Teachers as Techies

August 3, 2005

Teachers as techies

DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

Hays Daily News

Enrollment is today, and school doesn't start for a couple of weeks. Nonetheless, teachers at Washington Elementary School in Hays were in class Tuesday, learning how to use laptopcomputers their school received for use this year. Washington received a federal grant called "Enhancing Education Through Technology," that will put laptops in the hands of all the second- through fifth-grade teachers in school and provide laptops to students in those grades as well. That, coupled with a laptop initiative in the Hays school district to place 25 laptops in each elementary school this year, gives every classroom teacher at Washington a laptop for use. With 75 total computers for students, Washington - estimated enrollment 125 this year - will have a ratio of less than two students for each computer. Tuesday, Washington teachers were attending the last of four training sessions held at the school this summer by Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, an instructor in the technology studies department at Fort Hays State University who wrote the grant. "Look at you go," fourth-grade teacher Janna Wellbrock told Sharon Howard, who teaches fifth grade at the school. Howard was busy working on her class's Web site, something that each class in the school will feature this year. Howard sat back and sighed late in the afternoon. "I'm just thoroughly exhausted," she said. "This is much better than the first day, though," said Sue Pallister, the school's librarian. "Our heads were spinning." Pallister admitted she had some help at home, though. Her oldest daughter, Kaylea, will be a sophomore at Hays High School, which last year began an initiative in which every student had the use of a laptop. "I asked her a lot of questions," Pallister said. DeLynn Rice, who team-teaches second grade at Washington with Sherry Chaffin, also got some help from a high school student. Tarica Nehls, who will be a sophomore at HHS this fall, is a friend of the Rice family and stopped by their home one day and helped Rice out of a jam. "All our links work. I'm so excited," Rice exclaimed at one point Tuesday. "I feel like a kid in a candy store. This is so much fun."' "The more we learn, the more fun it gets," agreed Marsha Jordan, a third-grade teacher at Washington. Allen Park, Washington principal, also has a daughter, junior Alex Johnson, attending Hays High, and he has seen first-hand the results of having the use of a computer at your fingertips. "We're digital immigrants, but kids are digital natives," Danner-Kuhn said. "These teachers' biggest fear right now is how they're going to integrate it into their curriculum. I have a bet with (teacher Jody Dinkel) that by November, she'll be wanting to use it in her classroom every day." Park agreed. "That's the key. If you use them, you learn," he said. "The seed's been planted. I'm real excited for us to start at kindergarten." The grant is worth $150,000 the first year, and the school will receive an additional $40,000 the second year if it meets specific requirements. The purpose of the project, called IMPACT - Instructional Media Providing Advanced Classroom Technology - is to develop technology skills and knowledge for participating teachers and to increase utilization of technology for math, reading and science. Teachers then transfer that knowledge to their students with the use of computers. The school will receive 50 laptops, as well as other other equipment including a digital still camera, media projector, printer, scanner, interactive White Board and support software for programs. Danner-Kuhn will be available for consultation all year long, and Park said he also feels lucky to have some several computer-savvy personnel right in his own building. In addition to Ruth Kreller, the school's technology assistant, Washington will be able to call on Josh Conner, an FHSU senior who will be student-teaching in Howard's fifth-grade classroom this fall. Conner is an elementary education major who has taken technology classes at FHSU and has his own Apple laptopcomputer. Tuesday, Conner was as busy as Danner-Kuhn, helping field questions from the teachers. "With all the technology, and with Washington having the most diversity (of students) of all the schools in Hays," Conner said, "it'll be a great experience." Chances are, the Washington faculty feels the same way.

Reporter Diane Gasper-O'Brien can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 126, or by e-mail at dobrien@dailynews.net.