By J. Zack Rosenfeld
News Editor
Mira Costa Principal Ben Dale presented a Manhattan Beach Unified School District plan to add more interactive technology in classrooms to Mira Costa teachers and staff during department meetings on April 20.
The plan includes a projection system or SMART board in every classroom by next year along with a document camera. The administration will also run a pilot program next school year for a number of teachers to have a class set of 35 iPod Touches and an Apple computer to utilize new technology to teach in classrooms.
“This stuff is absolutely amazing,” Dale said while showing an interactive Algebra 1-2 textbook on the iPad. “These new products are now viable instructional tools for teachers that will benefit students tremendously.”
The administration has already chosen eight teachers to use an Apple iPad for the remaining two months of the school year in order to test the devices’ capabilities and spread the word to other teachers next year who may want to consider using one as well.
“Think of all of the applications on the iPad,” Dale said. “For example, we can have a student’s English portfolio be instantly published to the internet. This changes how we do everything.”
The administration will also be installing wireless internet connection throughout campus. According to Dale, by the next school year, there will be 100 wireless internet access points on the Mira Costa campus.
“I think that it’s really going to put Costa on par with other schools in the world in terms of technology available and increase the educational experience,” junior Connor Toscano said.
Dale says the program will receive funds from community support, such as donations from the Parent Teacher Association and Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and technology grants.
“I believe that people will hear about what were are trying to install into Mira Costa and get excited and want to come forward with money to be a part of this,” Dale said.
According to a handout passed out to the Mira Costa staff, the MBUSD hopes to be 95 percent paperless in these selected classrooms by the 2012-13 school year. Dale is already taking steps to cut costs in the paper budget, which currently reaches up to $20,000.
“Our lease with our printer company was up so instead of signing a five-year lease we decided to sign a one-year lease to cut costs and because we simply don’t need to waste the money on it long term if we are going to make major changes in the short term,” Dale said.
Some teachers on campus are not pleased with the way the administration has mapped out these new technology plans.
“Any major change to a classroom is going to present complexity, thinking in advance, and careful planning,” English teacher Shawn Chen said. “We have not necessarily been told the entire process for this change and don’t feel included in this process.”
Chen believes there needs to be a policy for the teachers who receive the Apple devices in their classrooms so the teacher knows the liability of having them in the class in case they are broken or stolen. She also dislikes the devotion to one company’s product.
“I think that Costa is notorious for theft, and, thus, if the opportunity is presented, they will hack and steal,” Toscano said.
Dale hopes to have these changes in the next few years so that the current elementary school and middle school students will also be able to benefit from these improvements.
“Look at current elementary school students, and look at our current students at Mira Costa,” Dale said. “These kids will experience a different way of teaching than the present Mira Costa student body within the next four to five years.”
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