Program Overview
In 2012, voters across our district approved a mill levy override that, among other improvements, greatly strengthens our District’s capacity to equip students with 21st century technology tools to give our students a critical advantage. In order to ensure that this investment aligns with instructional priorities and school needs, the Instructional Technology Advisory Committee was convened and tasked with developing a set of recommendations for technology access. From their months of work, the Learning Technology Program was developed.
Teaching and learning is changing. In the past, access to digital resources, while nice, wasn’t a required part of the curriculum. The move to standards based curriculum changes the expectation of access to technology. In fact, if you were to browse our district curriculum documents, you’d find over 150 direct mentions of technology use in every subject from Art to English to Social Studies and Mathematics.
We realized that in order to provide students and teachers with adequate access to digital tools for learning, we needed to think beyond the computer lab model of technology access and provide ways for every teacher and student to access these tools every day. The Learning Technology Program is an attempt to meet the needs of teachers and learners moving forward.
Learning Implications
How will learning change as a result of the LTP?
The use of mobile devices in support of student learning can be powerful. By providing increased access to tablets and other technology resources, teachers and students have opportunities to participate in rich opportunities for learning that can expand beyond the classroom walls. In addition, by providing secondary students with take-home devices, learning can be extended to the home and can include the entire family. Through the Learning Technology Program, students and teachers have the tools they need to investigate, communicate, collaborate, create, model, and explore concepts and content in authentic contexts.
Product details
The Learning Technology Program provides a variety of technology tools for students, including one-to-one iPads and other technologies to support teaching and learning in alignment with the LTP vision.
Education Today: John Couch, VP of Education, Apple Inc.
Don Haddad, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, John Couch, VP of Education for Apple Inc. and Instructional Technology Coordinator, Michelle Bourgeois, discuss technology in schools and the cultural shifts taking place in the corporate world and throughout school districts across the nation.