By Matt Wiley
Technology is changing the way students learn and interact in the classroom. And, thanks to a $1.8-million Digital Classroom Plan Grant from the state, the Hillsborough County School District (HCSD) has been able to purchase and provide 25 laptop computers at more than 100 schools. One of the first to try the new laptops out was the Turner-Bartels K-8 Center, located off Imperial Oak Blvd. in the Live Oak Preserve development in New Tampa.
A Feb. 10 HCSD press release says that thousands more of the 15-inch HP 350, Windows 8-equipped laptop computers will be delivered to a total of 128 schools in the District during the following weeks. Six other schools received laptops in November. The remaining 100 HCSD schools already have laptop carts or computer labs.
However, the students at Turner-Bartels and seven other schools in the District took part in a learning demonstration presentation on Feb. 12 by HCSD technology department staff members. Immediately upon delivery to Turner-Bartels, the 25 laptops were used in the Media Center by Megan Lipinczyk’s fourth grade language arts class.
“We wanted these computers to go from a truck to a table and into students’ hands,” said Sharon Zulli, the School District’s manager of technology, customer service and support during the demo.
Students who participated in the presentation also learned how to use the Bing Classroom search engine (a school-safe version of the popular search engine) and how to collect information from the web using Microsoft OneNote, a program that serves as a “personal binder notebook” on the laptop. So, while students learned how to hone their internet research skills at Turner-Bartels, they also were able to see into several of the other participating classrooms using Microsoft Lync, a video conferencing program. The video of the other classes was projected onto a screen throughout the lesson.
HCSD information technology manager and Certified Microsoft Expert Educator Josh Sawyer led the lesson for the students and instructed them how to use Bing to find out what types of plant seeds are safe to eat and which ones are not. Sawyer showed students how they could search out information, copy and paste it into their “binders” for later use. Each time something is pasted, the program provides the student with a direct link back to the original information online.
“The fact that we’re going to have these laptops in the room and have access to them, it’s just mind-blowing,” said Lipinczyk. “Everyone will have their own device to use, so they’ll be able to work on their own projects. It’s awesome.” And, since the laptops are stored in a mobile charging cart, any teacher at the school can schedule time to use them.
Turner-Bartels principal Jonathan Grantham, Ph.D., said that implementing technology in the classroom is something that he has been pushing for since becoming the new school’s top administrator.
“We’re excited to have these laptops and to give the kids another way to learn,” Dr. Grantham explained. “Our end goal is to have (one of these laptops) in every child’s hands.”
HCSD assistant superintendent of curriculum Denny Oest also was in attendance to watch the students break in the laptops. “It’s amazing seeing the kids interact with the laptops,” Oest said. “What’s also interesting is seeing some of the skills that (the students) already bring with them. Some of them are already very familiar with using the technology.”
Many of the students said that their families have laptops at home, but still were excited to get to use one during school. “You can cut and paste the things that you find on Bing and put them into your ‘Binder’ on OneNote!,” said impressed fourth grader Pranav Kolkarni.
“Wireless computers are new for our school,” said fellow student Chau Phan.
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