Changing the landscape

By Philip Navarrette/reporter@trcle.com

April 21, 2008 06:58 pm

— GODLEY — Godley ISD is taking learning to a 21st century level. This year, the district began incorporating technology into its classrooms on a level beyond what almost about any other district is doing, Superintendent Paul Smithson said.
“This is completely driven by the teachers and students,” he said. “We’re really leading the way here.”

Changing the landscape of learning
Years ago, the district researched learning trends and found that students aren’t learning the way they used to, Smithson said. Children today are visual learners, using technology such as TV and computers to absorb material. The scenario is much different from the generations of students who learned with a teacher standing at the front of the class lecturing, Smithson said.
With students using new methods to take in information, it’s easy to understand how some have to “power down” their brains to make the adjustment to learning from a textbook or a teacher speaking to the class, Smithson said.
“Students today learn in 5-7 minute increments, and they’re using technology to do it,” he said. “Some students can’t learn any other way. You take all that away, and they’re lost.”
With that in mind, the district put together teacher and student committees to find out how to best use technology in the classrooms.
“It’s not really about technology,” director of technology Jimmy Smith said. “It’s about us changing our teaching methods to help the students.”

Adding over time
The district incorporated several new pieces of technology in past years, adding more and more as time went on, Financial Director Monica Irvin said.
“We started with one thing and built upon it,” she said.
Unlike other districts that receive grants for tech upgrades, Godley had to set aside money from its personal budget to pay for much of its technology.
“While all teachers in the district have data projectors, student computers and various other technologies in their classrooms, the major objective this year has been on the high school and middle school,” according to a district press release.
Smith said it is typically harder to keep older students engaged in learning than younger students at the elementary level. As students move through the grades, they’re introduced to more and more technology, he said.
To keep students learning, the district installed a comprehensive media distribution system that is found no where else in North Texas, Smith said. Other school districts have simpler setups in their classrooms, Smith said, but none are as far-reaching as Godley’s.
From a push-button panel at the front of the classroom, a teacher can choose to present videos from the school’s library, the Internet, the classroom’s computer or a DVD/VCR player. The setup also gives classrooms access to DirecTV’s educational learning channels, document cameras and another laptop, should the teacher need to be mobile during a multimedia presentation. Presentations are broadcast through high-quality projectors mounted on the ceiling.
The system allows two-way audio and visual communication, Smith said. It can be used for morning announcements or emergency weather announcements, and it lets classes view happenings miles away.
Smith said the system has already been used to communicate with troops in Iraq during the holiday season, watch live NASA operations and even watch a walk-through of an autopsy for a science class.
“It’s like a virtual field trip,” Smith said.
GHS math teacher Cindy Ikey used the system to record an entire lesson for her students when she knew she would be out of work one day. The lesson included audio, as if she were still in the classroom, and visuals of her working through example problems.
“The students really seemed to like it,” she said.

Other tools of the hi-tech trade
Godley ISD also incorporated other technological wonders for its classrooms, including Interwrite boards that work like hi-tech tablets.
The wireless boards are connected to a computer and can act as a mouse to allow teachers to move around the classroom while using audio-visual system during a lesson. They can also be used as a writing tool that appears on the classroom screen, turning the system into a virtual chalkboard.
“This is one of the neatest things we’ve gotten, and I really enjoy it,” Ikey said.
Students agreed that the Interwrite boards add to the learning environment.
“Those things are the bomb,” sophomore Tara Goodloe said. Students can take turns using it, then pass it around, making it fun for everybody, she said.
“Chalk boards are so 1995,” junior Chris Galindo said. “Technology is big now with kids. It’s cool to bring that into teaching.”
“It’s definitely a big help,” freshman Katy Reynolds said.
Students said they enjoy using answer clickers in classrooms, which let students answer a multiple choice question in class and see digitally how many were right or wrong.
Science classes also have access to wireless probe readers that can measure all sorts of things, such as speed, air pressure, temperature, sound and voltage.
“The great thing about these is that they’re portable and durable,” GHS science teacher Janet Trammell said. “The ease of use has been one of the biggest benefits.”
Trammell plans to take the hand-held instruments to Six Flags later this year so students can take readings while riding roller coasters.
“These students are like kids in a candy store with this stuff,” GHS Principal Rich Dear said. “They love it.”
The district incorporates several computer programs to make things easier for students, parents and teachers. Educational programs let students learn while rewarding them for right answers on quizzes. The Skyward online program does many jobs, letting teachers post grades, discipline reports and other comments for students and parents. It also controls the district finances, from a student’s cafeteria account to payroll for employees.
“Skyward is a huge time saver,” Irvin said. “I love it. It’s a very efficient program.”

The gatekeepers of technology
Incorporating new technology starts with the teachers, Smith said. Every teacher in the district must complete Teacher Technology Competency Certification from the Region XI Educational Service Center within two years of employment. The certification takes 50-100 hours of outside classroom work and certifies that a teacher meets the highest levels of competency standards established by the state, Smith said.
GMS science teacher and track coach Bob Meason said that when he heard about the requirement for technology training, he was against it.
“I’m just an old-school kind of teacher,” he said.
But after being certified and incorporating some of the technology into his lessons, he doesn’t know what he did without it.
“It’s really good,” he said. “It used to be just me at the front talking, whereas now the presentation includes myself and the computer. I fought against it at first, but they set the monster loose now.”
Teachers are required to have a class Web site, and students work on the Internet, gathering information on lessons and projects, Meason said.
“They love it. They’re always asking for more computer work,” he said.
Using the technology, teachers act more like guides rather than lecturers, Smith said.
“Coach was reluctant at first, but now he sees all the great things going on,” GHS Principal David Williams said. “It’s great that there’s 21st century learning going on. These students are the digital natives.”
“I’m so proud of our teachers for the training they’ve done,” Smithson said. “I don’t think any district in the state has such high standards on technology training.”
Smith said the long-term plan is to eventually see these kinds of technologies in every classroom of every campus in the district, but for now he’s pleased with what’s been done.
“We’re really proud of all the technology in the district,” he said.

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