WSD Board Ponders 21st Century Learning with $7M Price Tag

(WSD) board members are divided on how to meet educational technology goals that bridge the “digital divide” and foster 21st Century Learning skills for students.

A “1:1” plan presented to board members calls for giving every secondary student a computer to bridge the digital divide for students who do not have a computer, and enhance learning for all.  

Collaboration, cooperation and problem solving are fundamentals of the 1:1 program President Obama “blessed,” said WSD’s Director of Technology, John McGowan IV. “Fortune 500 companies are looking for people with these skills for living in the “flat world,” a reference to globalization of the marketplace, McGowan said.   

The $6.8 million, five-year plan would place netbooks in the hands of each 6th-12th grade student, pay for “behind the scenes infrastructure, teaching, training, and replacement of the fleet starting in year four of the plan.”

McGowan envisions giving two grades per year netbooks, possibly sixth graders and ninth graders, and continuing the process annually until all secondary students have netbooks.

Students would keep their laptops with them throughout the day for all of their classes, said McGowan.  It is unclear whether students would be allowed to take home netbooks.  McGowan said Internet access could be provided throughout the district for students to do homework.

Some board members want proof that funding the program will increase student achievement. 

WSD spent $1.6 million for 1,630 Macbooks, full-size laptops.  They were purchased on a rolling basis beginning in 2007, and the fleet needs to be replaced. McGowan would like to sell older Macs online for $100 a piece to recoup some money for the district.

Netbooks are smaller than the full-size laptops, and cost $300 – one-third the cost of Macbooks, said McGowan.  The netbooks and carts to house them would cost $1.6 million.

The five-year plan calls for purchasing:

• 3,680 netbooks
• 650 full-size laptops for teachers to run more powerful programs
• 418 desktop computers
• 223 projectors.

A Dell netbook scored highest when students and teachers tested three netbook models. McGowan said it is rugged and fits educational purposes.  Students were also observed using different netbooks in classrooms to help determine which netbook worked best. 

McGowan told the board he is “looking for concept approval” of the plan to meet part of the strategic plan: to produce individuals who are “technology proficient,” and use such skills in learning to broaden themselves, the district’s web site states.

Some board members want costs justified before committing to the 1:1 program.  They wonder whether PSSA scores will improve. Others said test scores may not increase across the board, but personal student achievement may improve.

One Wissahickon High School English teacher gets 100 percent student participation during classroom discussions by using the netbooks, McGowan said.

Anthony Gabriele places several students at a time in the “fish bowl,” in the center of the room to discuss questions aloud.  The rest of the class responds online to “fish bowl" comments. McGowan said those who might not speak up in class are contributing to their learning by participating online. 

During the September 12 school board meeting, newly appointed board member Eugene Murphy said, “We have to spend money.”  But, he said, “ I want clear objectives and goals, measurements and reporting, otherwise it will be just reporting.”  He told board members he has a 25-year work history in technology and asked for time to review the plan.

Board member Janice Singer responded that a direct correlation may not be seen between test scores and using individual computers.  But, she said, “Technology is the language of the world we live in. Being in the Information Age without tools puts children at a huge disadvantage.”

Singer told board members “intangibles” must be considered as benefits, such as preparing students to enter the wired work world.

She said whether students attend college, become police officers or work in restaurants, they all use technology.

Board chairman Young Park said WSD is lagging behind other school districts.  Upper Merion and Lower Merion provide laptops for all students. 

Board member Seth Grant responded, “I’m not sold yet on 1:1 classrooms; don’t know whether it’s appropriate.” 

Barbara Moyer, a board member, asked, “How will we pay for the initiative? I’d like to see what we’ve spent on technology in the last five years.”

Board member Richard Stanton expressed concern about being locked into a five-year plan because technology changes quickly.  He wanted to know how the netbooks would “link with educational goals.”

Stanton also said he would like to “leave the door open” if better tools become available because “there has been a lot of change in the past two years.”

McGowan said it is hard to develop an educational plan without the board approving the concept.  He said teachers have to see the capabilities of the netbooks during training and, he envisions them developing learning modules based on the technology available to them.

Singer told Patch the board has “been batting around this idea four years.”   During the meeting she told board members they need to commit to the concept, and know that it can be changed.  She added that technology “is not a fad, not a bonus.  It’s a must.”

Board member Burunda Prince-Jones heads the Curriculum/Technology Committee and she told board members, “This is not a leap of faith; there’s been a lot of ground work done” [on the 1:1 plan]. 

McGowan told Patch he has talked with people across the country about 1:1 to learn what works and what does not work.  “We have to try it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll be flexible.”

Reasons other districts’ 1:1 programs did not work include:

• The district bought computers and other things, but did not train teachers.
• Promises were made about state achievement tests and the school district “could not deliver.”
• Some districts were “rigid.”

McGowan said WSD's 1:1 plan can be “fluid.”

Park told the board, “At some point we have to say, ‘This is a fact of life.  It has to be sooner, but flexible.’”

Prince-Jones told board members, “This is a new trail we’re trying to blaze.  At some point we want to be on the leading edge, rather than falling behind.  If we promote achievement of all students, we have to work on it, agree on a time to start, and work out the bugs with thoughtful analysis.”