1:1 Learning

1:1 Learning at GMHS

At the start of the 2017-2018 school year, Georgetown Middle High School will launch a 1:1 iPad initiative for grades 7, 9, and 10. By the 2019-2020 school year, all students at GMHS will use iPads to support their learning. Students will use iPads in the classroom and at home as part of the learning process. Teachers also have access to several pieces of technology to support their instruction and shift practices to align with the needs of future ready learners.

Goals of the 1:1 Initiative

Adopting a 1:1 program at GMHS fits with several key academic, civic, and social components of the school’s mission statement. Students will use technology for new opportunities to become skilled communicators. They will use diverse media formats to consume and create products aligned to 21st century learning expectations. Using iPads create new opportunities to be contributing members of school and community. Students will have myriad opportunities to use technology as a learning tool and continue to become critical and creative thinkers.

The overall goals of the 1:1 program at GMHS are to:

  1. Provide a device for all students and staff that will create an engaging environment for 21st century learning and prepares them to be independent learners in a connected society.
  2. Provide students with the experiences they will need to develop the skills of communication, collaboration, curation, and creation.
  3. Encourage learning that can happen anywhere, anytime.
  4. Provide students with opportunities to create authentic and meaningful projects that are shared with the Georgetown community.

21st Century Learning

As teaching and learning evolves at GMHS, our students and teachers must find ways to meet the needs of an increasingly globalized society while integrating the skills and tools required for success. In his book, The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner cites the following skills necessary for students to become Global Citizens:

  • Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
  • Agility and adaptability
  • Initiative and entrepreneurialism
  • Effective oral and written communication
  • Accessing and analyzing information
  • Curiosity and imagination

We live in a time where unlimited amounts of information are available anywhere with split second speed to over 2.4 billion internet users. Personal devices that many people carry have the ability to be constantly connected to the internet and used to almost instantaneously answer our questions. Our students can walk the world with a few taps and swipes of their finger. According to www.internetworldstats.com, worldwide internet growth between 2000  and 2012 has been 566.4 percent. A percentage that continues to grow dramatically as internet penetration improves and increases. These dramatic increases can be harnessed to improve and dramatically change the face of education.

The job of the teacher is now transforming from the “sage on the stage” to facilitator of learning where the teacher is more like a coach. Our classrooms are beginning to become more project-based and designed around real-world problems to solve. Students no longer need to memorize statistics, dates and formulas, but now need to use the information they can search for on the internet to think critically, collaborate, communicate and be creative and innovative. The available technology is becoming more dynamic and the software more efficient and effective as we create personal learning networks and begin to integrate constant two-way information streams into our everyday lives that will support and enhance a 1 to 1 environment in our school.

Preparation

Two years ago, MacBook Air laptops were purchased for all teachers and iPads the following year. Teachers participated in professional development for the Apple devices and are now familiar with the Apple platform. With the installation of LCD TVs paired with Apple TVs, the classrooms are now able to project from either the MacBooks or iPads. This allows both teachers and students to present content to the classroom.

Teachers also received professional development from outside consultants as well as in-house experts on how to best integrate technology into their instruction. EdTech Teacher provided two sessions on using powerful apps for all content areas. Liz Marchetti and Sandra Schwarzkopf also presented to staff using their knowledge of technology and Georgetown students to show how a 1:1 program can be best utilized.

Over the summer of 2015 and 2016, the entire technology infrastructure of the school was upgraded. New switches and faster Internet access were added in 2015 and a complete overhaul of the wireless network in 2016. Before these upgrades, staff and students had slow and unreliable connections to the network; they now have reliable high speed wireless access in every classroom.

Georgetown Middle High School now has the infrastructure in place that will support a robust 1:1 environment. A 1:1 program provides students and staff the ability to take full advantage of content on the web and have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips. A 1:1 program will provide the tools needed to truly integrate technology into the classroom in all disciplines. Students will be able to create content collaboratively and create projects that reflect either group or individual learning skills. Students will be able to find real world solutions to local or global issues

Timeline

2015-2017

  • Purchases of new televisions, Apple TVs, MacBook Airs, and iPads for all GMHS staff
  • Upgraded technology and wireless infrastructure of GMHS
  • Site visits to Apple headquarters in New York City and schools already implementing 1:1 iPad programs.
  • Professional development and trainings for teachers on Apple products and technology integration.
  • Meetings with Apple Account Executive and FACTS Management company to determine details of proposal and launch.
  • Presentation  of 1:1 proposal to Georgetown School Committee.
  • Parent informational meeting (January 2017)
  • Families sign up to participate in the 1:1 iPad program (Spring 2017)

2017-2018

  • August/September: Students in grades 7, 9, and 10 receive their iPads to begin the school year.
  • Ongoing professional development and integration support for teachers and staff members.
  • Surveys to students, teachers, and families to assess the progress and success of the 1:1 initiative in its first year.

2018-2019

  • Students in grades 7 and 9 receive their iPads to begin the school year.
  • Ongoing professional development and integration support for teachers and staff members.
  • Surveys to students, teachers, and families to assess the progress and success of the 1:1 initiative in its first year.

2019-2020

  • Students in grade 7 receive their iPad to begin the school year. GMHS will be fully 1:1 by the 2019-2020 school year.
  • Ongoing professional development and integration support for teachers and staff members.
  • Surveys to students, teachers, and families to assess the progress and success of the 1:1 initiative in its first year.

 

Adapted from Hamilton Wenham Regional High School: http://hwrhs.hwschools.net/page.cfm?p=2227