Keeping Pace with Technology at SAD # 36

Darren J. Akerman
Supervisor of Instruction

We live in a fast-changing world, and nothing defines that change as much as technology. It has become an integral part of our lives—from cell phones to home computers to G.P.S. systems. From an educational perspective, technology has created opportunities that were never imagined twenty years ago. At SAD # 36, we believe that our students must be prepared to compete in a global market economy, and one critical tool is having the technological skills to solve problems, navigate enormous amounts of data, and collaborate with others.

If it sounds strange to see first graders put on their headphones and log into their Compass learning accounts at Livermore Elementary School’s Computer lab, you might understand their enthusiasm if you look closely at that educational software program. Compass Learning is designed as an intervention program in all subject areas. It provides flash-animated ‘game-style’ learning that allows students advance only when they have demonstrated mastery of a given concept, i.e., 3rd grade multiplication, etc. Compass Learning is also a great way for teachers to reinforce skills, to review important concepts, and to keep accurate running records about each child’s progress. Moreover, Compass Learning is compatible with N.W.E.A., our new on-line assessment program, which provides immediate feedback and detailed individual information for teachers so that they can use the data to ‘inform instruction.’ In other words, when teachers have the ability to track learning trends in their classroom, identify academic deficiencies, and ‘plug’ students into the individualized practice they need in order to succeed; this is far preferable to the industrial age educational model of ‘one-size-fits-all.’

With the implementation of the M.L.T.I. program in schools (Maine Laptop Technology Initiative), our middle and high school students have the opportunity to use technology to enhance their learning. On-line research and technological applications that include multi-media presentations underscore a regular part of contemporary learning, and students who have facility with a variety of applications can produce sophisticated electronic products that demonstrate their knowledge. Our most critical yearly assessment, the Maine Educational Assessment (M.E.A.) is offered on-line, affording students an array of technological tools to assist them. The scope and sequence of M.L.T.I. is too broad to consider at length in this article, so please take a look at the M.L.T.I. link. We are especially pleased to have Mr. Wilbur Shardlow take charge of this program at S.A.D. 36.

With the implementation of Mimio boards in all our schools, teachers can use the internet as a large-scale presentation screen, make digital notes, and use templates such as graphs, charts, and maps. With the click of an electronic stylus, students can see educational websites, participate in multi-media presentations, and print out the teacher’s precise notes. Most recently, we have initiated Virtual High School, an on-line educational offering that goes well beyond the regular time constraints of a school day because it is synchronous, occurring not in ‘real’ time, but when the student logs in to begin work. The number of courses is extraordinary, as is the content. We have also installed an A.T.M. (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) classroom, which will enable students to take real-time classes and attend virtual fieldtrips.

At SAD 36, we take pride in keeping pace with technology, preparing our students for the 21st century with the skills they need, and creating an educational environment that is rich, varied, and accessible.

We have learned from educational theorists that learning is a complex, dynamic process that varies widely between all people. With the advent of Multiple Intelligences—the schema of eight identified intelligences (or ways of knowing) that include such domains as spatial, musical, as well as mathematical and linguistic, technology can help educators reach out to those intelligences. Consider the multi-media capabilities of a computer—the ability to use video, audio, and navigate the Internet. That goes a long way toward acknowledging the dominant intelligences one possesses.

Darren J. Akerman
Supervisor of Instruction