Putting technology in students’ hands

The principal of the Howell Road Elementary School and the technology teacher for Valley Stream District 13 presented a technology update for the district at the Board of Education Meeting on May 27.

Principal Frank Huplosky and first-year teacher Melissa O’Geary highlighted the use of technology by students in the district, using a Prezi, software made specifically for presentations, to showcase how technology has impacted the 2013-14 academic year and goals for 2014-15.

“We’re trying to more closely mirror what the children are used to when they leave school,” Huplosky said. “Most of our children have access to a computer or tablet or laptop or smart phone once they leave the classroom. We’re trying to provide them with the same technology.”

This year, the district piloted a one-to-one computing program at one classroom in each school, made possible by donations from Comp4Kids, according to O’Geary. In selecting the classroom, Hupolsky said it was determined by finding teachers who wanted to use more technology in the classroom. The pilot is still in the infancy stages and the district will evaluate the use of laptops in the schools.

The students in those classes have access to a computer during the day and returned it to a charging cart when school ends. One of the ideas from District 13 is to get enough computers for one grade level in each of the four elementary schools, but for now, it’s about evaluating the most efficient way to use the technology.

“We don’t have enough laptops to support a one-to-one computing program for a grade level, not at this point,” Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund said. “What will be the best way to do this with the computers that we currently have?”

Board of Education Trustee Frank Chiachiere asked Hupolsky why the board should support the one-to-one initiative and Hupolsky said that children who have access to the computers are working on projects and can have the computer at any given time, because the students are used to that outside of the classroom. “With this generation of students, it’s much more natural to them that they can just quickly access information instead of just waiting their turn to rotate onto a computer system,” Hupolsky said.

Board President Sean Douglas asked about the plans to help the teachers’ development in using the technology. O’Geary said that she makes herself available to all teachers involved in the one-to-one program. “I go in on a regular basis to check on them,” she said, “to check on the hardware as well to just support them on various lessons that they are looking to put forth.”