“Technology is pretty prevalent in most of our classrooms now,” Rasmussen said. “It’s about trying to utilize technology to open the world to kids. You can bring the outside world in.”
Fairfield Middle School science teacher Jared Nissen, who uses iPads in his class, agrees.
“It gives them instant access to the world,” he said. “I’m more of a guide than a teacher (now).”
Paying to ‘play’
As new gadegts and electronics debut in classrooms, they replace the iconic blackboard at a price.
In the Fairfield City Schools district, treasurer Nancy Lane said obtaining new equipment was a group effort involving across-the-board sacrifices.
“There was money set aside in a permanent improvement fund that (former technology and curriculum coordinator) Jennie (Thompson) used for technology purposes,” she said. “When that levy failed, that source of money was gone.”
To cover the costs, departmental budgets — including the treasurer’s — were cut and individual buildings scaled back on spending as well.
Fairfield, Lane said, mainly budgets for technology are used by technicians and network administrators. The money to fund devices used in the classrooms mostly comes from either the state or federal government through grants.
“We have a technology budget, but it’s not like, ‘OK, here’s your million for technology purposes,’ ” she said. “When (the 2008) levy didn’t pass, we had to find some other ways to update technology out of our general fund.”
Meanwhile, Nissen applied for a grant, which resulted in 10 iPads for his classroom.
It was, he said, a case of necessity if he wanted them. Nissen said he had to start the project with no funding at all — something that, in the business world, would be a financial death sentence.
“What business starts on a zero operating budget?” he said. “If you don’t get the money somewhere else, it won’t be in the classroom.”
At Middletown, interactive whiteboards as well as other devices are generally paid by funds given to the technology department. Like Fairfield, grant money may be used as well, said Kelley Thorpe, the district’s treasurer.
Investing in electronic teaching aids, however, may not be the wisest expenditure, according to a recent Facebook poll by the JournalNews.
A majority of the responders said technology was wasting resources or said resources should be directed toward teachers. However, some said using technologically advanced devices was helpful.
Teaching through touchscreens
Despite the novelty that comes with using an iPad to do math or a SMART Board to choose what the weather is like outside, in Middletown, technology is beneficial to teachers too, Rasmussen said.
“We’ve got videos of teachers doing lessons that we circulate around the district,” he said. “They’re basically videos of best practices. The teachers are also benefitting (from technology).”
Although Middletown is just beginning to delve into technologically advanced learning aides, Thorpe said the district is following a trend in education.
“Most all the buildings have eno or SMART boards,” Thorpe said. “There’s a big push in the districts to grasp 21st century technology.”
Lane, who has a daughter in elementary school, said interactive whiteboards in Fairfield were a worthy investment.
“The SMART Boards have taken it to a different level,” she said. “It keeps kids engaged.”
Sue Staton’s first grade class in Middletown is also using technology to learn things how to do schoolwork like construct a Venn diagram or read graphs — on a laptop.
“That’s the future,” Staton said. “They’re not going to be writing notes, they’ll be typing them.”
At the beginning of the year, Staton said she polled her students and found half her class of first graders had used iPads before.
“With video games, they have no fear in trying something new,” she said.
A section on compound words, for instance, fosters teamwork as students drag parts of the word across the screen — the interaction brought on by technology, Staton said, has helped the students communicate more.
And, perhaps most importantly, enjoy being in the classroom.
“It’s gotten them more excited for learning,” she said.
In Nissen’s classroom, too, the introduction of technology has brought him to a turning point.
The science teacher now sees himself as a facilitator of learning as opposed to a teacher.
“If they have a question for me, that’s great,” he said. “But what I’m trying to do is teach them where to find the answers.”
“This generation is more demanding. They want you to do everything for them, but that isn’t learning.”
Staff writer Kelsey Cano contributed to this report.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5073 or gando@coxohio.com.
About the Author