Teaching technology

Los Altos District is testing new ways to integrate technology into everyday instruction.

I find this interesting because technology is part of our lives and is better to use them for the the better than blame them for the worst, and I also find the classroom shift “from teacher-centered to student-centered” beneficial albeit a bit convoluted: do we really need one-to-one laptop to have a one-to-one child?

“Technology can change the classroom from teacher-centered to student-centered,”

“Children today are far more visually attuned, even compared to five years ago,” said Jeff Baier, district assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. “You can pine for the good old days when students primarily learned by reading textbooks, or you can accommodate the new learning models and take advantage of those skills and interests students bring with them to the classroom.”

“It’s not enough to hand teachers computers, because they just become a fancy typewriter,” Baier said. “Technology has the potential to give students greater ownership in their education, so they can actually produce knowledge, not just memorize facts and recite them back – but only if the teachers have the skills and the time to enhance their lesson plans.”

The cost to the district for these innovative programs? Not much. The Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), PTAs and parents at the district schools will fund the grassroots projects, including a newly created two-year position of technology specialist.

Funds for the pilot program come solely from the parents who lease the laptops. The parents of students in the program are required to pay $1,500 for a two-year lease. They can make monthly payments or pay all at once. At the end of the lease, when the student is ready to graduate from junior high, the family can purchase the laptop from the district for $10.

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Tags: funding, kindergarten, one-to-one laptop, school, Teaching technology