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The
Setting:
Our 2000 Technology Committee made a decision,
upon several presentations by the Science Department, to boost technology integration
throughout the school by extending student access to computers beyond the
computer lab site.
The plot: The biggest challenge during the planning phase was
assessing the benefits of going with this option for the entire school versus
other technology options. We overcame this by gathering feedback from other
schools, attending technology conferences, investigating best practices
nationwide. The biggest challenge
during implementation was managing the circulation schedule of the mobile
lab. This was a challenge because the increasing demand for it creates
occasional scheduling conflicts. This is aggravated by the differences in
laptop capabilities (i.e., the first generation does not perform as well as
the later ones. Some of the laptops are now less than a year old and others
are five years old.) We overcame this by implementing and improving a
scheduling system, regularly communicating with teachers. Also the
flexibility of the teachers was a great help.
The teachers: 37
teachers were directly involved.
The
students: This project
offers increased, flexible access to computer-based activities to students in
the classroom. With an average class size of 15 students, one cart allows for
whole class activities. Certain courses are now offered on a regular basis,
such as CAD, Audio Engineering and Student Year Book design, in addition to
those regularly offered by the IT Department in its own lab.
The
data:
We measured the use of the laptop cart. The reservation schedule for this cart
shows that it is used during about 80% of school time.
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