North Bellmore 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.
* North Bellmore continues to install SMART Boards to enhance instruction in the classrooms as funding permits. Since its initial rollout, all the fourth, fifth and sixth grade classrooms district-wide as well as additional rooms now have SMART Boards and third grade is next to receive these upgrades.
* A more recent development is the use of webcams and Skype accounts by teachers who have made connections outside the physical boundaries of their rooms so that their students may interface with other students around the globe.
* Similarly, more teacher use teacher web pages and blogs to enhance their home-school connection and to offer students an online forum for engaging in authentic writing.
* Additional software purchases have been in the form of online subscriptions giving students access to instructional tools 24/7.
* SMART Automated Response systems to enhance the instruction and assessment that takes place in the classroom. The system provides a direct connection between teachers and their students, and gives teachers instant feedback on whether the students are following their instruction.
* Document cameras and FLIP video camcorders have been purchased to enhance instruction and foster creativity, specifically, project-based multi-media assignments completed by students that showcase their understanding of content and their participation in culminating year-end graduating presentations. Document cameras instantly display real-time images of any object onto the interactive whiteboard which can be used to capture images to use in the creation of interactive lessons.
* Lastly, other virtual technology innovations, part of our going green initiative, were implemented to save on technology purchases and energy consumption.
2. Please tell us of any major innovations you are planning to introduce within the next year.
The district is in the process of integrating solar panels as part of an energy performance contract. The installation is not huge enough to provide significant cost savings but will act as an additional instructional unit for integration into our curriculum.
The data readings from the panels will be displayed on a website for students to analyze and interpret. The initiative will enlighten students to the greater need for energy independence and awareness of energy conservation. Similar to the District’s weather station, this will provide many opportunities for integration in math and science and other interdisciplinary units.
3. Are teachers or students using cellphones in the district for instructional purposes?
No.
