[August 17, 2008]

Grant alters teaching: Infusion of technology transforms learning

(Independent Tribune Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 16--KANNAPOLIS -- Instruction at Kannapolis City Schools is changing.

The district received a $1.6 million grant, which has yielded laptops, document cameras and interactive whiteboard technology for every intermediate, middle and high school classroom.

Teachers have spent the last several weeks learning how they can use this new technology to their advantage.

"It's just brought an overwhelming amount of possibilities into the classroom," said Jeremy Thiel, a math and science teacher at Kannapolis Intermediate.

Teachers will use Mimio Boards, which project a computer desktop to any whiteboard to make it interactive. A wireless wand called a "stylus" is used to add, change or highlight information just by touching the board.

With these boards, teachers may integrate Internet content, including streaming audio and video, into their presentations.

"It really enables a classroom to go very quickly from PowerPoint presentation with notes about the Civil War to suddenly go to pictures from the Library of Congress," said Charles McKinley, a Kannapolis Intermediate teacher who works with students who speak limited English.

Document cameras will project clear, colorful images of notes or whatever else teachers put under it -- replacing the black-and-white overhead projectors that have been used in classrooms for generations.

Teachers will also have the option of letting students blog or produce podcasts pertaining to topics learned in class. Students may write or record their voice on a computer and post it to log-in Web sites teachers has approved.

They may also work on collaborative projects outside of class through the use of wikis, which are Web pages that allow multiple users to contribute ideas.

Blogging, podcasting and collaborating on wikis could lead to what educators call "stealing Internet time," McKinley said, which is when students do fun, educational activities after school instead of playing video games or surfing the Web.

Brenda McCombs, instructional technology director for Kannapolis City Schools, estimates about 75 percent of students in Kannapolis City Schools have Internet access at home, a figure that's increased over time.

She said there has been discussion about providing access to computer labs before and after school, as well as having two or three laptops available for checkout. But there are many details to be worked out, she said.

Teachers have been advised to give students more than a night to complete a homework assignment that involves technology. This gives them more time to do well on a project that involves higher-order thinking, as well as access technology at school or elsewhere, such as the library, McCombs said.

New technology will not only be used for classroom teaching, but also professional development. Teachers will use wikis and social networking sites, like Diigo.com to collaborate and share content and ideas.

Diigo allow users to keep their favorite Web pages online so they can access them from home or school. Users can share bookmarks with others, as well as highlight or add sticky notes to information on Web pages.

Wikis are also being created for teachers by grade level and subject area. Kannapolis Intermediate School has a wiki for sixth-grade science teachers broken down by units of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. And on each page, teachers can add links to relevant Web sites or upload files from their computers that may help others explain the topic more effectively to students.

Kannapolis City Schools will host nationally recognized technology speaker David Warlick on Thursday to conclude training. After speaking with staff, he'll work with a technology leadership team to help the district determine how they will move forward.

"I want him to have us dreaming and thinking what's next," said McCombs. "We want the students so involved that when it's time to go home, they are like, 'What happened to the day?' That's engaged."

--Contact Justin Vick: 704-789-9138

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