Will test iPad, iPhone use in classroom
Starting this fall, the rules about technology will change for some St. Charles Parish students.
The public schools plan to start a pilot program in August that will permit students in certain chosen classes to bring their personal iPods, iPads, e-readers, smart phones and more to school for educational purposes.
“The more forward-thinking districts are moving towards using more 21st century skills,” said Colleen Charles, director of instructional technology for the schools. “We’ve already started. We already know our students are using these devices at home – we want it to transfer from home to school and from school back to home.”
The program would aim to incorporate the devices into daily lesson plans.
Stephanie Steib, director of information technology services for the district, said that there is a lot of interest from principals and faculty but the program needs to be started in small test groups to work out any problems.
“We still have a ways to go – we need to train all teachers to feel comfortable with the technology,” Steib said.
Steib said that the goal of the program is to teach the responsible use of technology to students.
Some School Board members expressed concern over how to enforce rules about technology on personally-owned devices, but Steib said the program’s focus will be on responsible instruction and that any problems would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s going to be a challenge to maintain control…and not stymie progress,” said board member Alex Suffrin.
“We have to pursue it – it enhances learning,” said Dennis Naquin, another board member.
Steib said that the program has been in the works for about two or three years. She said that the central office administration will meet with principals and educators to decide which schools will be a part of the program’s first year.
Steib said that the administration will reconvene in November of this year to look at how the program has progressed and to decide how to move forward.
No specific schools or classes have been chosen yet, but Steib said that those picked will have teachers and administrators who are trained to use the electronics. She said that 120 teachers in the district have already been trained for iPods and that iPads are already being used in special education courses.
Look towards future with ambitious construction list
A list of new ideas for future construction projects was discussed at the School Board’s Capital Improvements Committee meeting on Monday.
The list included new wings at Destrehan High School, Hahnville High, Albert Cammon Middle, Norco Elementary and Luling Elementary. It also included a new performing arts center for the district, a gym addition at Albert Cammon Middle and field house renovations at both high schools.
John Rome, director of physical plant services, said that the list is strictly preliminary and that none of the projects have been approved or planned by the School Board.
“They are just ideas – nothing concrete,” Rome said.
Architects and engineers will look into the projects to see how feasible they are, including estimated costs, locations, measurements and more.
“Without realistic numbers, we can’t do anything,” said John Robichaux, School Board member.
Architects are expected to return to the board in September with ideas on the projects.
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