page 9 [features]
Catching up
Tired after years of using technology older than Olathe’s or Blue Valley’s, Shawnee Mission revamps district electronics and software.
At East, Brock Wenciker, a Calculus AB teacher will be attempting to use CPS in class for reviews and direct instruction this year. Wenciker said that his Math Prep class will use CPS weekly for enrichment activities and instruction in class. “[CPS] helps kids learn because it enforces them to be engaged in their own learning rather than passive,” Wenciker said. In addition to palms being used in Olathe for CPS they are also used for e-mailing assignments beween students and teachers. In this way, the palms act as a high-tech planner where notes can be taken and the Internet is accessible. To make the palms even more useful, Franklin is considering purchasing e-books. They could be accessed through a PC or even downloaded to a palm. “With e-books, the entire text of a book can be viewed on something like a wireless handheld,” Franklin said. “This could really improve the loads of books kids have to carry.” Not all the students in Olathe enjoy these wireless handheld’s though. Jesi Egan, a senior at Olathe Northwest, thinks the palms are a huge waste of money. “At $300 dollars a palm, these things aren’t worth the time,” Egan said. “We would be much better off saving up to get everyone laptops.” According to Egan, the palms break a lot and are actually inefficient when it comes to note taking. “I probably use [my palm] once every two months when I am beamed a test,”she said. With new technology increasing every year, Cavallaro of Shawnee Mission sees a future beyond palms where all students are provided with laptops that have access to their textbooks online. “I can see WiFi being provided by the government and being all over the city,” Cavallaro said. “Students could access the
adding it up: the cost of technology Olathe school district individual palm pilot: $309 total spent on palm $736,384.25 pilots in 2006: individual SMART $3,500 board:
Shawnee Mission school district all SMART boards: $21,000
There is no available funding for SMART technology at the moment.
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defined as: district technology. SMART board:
Although similar to a white board, this screen also has a computer inside that connect to both a projector and a monitor. Teachers use these for powerpoints and interactive computer presentations.
This small electronic tablet, a little like AirLiner wireless slate: the screen of a laptop, connects to both
the SMART boards and a “podium” for the slate. Every student in the class can use one simultaneously to make lessons more interactive.
Classroom Performance System:
Consisting of a “handheld student response pad,” the CPS, as it is called, allows students to respond to questions through the electronics without embarassing themselves in front of the
information courtesy of www2.smarttech.com
helpingtheout: East Fund. The East Fund’s money will fund much of the East technology upgrade. Here’s a summary of the Fund and what they try to do for our school. Mission statement: Bring together the diverse community at Shawnee Mission East to:
• Identify the best ways to enhance the educational experience for students and teachers alike, and • Create resources to offer the widest possible range of opportunities for all students and teachers to reach their maximum potential.
What grants they’ve financed so far:
• Shakespeare in the Classroom (Kelly Fast, Michael Pulsinelli: $9,000): paid for Kansas City Repertory Theater actors to come to English 10H classes and teach students acting, script-writing and improvisational skills for “Othello” and “Julius Caesar.” • Lancer Coffee Bistro (Julie Paradise, Colleen Broadwater: $6,000): paid for the supplies and equipment for the soon-to-come Eastcoffee shop, run by the special education students as part of vocational training. • Counseling department website design (Laura Lamb: $2,500): paid for the design of the counseling department website to help parents and students answer questions on their own. The number of counselors decreased, and Lamb felt that this would help the counselors, parents and students cope with the loss of a counselor.
information courtesy of The East Fund
Sept. 18, 2006
logo photos courtesy of Olathe and Blue Valley districts; photos by Rachel Wooldridge
by [bernadette myer]
(continued from page 1) “The entire high school checks out a palm at the beginning of every school year,” said Olathe Northwest principal Gwen Poss. “Some students may only use them in classes like English and others could use them in all their classes.” According to associate principal Steven Loe, East is ahead of the other Shawnee Mission schools in terms of technology because of the East Fund, which is composed of grants and donations. Neighboring districts, however, like Blue Valley and Olathe, exceed Shawnee Mission when it comes to SMART technology. Olathe even provides palm pilots to their students. All of these schools budget differently for these expenses. Blue Valley has a $1 million annual budget for curriculum related technology. If a specific curriculum area requires SMART Technology, then it comes from that fund. Right now, Shawnee Mission has no funding for SMART technology; however, Rich Cavallaro, the district director of Shawnee Mission, said this may change once the digital projector installation project is complete. These projectors will be able to connect to the teacher’s PC and a newly installed DVD/VCR set with a TV. It will be able to project from any of these units onto any surface. This is supposed to be completed by Jan. 2007. “These projectors are not as interactive as SMART boards, but they do provide good resources to learn from,” Loe said. This technology has become an important factor in education. Library Media Specialist Lori Franklin of Olathe East feels SMART technologies are more engaging for students in today’s technology rich environment. “You can place a powerpoint Jeopardy game for math up on the SMART board and students can come up and “hit” the category they are interested in,” said Franklin. “Then they can use their handheld computers to work the formula in the question asked.” Right now, East has six full size SMART boards that were provided for by the East fund. In the Olathe school district, there is SMART technology,which is provided by the district, in every classroom. Every “digital classroom” costs about $3500. “Each teacher has access to a ceiling mounted video projector and either an InterWrite School Pad or a SMART Airliner,” Poss said. The pad and airliner are like handheld SMART boards allowing teachers to access the internet and any document. These devices are projected onto a screen so the whole class can participate. Notes can be taken with on the screen digital ink so that the lesson can be saved and e-mailed directly to the students. SMART technologies are just one of the many advancements schools are acquiring. CPS is not just a program for palms. Normally, it is purchased as a remote control set where students use the remote to answer questions. Cavallaro hopes to start using more of CPS. “I think [CPS] is a good system that can help kids learn how to take tests,” Cavallaro said. The system also allows students, once tests are finished, to compare answers. This also helps the teacher understand why the students are picking those specific answers.
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