1. What is the most
important piece of technology for students at your school?
Because we are a 1:1
technology district, each student has a school issued Lenovo Yoga laptop that
has textbooks, office products, and needed student apps already downloaded.
2. Where do your technology funds come from
and does that influence the technology purchased?
For the past several
years, all technology has been funded and purchased at the district level. The
technology plan has been put in place to maximize the money spent. The needs of
the entire district as a unit are considered. 2015-16 is the first year the
local school has received any money for individual school purchases. A technology committee was formed at each
school to decide how these extra monies were to be spent. A list was formed based on teacher
recommendations and then voted on by the committee. This allowed us to purchase
smaller items that were specific needs for Grissom.
3. How does
technology impact the modern student?
I asked one of our
students to answer this first… She said technology puts information at their
fingertips, no borders or boundaries. However, she worries about constantly
looking at computer screens. Students use their laptops all day in class, and
are on them at night doing homework; or looking at their phones. She thinks
that is too much and causes her headaches.
Our students have
online textbooks, upload assignments to Edmodo, communicate with teachers in
Edmodo, complete assessments online, collaborate with one another on class and
group projects through One Drive, and use the cloud for storage. Teachers have
software that allows them to see each student’s computer screen during class.
4. What are some of the best ways to protect
students while using technology at your school?
The district has a
firewall that filters inappropriate material; teachers have access to DyKnow
which allows monitoring of students as they work in the classroom; class
policies are structured to limit inappropriate access and behaviors.
5. How
have you taught your students to protect themselves while using technology?
Our students are given
Cyber Safety lessons in key classrooms and during library visits and
collaborative teaching sessions. CommonSense Media lessons are taught to the
students.
6. How do you use technology to prepare your
students for further education?
Students use
technology to devise their Four Year Plans; Each senior is assisted in making
application to college using the NAVIANCE online system; Students are
instructed in Alabama Virtual Library that will prepare them for college research
as well, emphasizing peer reviewed sources, MLA Citations, and different media
formats. Students are encouraged to use technology for presentations. Cloud-based
products and storage options are used by students. Robotics, Cyber Security,
and Green Power Initiative are in place to encourage further education and provide
job readiness skills.
7. Do you feel that technology can inhibit
students’ abilities to gather information for themselves?
Yes. Students do not
have the basic idea of where information is coming from, nor how those sources
are organized. There is also a problem with determining credible sources. Most
students just ask for information and blindly accept the results. Evaluating
sources and information, organizing thoughts, and summarizing content are
becoming lost arts.
8. How do you educate your students’
parents/care givers about the technology used by your school?
Parents/care givers
are given handbooks at the beginning of each school year that outlines the
technology provided within the system. Parents are also encouraged to access
information on the school webpage in the parent resource section, hot links for
specific topics, and links for current items of interest to parents, or to notify
when something needs their attention.
I plan to interview Mrs. Kimbrough and Mrs. Baker, who are
the Library Media Specialist at Grissom High School in Huntsville, Al. The
phone number to the school is 256-428-8000 and Mrs. Baker’s email is
Deborah.Baker@hsv-k12.org.
