Thursday, April 14, 2011

iPads and SMARTE Design Coming to Manitou

I'm so excited!  Manitou Springs School District 14 is introducing 1:1 technology next year.  That 1:1 technology will be the iPad.

TO SUPPORT EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF 21ST CENTURY INSTRUCTION AND CURRICULUM, Manitou Springs School District will provide an iPad to every student in the 5th through 8th grades for next school year. Teachers have already been using the devices to deliver instruction this year, and with one in the hands of each student, the district will move to the next level of technology integration in education.

The district plans to have select classes at the high school use the devices in 2011- 12 to help prepare for the following school year, when every student in grades 5 through 12 will have their own device.

Students will be able to take the iPads home with them to work collaboratively on projects, do web-based research on their own, OR COMPLETE HOMEWORK.  Learning is no longer confined to the hours of the school day; with today’s technology, it can happen at any hour of the day from anywhere.

How will the iPad change learning at MSMS?  Well, for starters it will increase student participation and engagement.  There are so many interesting  apps available on the iPad that excite and engage learners because of the current information they access and their interactive nature.  Learners are no longer solely consumers of information but producers of content.  Everyone can create on the iPad.  The connectivity and portability of the the iPad allow students to connect with experts and learners anywhere in the world throughout the school day.  They allow for flexible and tailored learning.  Students who struggle to get their thoughts written down on paper have many apps to choose from to make this process less laborious and arrive at the same end result.  We're truly moving to a student centered model of learning.

Additionally, the district will be launching the S.M.A.R.T.E. Design (science, mathematics, art, research, technology, and engineering) program for students in 6th through 12th grades in 2011-12. Students will be receiving rigorous instruction and will be applying skills via team-based projects. The 21st Century student must have extraordinary skills in reading, writing, math and science, along with the ability to
create, design, solve and apply. This program has been created to address the needs of the “whole new child.”

Manitou Springs School District – still growing strong!