Cold Spring Harbor Central School District technology questionnaire

These are the replies from some districts to the Newsday questionnaire regarding the use of new technologies in their classrooms.

Some of the answers are elaborate, and have not been edited or reduced. Some districts did not answer the questions directly.

1. Please list any major technological innovations introduced in the classroom in the past three years. Please give the name and list the use for each item.

Student Response Systems, a class set of "remote controls" that allow the teacher to capture the level of understanding of the students, in real-time during lessons. No longer does a student have to raise his or her hand to say "I don't understand". Teachers can also give full assessments with this tool, and decide whether or not to move on to the next topic. Teachers can see exactly which questions are a problem, and for which students.

 Document Cameras, a device which allows projection of solid objects to the entire class. Uses range from read-along for primary students (where the teacher places the book on the document camera, and the entire class sees the illustrations and reads along) to high-level science experiments, to studies of live specimens utilizing the 8x zoom function of the camera. Interactive White Boards, these devices allow teachers and students to collaborate on projects while the class is involved. Access to the entire world, for the entire class, is now possible.

 Maps are no longer outdated, but are updated in real-time. Learning is no longer confined to the four walls of the classroom or the school. All students learn differently, and these devices help level the playing Field to make the teacher more effective and engage the student. SmartMusic, an online program which music students in grades 5-7 have access to. Students practice at home with professional accompaniments, and submit their recordings online to the teacher when they are happy with them. Provides individualized instruction and assessment for each instrumental family, and contains hundreds of solos in the library. Students often practice longer; it is a "game" to them as the program shows notes hit and missed.

2. Please tell us of any major innovations you are planning to introduce within the next year.

This coming year we plan to introduce a blended course...one that is run both face-to-face and online. What makes this particular course innovative is that we plan to have our high school students run the course, in foreign language, for our elementary school students utilizing videoconferencing and interactive whiteboard resources.

 
3. Are teachers or students using cellphones in the district for instructional purposes?

No.