Technology Services

News and Notes from Room 166

21st Century Classroom at a glance

 

21st CENTURY CLASSROOM At a Glance

Overview

An increased demand for classroom Projectors and SMARTBoards focused much discussion and energy into considering the technological components of the 21st Century Classroom during the 2007-2008 school year. Ultimately, the SMARTBoard initiative will drive the purchase of most, if not all, components of a 21st century classroom. All components are coordinated and purchased through Technology Services, though funding may come from a variety of unit, PTO, student group, district, and Elmbrook Education Foundation sources.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

  • Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
  • Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
  • Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

Existing Elmbrook Environment

Standard components identified for a 21st Century Classroom include:

  • Short-throw, mounted projector ($980)
  • SMARTBoard ($1150)
  • Speakers - preferably wall mounted ($40)
  • Wireless keyboard and mouse ($55)
  • Computer with DVD ($505)
  • Necessary cables, video splitter, and installation costs ($150)
  • VHS Player - most classrooms have an existing vhs playing device


Typically, the expense of equipping one room, including installation and assuming a computer already exists, is $3,000.

NOTE:  for Cable TV or Closed Circuit Television Schools: Depending on the building, some schools continue to rely on a distributed television network and/or cable television network. If this functionality is needed, a combination DVD/TV player with a TV tuner is also needed for approximately $250.

Future Environment

Each school in the district is at a different place with developing its 21st century classrooms. The following are estimates for the completion of all components for the 21st century classroom over the next three years. Those schools designated at 90% may have open rooms available that may only be equipped if occupied.

School

Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

BCHS

10%

50% (Referendum $)

100% (Referendum $)

BEHS

10%

50% (Referendum $)

100% (Referendum $)

Brook El

90%

90%

90%

Burleigh

65%

90%

90%

Dixon

90%

90%

90%

Hillside

70%

90%

90%

Pilgrim Park

20%

55%

90%

Swanson

90%

90%

90%

Tonawanda

100%

100%

100%

Wisconsin Hills

10%

55%

90%

 

Goals

It is important to equip all rooms with 21st century components to insure all teachers have access to the hardware and software resources for successful teaching and learning. Utilizing a variety of funding sources, achieving this goal may be possible by the 2010-2011 school year.

Resources Needed

  • Continued support from District Technology Budget, PTO, Unit Budget, and Referendum dollars for the high schools.
  • Professional development time to support the integration of the 21st century components into the classroom.
  • Continued digitization of resources so they are available, organized, and shared across the district.
  • Long-range budget request in Fall 2008 to cover remaining projector/SMARTBoard installations


Primary Contact(s)

Jack Coffey (x1166), Desktop Supervisor


Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

  • 92 Summer installations in July/August 2008
  • Installations throughout the year and summers as dollars are allocated with as little disruption to teaching/learning as possible

 

Related Initiatives

  • SMARTBoards
  • Tablet Laptop

Key Talking Points

  • A classroom with 21st Century technology components impacts the organization and presentation of curriculum content in all K-12 classrooms
  • Students benefit from interaction with both curriculum content and the technology components

Equipping all classrooms provides flexibility in scheduling and allows for the development of baseline expectations of use and integration for all teachers

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