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Technology rich classrooms implemented at Centre

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

"Changing the way teachers teach, changing the way students learn, and changing the way student learning is demonstrated and assessed."

That's the description designers give the Technology Rich Classrooms program to be introduced this fall in the fifth and sixth grade classrooms at Centre USD 397.

On June 12, the board of education approved purchases totaling $8,596 for items needed for the project.

According to technician Russ Hake, the district already had most of the required technology. Additional purchases include four laptop computers, a projector, software for the new program, and a color printer.

The board also approved an expenditure of $17,000 to train and coach two or three instructors. The training will include expert assistance in the classroom once a week and additional teacher training once a month.

Before the decision to proceed with Technology Rich Classrooms, the board held a video-conference with Lisa Blair of the Greenbush Education Service Center in southeast Kansas, which is promoting the program.

She said the program has been implemented in several other schools, and instructors involved in it have provided positive feedback. They say the program actively engages students in learning, promotes critical thinking, and creates excitement in the classroom.

Centre instructors Marci Cain, sixth grade teacher, and Tana Riffel, fifth grade teacher, are taking 40 hours of training in Peabody this summer in a program called Intel Teach to the Future.

They plan to use that training this fall when Technology Rich Classrooms is implemented in their classrooms.

Riffel said she is excited about the new program. She said the new teaching method stimulates students' thinking and makes effective use of technology.

One of the things students will learn is how to judge websites for accuracy when doing research on a subject.

The new method won't be used in all subjects right away and will be interspersed with traditional teaching.

Other technology purchased

Along with the Technology Rich Classroom purchase, the board approved several other technology purchases for the 2006-07 fiscal year.

A total of $4,494 was approved for items for the new science room, including a projector and interactive whiteboard. (A whiteboard is an electronic blackboard.)

A new server and projector mount were purchased for $1,003.

The board also approved a purchase in October of 24 laptop computers along with a laptop cart for $20,711.25. Most of the money for that purchase will come from renewal of a technology grant.

The total investment in all new technology items is $34,804.25.

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