mroshan@patuxent.com
Posted 5/20/10 in the Howard County Times/Columbia Flier
"It was very competitive," Attridge said of attempting to schedule instructional time using computers.
Those days are long gone thanks to a new pilot program that has provided more than 300 laptop computers for the school, which enrolls 480 students, according to Principal Tom Saunders.
One set of laptops has been allotted to each department, replacing older desktop computers.
On May 13, the school held an open house to showcase students' use of the new laptops, along with the school's new wireless Internet system -- the first in the county, Saunders said.
Saunders participated in a technology task force that worked since last fall to identify cost-effective and appropriate computers for the school system and created the pilot program.
The pilot program also dovetails with the school's technology goals -- dubbed H.E.A.T. -- which stands for higher order thinking skills, engagement of student learners, authentic problem solving and technology use. This framework was first introduced by Chris Moersch.
After reviewing Wilde Lake Middle School's use of the laptops, the task force will submit its 
findings to school system officials, who will then decide whether the program is acceptable to implement across county schools, according to Terry Alban, the school system's chief operating officer and head of the task force.
During the May 13 open house, 14-year-old Ruby Fishbein used a laptop to research information for a debate about the Civil War in Attridge's class.
Ruby said she liked the size and convenience of the laptop.
Attridge agreed the laptops were more convenient than the previously used desktop computers, but noted that the small screens were difficult for some students who have vision problems.
Overall, however, Attridge said she is a fan of the laptops.
"It (enables) us to tap into the students' interest in technology ... and their skills in technology," she said.
In addition to classroom tours, visitors at Wilde Lake's open house listened to teacher and student panels and were able to try out the laptops. Participants included school board members and central office personnel.
During the student panel, secondary language arts coordinator Zeleana Morris asked the students what implications more frequent use of laptops would have on penmanship.
Seventh-grader Anna Haase suggested the idea of having a mandatory handwriting refresher course for students to ensure that they are still able to write legibly.
Task force member George Hudgins, a retired engineer whose children attended county schools, said that while he is a proponent of technology, he wants to make sure that it is used wisely. He said he considers the overuse of text messaging to be an abuse of technology.
He also expressed concern for the cost to taxpayers of retaining the more expensive, older computers, which cost about $1,300, rather than the $350 or so for each laptop.
The task force will submit their findings to the school board June 24.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment