Through a grant from the Federal Department of Education, El Dorado Middle School students will have more access to technology next year.
The district applied for and received a $250,000 grant for technology upgrades and teacher training, which was applied for and secured by Red. Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard).
“It will be used to develop a one-to-one handheld technology initiative at El Dorado Middle School,” said Superintendent Sue Givens.
The money will be used to purchase about 450 iPod touches, depending on EMS enrollment next year.
“The grant will change the culture of El Dorado Middle School,” Givens said, “by providing students and staff with access to technological tools that would otherwise be unavailable to them, we open the door to higher order thinking skills, real-world application and greater engagement. We appreciate Congressman
Tiahrt’s diligence in supporting this education project.”
The iPod Touches will be available in carts in each classroom. They will allow students to download information, have skill building activities, access the Internet and do research. Teachers also can do educational pod casts for students.
They can also be used for note taking, keeping individual data and agendas, and translation for world languages.
Doug Jensen, district director of technology, said teachers will be able to put on the applications they want students to have.
“There’s just all kinds of educational applications,” Jensen said. “There are over 10,000 applications available now for iPod Touch.”
This will be an improvement over students’ current access to technology. Currently, teams of teachers have to share computers and there are six mobile labs of 20 computers, Mac books in the library that can be checked out and the Destinations Lab. This does not allow all students to have access to a computer at the same time.
Jensen also said this was a good transition to the one-to-one laptop initiative at the high school, which is in its sixth year.
In addition to the iPod Touch, they also will receive one printer for each classroom.
The teachers will first be trained on how to use the technology and design lessons.
Jensen said they plan to have them in the classrooms next fall.
“The implications of the changes in culture are just incredible to think about students in a 1930s building with 21st century technology,” Givens said.
“Doug and Julie (Jensen) deserve just huge amounts of credit for their hard work putting that together, and they also will be great implementers as well.”
Lead grant writers and project coordinators will be Doug Jensen and Julie Jensen, director of curriculum.
The funds also will support staff training and peer coaching, as well as the technology and software and infrastructure needs.
“We have to do everything possible to train and prepare Kansas students to be successful, especially in today’s uncertain economy,” Tiahrt said. “Providing our children with a strong education will prepare them as they enter college and the workforce. The technology project will assist teachers and students in the El Dorado community learn new skills, which in turn will create a more dynamic learning environment. This federal education grant is just one example of how we can bring resources back into Kansas. I’m excited to see how the technology is applied and how the training will help teachers provide students with an even high quality of education.”
El Dorado, Kan. —
