Students and staff at Hamilton Avenue and Riverside schools are gearing up for the latest stage of the district’s Digital Learning Environment initiative, with all pupils at the two schools set to receive iPads on Feb. 5 for their coursework.
The iPad delivery will follow last month’s distribution of the Apple devices to teachers. They are already using their iPads in the classroom. For instance, teachers can use a program to project their iPad screens onto classroom Smart Boards.
“We purposefully created a staggered implementation where we wanted to have staff who were trained and have some facility around standardized practices and utilizing some of our district-issued tools,” said Phillip Dunn, the district’s director of digital learning and technology. “Once they feel comfortable and well-practiced, they can educate and help the students with these digital-learning best practices.”
Kindergartners and first-graders will not take their iPads home. Pupils in grades two through five will be allowed to take the iPads home only after completing a digital citizenship course, which will “support students in the safe, ethical, legal and constructive” use of their iPads. Filters on the iPads will block students from accessing inappropriate sites. As an additional protection, district officials say they expect parents to monitor their children’s iPad use.
Each student’s iPad will come with an installed digital toolbox of apps. Related academic resources will be stored in Schoology, the district’s curriculum and instructional management system.
The district will offer an opt-out provision for parents who do not want their child to bring their iPad home, but they will have to confirm that their child will have access to the digital toolbox apps on an electronic device outside school to complete assignments.
Implementation
The iPad deployment comprises a crucial part of the Digital Learning Environment initiative, a three-year districtwide project to increase the use of technology in the classroom. District officials say the heightened focus on technology will enable teachers to better tailor lessons to each student based on progress and help students adapt to the new Common Core Standards.
The Board of Education approved the initiative in April 2013.
Implementation during the current school year at Hamilton Avenue and Riverside marks the project’s first phase, costing $1.2 million. Hamilton Avenue was chosen because it is a school seeking to improve general academic performance, while Riverside consistently leads the elementary schools in scholastic-performance measures, such as standardized test scores.
“It’s a new, very cutting-edge initiative,” said Cynthia Womack, Hamilton Avenue’s principal. “Considering that there are not a lot of models out there, I think we’re doing well, and there’s a lot of promise. The iPads offer a lot of novelty for children. They’re excited, and that’s important. We know it’s going to pique their interest, which will lead to them being more engaged in their learning.”
In the next school year, Digital Learning will expand to sixth grade in the district’s three middle schools. Then, in the 2015-16 school year, it will grow to encompass the other middle-school grades, the other elementary schools and Greenwich High School.
District educators believe Digital Learning will enhance the academic experience for high-achieving students, drive better performance by “middle achiever” students and catalyze improvement among struggling pupils.
The initiative’s goals include helping students to “self-regulate” or independently manage their own learning by using tools offered in digital curricula. In addition, educators say the technology should enable teachers to provide better feedback to each student on his or her work and craft personalized lessons going forward. Working with the devices should also prepare students to take the new Common Core-aligned standardized tests, which will be administered online.
“We’re systemizing personalization,” Dunn said. “All students in a class will have the same skills developed, but they will arrive at that point in a number of different ways.”
Hamilton Avenue and Riverside students will use their iPads in a variety of subjects and disciplines. Possible assignments involving the Apple devices include requiring students to create a public service announcement for an environmental cause; create presentations with sound and video on colonial America; and complete math problems on the equivalence of fractions, which would be scored immediately. Students would then receive subsequent problems tailored to their level of progress.
Staff development
Digital Learning also entails substantial teacher education. Hamilton Avenue and Riverside teachers are scheduled to complete about 43 hours of Digital Learning-related professional development during the current school year. Most of that is to come in full-day group sessions every two months.
“It is really exciting — the teachers have been doing a lot of learning on their own,” said Christopher Weiss, Riverside’s principal. “They talk in groups online and share resources. Teachers from both schools are coming together, sharing resources and making connections. It’s a really good model for collaboration and learning best practices.”
To further support Digital Learning, the district is making substantial upgrades to its information technology. In addition to the general $1.2 million allotment for Phase I, it has allocated this fiscal year about $600,000 for Wi-Fi infrastructure improvements, which covers the expansion of Wi-Fi capability to all 11 elementary schools.
“We are transitioning from one model where students are using 700 computers at once to a model where [eventually] almost 7,000 students and staff at varying points in day will be using computers at once,” Dunn said. “And the resources to support the transition have not grown by a factor of 10, or even a factor of two. That’s a testament to our teachers, administrators, coaches, business office and IT staff. That’s how good our people are.”
Evaluation
Assessing student and faculty progress in the Digital Learning framework comprises a top goal — and also a considerable challenge. The district will use a number of approaches, including online assessments, surveys of students and staff, and reviews of student projects.
The district has assembled several advisory committees that include administrators, parents and students to oversee Digital Learning.
School board members also play a crucial role in the direction of Digital Learning. Dunn delivered a presentation on the initiative at the board’s meeting on Thursday at district headquarters.
“If they are able to master the content, can they go to a higher level?” asked Jennifer Dayton, the board’s vice chairman.
Dunn replied that Digital Learning would offer a learning progression, with “a universe of challenging content and analysis available to students.”
Board members are also focused on a number of technical questions.
“Are we looking at building a digital toolbox that is operating system-independent?” asked Peter Sherr. “If we wanted to flip from Apple, and we wanted to move to Android, have you selected everything that is completely changeable?”
Dunn replied that the district is moving towards “platform independence.”
District administrators plan continual assessment of Digital Learning. A major report on Phase I is set for a June publication.
Hamilton Avenue and Riverside parents, as well as parents from other schools and other community members, have also expressed a keen interest in Digital Learning’s development.
“I am thrilled that Hamilton Avenue School was designated one of the two initial centers of digital learning for the district,” Allison Radzin, Hamilton Avenue’s PTA president, said in an email. “We have a tradition of innovative teaching and pro-active utilization of technology at Ham Ave, and it was gratifying that [Superintendent of Schools] Dr. [William] McKersie recognized that when he selected our school to be part of this initiative.”
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