District Administration - October 2009 - (Page 30)

Technology Digital Classrooms Take Flight Innovative alternatives are giving the traditional textbook a run for its money. By ron ScHacHTer ive-year-old empire High School, a low-slung, sevenbuilding complex in the foothills east of Tucson, has plenty of new technology, including a one-to-one laptop program for all 850 students and a completely wireless infrastructure powered in part by rooftop solar panels. What it does not have are textbooks, a bold omission designed to focus on arizona’s learning standards, tap the resourcefulness of the school’s teachers, and—according to educators here—fulfill the promise of the new digital environment. it used to be that anyone who made it through the semester without cracking a textbook was supposed to be very brilliant or very lazy. But schools across the country—driven by concerns ranging from the financial to the pedagogical— are changing that stereotype, as they switch from conventional textbooks to electronic versions of the same or online creations of their own. california, acting on a mandate this summer by Gov. arnold Schwarzenegger to save hundreds of millions of dollars on instructional materials, will offer free, downloadable science and math textbooks to schools around the state under what is called the digital Textbook initiative. virginia is in the final stages of producing an online physics textbook. even major educational publishers like Pearson are beginning to sell digital copies of their standard texts at a discount. Schools such as empire, part of the vail (ariz.) School district, are taking matters into their own hands, replacing traditional textbooks for all classes with a combination of computer-based, teacher-generated materials; online subscriptions; and links to free information and activities on the Web. in Jeremy Gypton’s american government class, there’s no turning of pages when he tells the assembled seniors, “Take a look in article ii under ‘Powers and responsibilities’ and find me a rationale for President obama’s appointing all of these ‘czars.’” instead the students turn to their MacBook G4s, the only objects on their desks, and dig into the USconstitution.net Web site—just one of a large array of digital resources that have allowed them to leave textbook learning behind. “i never really relied on textbooks that much anyway. They provide only the thinnest veneer of what we’re studying,” says Gypton, who steers his classes to the aBc-clio social studies database for the background and biographies of famous historical figures traditionally 30 October 2009 District Administration http://www.USconstitution.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2009

District Administration - October 2009
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Security
College Prep
Stimulus Monitor
Administrator Profile
Professional Opinion
Crisis Response
Tech Disruptions
Digital Classrooms Take Flight
Measuring Success in Harrisburg
Reaching Graduation with Credit Recovery
Almost There?
Back to School for Retired Baby Boomers
Problem Solution
New Products
Product Focus
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Understanding the Times

District Administration - October 2009