Back to school: District 5 bridges technology and academia
Tuesday, August 09, 20051 comment(s) | Default | Large
Uniting parents, students, staff and the community has been a major point of focus for Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 over the last few years, and the district continues to look for new and innovative ways to involve all stakeholders in the educational process.
For the 2005-2006 school year, OCSD 5 is turning to the cutting-edge technology to further improve the academic performance of its students and its connection to its parents and the community. Teachers, staff members and students have used technology in a very efficient manner to reach the district's goals and complete tasks, but, were the results really what school officials were looking for? Was the district maximizing the potential of the technology available to it for the enhancement of student academic performance?
The answer to these questions was relatively easy because until every student in the district is performing at an advanced level there is always room for improvement. So, district officials began looking at ways to improve upon existing technology and its usage and continued their search for new technology that could help them reach their academic goals.
This is when the "what ifs" began.
What if, at each high school every student, teacher and parent had an email account, and teachers could use websites to post homework assignments, while students could turn in assignments using time-date drop boxes on web portals? They can, using echalk, a new software program the district is rolling out this year.
What if, teachers could assess what students have learned from a class lesson and get immediate feedback, while tailoring lessons to meet the individual needs of students at the same time? They can, using the Classroom Performance Series (CPS) and Scantron Achievement Series. This new technology will also allow the district to test students at the beginning of a school year, again in the middle and at the end as well, to see how they are responding to the instruction they receive.
Additionally, when students take assessment tests using this technology, the software automatically adjusts its questions to where the student is from a knowledge base. For example, if a student gets a question wrong in a particular subject area, the software immediately adjusts the questions to help the student become more knowledgeable in their area of weakness.
For those students that have already mastered subject matter, the software increases the difficulty of the questions to take students to a new level of proficiency. Using the Scantron Performance Series, schools can provide these adaptive diagnostic tests to students in PACT tested grades, which will allow administrators to better plan and provide teachers with the needed information to plan individual lessons.
What if teachers could play streaming video clips on topics about lessons being taught, and have these clips aligned to the state standards? They can, using Streamline South Carolina.
What if teachers could teach a lesson in which students provide input and save the lesson as a PowerPoint, and then teachers could post it on the schools intranet for later review or use it in a parent conference? They can, using electronic whiteboards and the CPS.
What if teachers could have students do assignments, labs or take tests using the TI calculator and monitor each student from his/her desk with the use of a laptop computer — again allowing the teacher to tailor lessons to fit the needs of individual students? They can, using the TI Navigator Series. This software was piloted in several schools in science and the results were rather phenomenal. This year, science teachers will continue to use the TI Navigator Series, and English Language Arts and Math teachers will have the opportunity to take advantage of this rather amazing software and hardware as the district expands the use of these tools into these areas.
What if, teachers could have computer-based software that would assist student learning? They can have, and have had, using Riverdeep, which is a computer-driven math (for grades K-8) and reading (for grades PreK-3) software program that will allow teachers to develop practice assessments and do diagnostic testing to determine areas of weaknesses and strengths to better plan instruction for students; Accelerated Reader (grades 1-12); Accelerated Math (grades 1-12); Academy of Reading (grades 1- 8); Waterford Reading (grades PK-3); and Microsoft Office Suite and XP (all schools).
What if, administrators and teachers could access historical data on students' past performances on standards based test, benchmark test and class grades, as well as perform queries to look at trends over a period of time among students? They can, using Tetradata Dataware House.
What if, administrators could have access to students' SIS information, such as medications they are taking and illnesses they may have, in the palm of there hand at all times? They can, using Handheld PDAs and L-Systems X-port software. Having access to this information in an emergency could prevent serious problems from occurring.
What if, administrators could have access to video of daily activities that happen within the school building and the surrounding grounds, or an archive of digital video that can be saved and used in parent conferences or if needed in other situations. They can, using DESA security cameras.
What if, administrators could access applicant information for a position without having to get copies from Human Resources, or review students' transcripts without having to wait days while someone pulls the old files? They can, using edrawer (electronic file cabinet).
What if, teachers could provide Special Education students with a computer-based program that would allow them to work independently and meet the objectives of the class? They can, using the software program Kurzweil 3000.
What if, schools could communicate with parents by telephone, email or web portal and get information on student attendance, grades, homework, or general school messages? They can, using ParentLink, which the district has been utilized for the past couple of years, but will expand its usage this school year.
What if, schools could have a system to track student textbook assignments? They can, using TIPS.
What if, schools could have daily news shows that broadcast school events and other important information? They can, using Teknet, which is powered by Sprint.
The "what ifs" didn't end here and the district has many more software programs and hardware items that students, faculty, staff, parents and the community will have the opportunity to take advantage of. This will hopefully lead to even higher gains by students in the classroom and on state and federal test assessments.
To pay for all of this cutting-edge technology, the district has been aggressive in its pursuit of grants, business partnerships and federal e-rate discounts. With state and federal budget cuts, the district's administrators were determined to keep pace with the rest of the world technologically, but were also determined to not place any additional burden on taxpayers. The aggressive approach to seek other funding sources has led to millions of dollars coming into the district through grants (like the E2T2-Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant), partnerships and e-rate reimbursements.
District administrators also realized it wouldn't do any good to have all of this wonderful state-of-the-art technology if faculty and staff weren't well versed in how to use it. Throughout the summer, the district offered a potpourri of professional development opportunities to its faculty and staff, and is beginning the school year with a ton of the same. But, for most of the software and hardware the district will roll out this year, the training for faculty and staff began a couple of years ago and has continued, which provides the continuity needed to make these technological advances work in the district's favor.
The bottom line is, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five, is thoroughly committed to ensuring that all students are technologically literate, and that they are equipped with the communication, math, science, reading, social studies, visual and performing arts, foreign language and critical thinking skills necessary to become lifelong learners and productive citizens.
To prosper in a global economy and be competitive in the 21st century, the district's students must have the skills and knowledge to access and evaluate information successfully, and OCSD 5 is doing everything it can to ensure that this is their reality.
1 comment(s)
» Post a comment Thanks for your comment! Once approved, your comment will appear on the site.
Please note: The Times and
Democrat provides our story commenting feature in order to solicit feedback,
debate and discussion on topics of local interest. Please keep in mind that
civility is a necessary component of productive conversation. All blatantly
inflammatory or otherwise inappropriate comments (i.e. vulgarity, marketing,
etc.) are subject to rejection and/or removal. Comments will appear if and
when they are approved. Thanks for reading, and thanks for participating.
Patrick Caruso wrote on May 28, 2006 1:41 AM: