By Carina Glasser
Photographer
Mira Costa classrooms are finally catching up with the current age of technology. New technological devices will be introduced in the classroom this fall.
Devices such as iPads, Macbook Pros and SMART Boards will be used as part of a program to expand students’ learning experiences. Wireless internet will be available in the library, along with 100 other access points around campus.
“Technology innovation moves very quickly now and old acquisition and implementation models simply do not work anymore,” Principal Ben Dale said.
The district will use the 2011-12 school year as a pilot program for the new technology at Costa. Four sets of 35 iPads will be available for student use on campus. Certain teachers will also use Macbook Pros and Smart Boards, which are large, interactive white-boards, to determine whether they will augment teaching strategies and improve students’ learning.
“If teachers utilize the boards to their fullest potential, the classroom has the potential to improve the way we learn astronomically,” sophomore Ron Yadin said.
SMART Boards are stimulated by a finger, digital pen or any other solid object. Because of this, teachers can pull lessons from the computer to the board where students can interactively learn. From there, changes made on the board can be transferred back to the computer.
“I greatly appreciate that Dale is pushing the new devices for academic reform instead of for the aesthetic appeal of the school,” senior Johnny North said.
Dale is pushing for this new addition at Costa because he believes the current technology on campus is broken-down and outdated. Students increasingly complain about the speed and quality of the computers and printers in the library.
“I believe that the computers available in the library are convenient but frustrating to use,” junior Jessica Tondo said. “At times when students need to get their class assignments done quickly or need to accomplish a large amount of work, it’s difficult to do so when the printers and computers run at such a slow pace.”
With this technology available at school, students believe classrooms will be more enjoyable and a better learning environment.
“I think that it would be beneficial to add new technology to the school because the grading process could be a lot easier,” sophomore April Barajas said. “Students would be less stressed about getting their grades.”
Ideally, if the district’s technology over haul is successful, traditional slideshow presentations will become a lesson tool of the past generations.
“The technology will be of more efficient use than anything we have so far,” Tondo said.
Not only does the district hope these tools will enhance the learning experience for the students, but it believes it will also help teachers and other staff members stay organized and in-touch with students.
Dale believes that using SMART Boards, iPads and Macbook Pros will provide Mira Costa’s staff with a new and more effective approach to communicate with and teach students.
“I hope to put a tool in the hands of teachers and students that they will use to enhance instruction and learning,” Dale said.
In addition to the use of the school’s wireless internet and iPads, Dale is looking to utilize mobile devices that students already have, such as cellular telephones, in the classroom.
“Using cell phones is inefficient because repurposing technology is difficult to accomplish with something as established as the cell phone,” sophomore Yuan Wang said. “Students will be very distracted in class.”
These new electronics will be paid for with money from grants, donations from the community and savings from the school’s general fund.
“In order to keep up, we have to stay out in front,” Dale said. “Some teachers either want us to fix what we have or have doubts about their coworkers’ abilities to use new technology.”
Four of the five Smart Boards have arrived and the last is on its way. This device will be used at the start of the 2011-12 school year.
“I think it will benefit the teachers and the students,” sophomore Chris Golden said. “It will make information readily available and prepare for future jobs that incorporate technology.”
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