Texas STaR Chart

Range Elementary’s STaR Chart shows that Key Area IV, Infrastructure and Technology, is a growing area on our campus. Within the past several years our campus has made it a priority to give students access to various technology tools. We have purchased a set of 30 Mac laptops that are available to all students during their library time. They are housed in a cart that can be transported to classrooms as needed. Our computer lab has recently been equipped with 30 new desktop Mac computers where teachers can take students for group online lessons through various educational sites. These two new additions give students hands on opportunities to advance their understanding and experience with technology.
Other technological advances have been taking place inside our classrooms. Each classroom has been equipped with wireless access along with a Promethean interactive white board. Every classroom also has 3 laptops that are available for student use as it pertains to acceleration and course curriculum.

But these advances alone do not adequately address the situation that is occurring on my campus. I serve on a Title I campus, meaning that at least 85% of the student population on my campus falls under the classification of economically disadvantaged. This provides a dilemma that must be addressed not only on the campus level but at a higher level as well. How do we service these students that do not have access to technology on a regular basis at home? This fact may need further research. My students do know how to function in the quick technology world of cell phones and mp3 players, but they are not knowledgeable in how to conduct research and display that knowledge in a format that can be accessed by others to learn from.

Learning cannot be structured so that it is a one size fits all instruction. Each student will perform at a different level. They will develop the ability to self-assess their progress and monitor themselves to achieve goals that are laid out for them through unified instruction. My solution for my students, as far as giving them access to technology, is to begin by giving them a weekly assignment that they can complete either at school or at home if they have access to technology outside the classroom. I will give a class demonstration of the technology use with instructions on how to complete the assignment along with guidelines for what the students are to perform. They can then email me the results or post them to the student server in the drop box that I have provided. This is just one way that I can begin to move my students into the 21st century of global awareness and functionality.