatives, technology has become part of daily life in and outside Northwest Indiana classrooms.
Local technology expert Carrie Cate-Clements, manager of client engagement for the California-based LANIER Group who works with schools across the region, said wireless is the latest initiative.
Local school districts also use smartboards or interactive white boards (which have computerized software in the board) and computer labs; some region classrooms also have iPods, LCD projectors and Elmo document projectors to enhance a digital curriculum.
New technology Cate-Clements sees coming to the region could include Panaboards (a type of electronic white board), tablets, netbooks, laptops, iPads and Cloud computing, which provides software and data access and storage that can be accessed from Web browsers or desktop or mobile applications as if the programs were installed on their own computers.
Some schools eventually may allow students to "bring your own device," known as BYOD. Instead of carrying a book bag, students one day may sling their laptop, netbook, tablet or e-book over their shoulder.
On the administrative side, Cate-Clements, a trainer and former teacher, expects to see administrators using tablets and iPads to conduct classroom walk-throughs and teacher observations. In the future, she also believes school board meetings could become paperless in favor of iPads, something that already is happening in Portage.
Tech devices becoming the norm
Peggy Buffington, School City of Hobart superintendent, said 21st century students expect to learn with technology tools. From smartphone apps to studying for the ACT test to collaborating on a digital presentation in real time, students can take ownership and responsibility for learning, she said.
"It is incredible to watch students read and make adjustments using technology tools to increase their reading fluency and comprehension," Buffington said.
"It is equally exciting to watch students problem solve with simulations using technology tools. The School City of Hobart provides lots of professional development so that teachers embrace technology in their classrooms, which provides for learning environments that are challenging and engaging for students."
Keeping up with change a challenge
River Forest Community School Corp. Superintendent Jim Rice said technology has become even more critical than the textbook.
"Every student needs access to technology, and we are obligated to provide it so we can prepare our students for a world filled with technology," he said. "Technology advances so quickly that what was acceptable today may not be acceptable tomorrow. We look at sustainability of the equipment we purchase, because we are a poor district. We can't afford to replace it every four or five years."
River Forest has invested in a Cloud system through a company called Kaviza. Rice said it's cheaper than buying new computers every year and allows the district to upgrade or replace computers as needed.
In addition to the overhead Elmo projector and laptops, Angela West, principal at 21st Century Charter School in Gary, said the school just ordered 25 iPads. "We use all of our tools to enhance what's happening in the classroom," she said.
School City of Hammond administrator Theresa Mayerik said every classroom has computers, and many have smartboards, and the district is looking into an iPad system for students. However, the district's most technologically advanced classrooms may be at the media broadcast classroom at the Area Career Center and classes at the Performing Arts Center at Morton High School where students use a device called smartmusic. The program tracks students as they practice, sending scores to the instructor.
Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent Andy Melin said the district is updating technology as part of an aggressive technology plan, which includes offering netbooks to students that can be checked out. "We're not at one-to-one computing. We're not where we want to be, but we're making great strides," he said.
Bridging the digital divide
The School City of East Chicago, which does offer one-to-one computing, has said it would work with the city to install a wireless system in the district and throughout the community. East Chicago Attorney Carla Morgan said the city is conducting a fiber infrastructure inventory and hopes to work with school officials on a wireless network.
Every Merrillville Community School Corp. classroom has computer work stations, and every building has computer labs, said Superintendent Tony Lux. However, Lux estimated that about 20 percent of the school's population doesn't have Internet access, and the district tries to compensate for that while students are in school.
Lake Station Community Schools Superintendent Dan DeHaven said about half the families in the district have Internet access. He said the district has seven smartboards, and will purchase an additional 25. "I have more teachers asking for them than money to buy them," he said.
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