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The idea for this post comes from my recent one about Eriks progress and how the local disctrict has gone out of their way to support kids like him.
Basically in 1994 our district (Romulus, MI USA) went "out of forumla" meaning not accepting Federal and State matching funds. This allows them to not follow the "strings" (guidelines) that come with accepting those monies.
This lets them do things their own way, which here means better supporting the kids with high techologies and advanced teaching methods they could never do under the State/Federal guidelines. To help implement this we passed a $45 million USD bond issue to do the initial technology and school upgrades plus a small tax increase to pay the cost of continuing operations.
Here's how it works;
Each elementary has several CAIC's (Computer Aided Instructional Classroom) with 45 workstations each plus the teachers workstation. 4 classrooms share each CAIC on a scheduled basis. Here the teacher can assign tutorials, administer tests etc. and monitor the kids work and scores on their workstation.
Most testing is done in the CAIC's. Kids are also taught how to IM the teacher when they have questions so there is a minimum of distraction. Each CAIC is fiber networked to its classrooms and they all share a file server which is availble from the classroom computers (about 12/classroom + the teachers workstation). The district also contracts with outside internet educational sites to provide online materials for use at home to support the in-school programs.
The elementaries also have a centralized "media lab" where the kids produce their own classroom programs which can be played on any classrooms projection TV under the teachers control. The teacher can also set up VCR's, DVD decks etc. for classroom playback of educational materials or satellite TV broadcasts they wish to use as supplemental materials.
The middle school (grades 7 and 8) classrooms all look like CAIC's but in addition to that they also have an advanced general workshop, "technology lab" (read robotic arms, a small CIC etc.), CAD/CAM, video lab etc. Classrooms here are also fiber networked to a media center, etc.
The high school looks like a tech college; highly computerized math and business labs, a culinary program, full auto/machine/wood shops, a video production lab anyone in the Video Editing forum would kill to have etc. etc. Again everything is fiber networked.
In addition to this all the schools in the district and the administrative offices are tied together over a fiberoptic network and there is an internet link for parents.
Wish they had this stuff when I went to school
This caused quite a rukus in the educational community back in 1994 and continues to do so. Our district is constantly being visited by representatives of districts all over the nation plus local and other companies interested in local education and its effect on their staffing. Everyone seems very impressed.
Any other districts out there set up like this?
Dr. Mordrid
Basically in 1994 our district (Romulus, MI USA) went "out of forumla" meaning not accepting Federal and State matching funds. This allows them to not follow the "strings" (guidelines) that come with accepting those monies.
This lets them do things their own way, which here means better supporting the kids with high techologies and advanced teaching methods they could never do under the State/Federal guidelines. To help implement this we passed a $45 million USD bond issue to do the initial technology and school upgrades plus a small tax increase to pay the cost of continuing operations.
Here's how it works;
Each elementary has several CAIC's (Computer Aided Instructional Classroom) with 45 workstations each plus the teachers workstation. 4 classrooms share each CAIC on a scheduled basis. Here the teacher can assign tutorials, administer tests etc. and monitor the kids work and scores on their workstation.
Most testing is done in the CAIC's. Kids are also taught how to IM the teacher when they have questions so there is a minimum of distraction. Each CAIC is fiber networked to its classrooms and they all share a file server which is availble from the classroom computers (about 12/classroom + the teachers workstation). The district also contracts with outside internet educational sites to provide online materials for use at home to support the in-school programs.
The elementaries also have a centralized "media lab" where the kids produce their own classroom programs which can be played on any classrooms projection TV under the teachers control. The teacher can also set up VCR's, DVD decks etc. for classroom playback of educational materials or satellite TV broadcasts they wish to use as supplemental materials.
The middle school (grades 7 and 8) classrooms all look like CAIC's but in addition to that they also have an advanced general workshop, "technology lab" (read robotic arms, a small CIC etc.), CAD/CAM, video lab etc. Classrooms here are also fiber networked to a media center, etc.
The high school looks like a tech college; highly computerized math and business labs, a culinary program, full auto/machine/wood shops, a video production lab anyone in the Video Editing forum would kill to have etc. etc. Again everything is fiber networked.
In addition to this all the schools in the district and the administrative offices are tied together over a fiberoptic network and there is an internet link for parents.
Wish they had this stuff when I went to school
This caused quite a rukus in the educational community back in 1994 and continues to do so. Our district is constantly being visited by representatives of districts all over the nation plus local and other companies interested in local education and its effect on their staffing. Everyone seems very impressed.
Any other districts out there set up like this?
Dr. Mordrid