TodaySASHS wins grant for laptop computers
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Article RatingShippensburg Area School District has received at $302,173 grant from the state's “Classrooms for the Future” program.
The funds will provide laptops, Smartboards (electronic chalkboards), and other hardware to Shippensburg Area Senior High School and the other high schools that received awards.
“Shippensburg was interested in it from the very beginning,” said Bill Chain, assistant superintendent. The district persevered even though there were rumors the funding would not come through. “It's going to be a great opportunity.”
The school's goal is to “get kids to be independent learners,” Chain said. Teachers will receive training so they can use the technology effectively. Part of the funding is for an “instructional technologist,” who will provide help with teaching strategies and also technical support.
Among the possible uses
A teacher may illustrate concepts on a Smartboard, then print out a copy of the lesson for a student who is absent, Chain said. A quick review session at the end of class may involve questions flashing on a screen in front of the students, while each student aims a remote control at the screen to answer the question. The teacher can monitor the responses to find out if the class really understood that day's lesson.
The technology can be used in language arts and mathematics instruction and also in social studies and science classes.
Teachers could also use questions designed to help students learn to do their own research, and students could be routed to various Web sites to learn more about a topic. Chain said “guiding questions” and other technology-based instruction will “add value to science and social studies.”
In addition, the district will benefit because the grant money will ease the pressure on the budget, which can get stressed by unexpected costs for technology.
Grant details
The grant, for the first year of a three-year program, was one of 103 awarded. There were 189 applications for the grants, said Brian McDonald, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The amount of the second- and third-year grants has not been determined, since the amount will be determined by the state budget. The administration is “highly confident” the program will continue to receive funding and will meet the goal of providing every public high school in the state with laptops and classroom multimedia technology.
“This shows how serious our schools are about implementing a program that will enhance instruction, raise student achievement and prepare our students to compete for the very best jobs with their peers from across the globe,” said Gov. Edward G. Rendell in a press release.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education says that on average, eight students have to share every Internet-equipped computer that is available now in Pennsylvania schools. The state ranks 37th in the number of teachers who use the Internet in classroom instruction, the department says.
The schools that have received the grants will be the prototypes that will lead the way for the other schools in the state, McDonald said.
Classrooms for the Future will “lead to greater levels of achievement,” he said. “Students are so engaged in these types” of learning that they will be “keeping up with the times.”
