William Floyd 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.
The William Floyd School District implemented the use of PolyVision Interactive Whiteboards last year. Whiteboards were installed in every classroom throughout the William Floyd School District (542 total). This project was part of the $57 million EXCEL (Expanding our Children’s Education & Learning) Capital project approved by residents in December of 2007.
Teachers are using this technology to enhance their lessons and give students the opportunity to experience learning in a 21st-century environment. As a result, students become more engaged and interactive in the classroom. Another component to the EXCEL Capital project is the installation of a district-wide wireless network at William Floyd (project nearing completion).
2. Please tell us of any major innovations you are planning to introduce within the next year.
The William Floyd School District received the “Enhancing Teaching Through Technology” grant for the 2010-2011 school year. With this grant, five classrooms at William Floyd High School will be turned into 21st-century classrooms by January 2011. State-of-the-art technology that will be found in these classrooms are: an interactive whiteboard and projector, a document camera, an iPad for learning centers, a set of AVerPens (an interactive tool to further enhance collaboration in the classroom) and netbooks for 1-to-1 learning.
This technology gives teachers the tools necessary for innovative lessons and provides students with the opportunity to learn using varying methods that meet a student’s individual learning style. Additionally, last school year, William Floyd partnered with the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library on a program titled, “Anywhere, Anytime Learning: A Mobile Approach.” The program was funded by a Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) grant and was designed to increase the digital literacy of 50 ELL (English Language Learner) students from William Floyd between the ages of 10 and 15 by teaching them to use the iPod Touch. The program ran for two hours per week at William Floyd High School beginning in October 2009 and ending in June 2010. 18. BELLMORE-MERRICK Bellmore-Merrick elementary district has smart boards in every classroom. The district also has document cameras that eliminate the need for overhead projectors.
Students also use wireless handheld remotes to answer questions that are then directly sent to the teacher.
The district also has used videoconferencing in classrooms and have had interactive lessons with Holocaust survivors as well as Pearl Harbor survivors.
They are looking at smart tables for students in grades K-2.
