South Side 1 to 1 Project

Starting this year, students at South Side Area School District will be part of a district-wide 1 to 1 technology program. All students in grades K-5 will receive an Apple iPad and students in grades 6-12 will receive a Lenovo laptop. This new initiative has been a tremendous undertaking and has involved everyone from the maintenance staff to the superintendent.

The devices, at least initially, will aid in the delivery of existing curriculum, not change it. One device per student allows for differentiation on a mass scale not possible with traditional laptop carts and computer labs.

Elementary instruction will be focused on ways to differentiate and enhance math instruction. The past success of the (CFF) Classroom for the Future program has helped lay the foundation for secondary teachers to get started with their students. Students will be using the devices, in part, to supplement their instruction based on individual test data.

A small group of teachers at the elementary have volunteered to act as technology integrators to support the use of the iPads. These volunteer teachers visited a school to talk with colleagues already fully engaged in a 1 to 1 program. In addition, many elementary teachers will be participating in a professional development opportunity facilitated by Apple in August.

The middle and high school teachers have been fully engaged in Model Schools and in personal learning communities (PLC) for the last four years. The PLC structure empowers each group to make decisions based on the needs of students. The implementation of one laptop per student will only enhance the ability of each PLC to extend student learning.

It is vital that planning for the expansion of infrastructure (wireless access points, other networking equipment) is done in advance. Because of the expansion, testing and monitoring of district-wide wireless over the last 2 years, the district only needed to add a total of four access points this summer.

Practically speaking, students and teachers will receive either a laptop or iPad with their name on the back. Students will leave their device with their last period teacher at the end of the day. Each teacher will make sure all are charged and ready for use each day. Each morning students will retrieve their device and proceed to homeroom. Student devices cannot be taken home this year but it is being discussed for the future.

Mike Lipnicky, the Questeq Director of Technology at South Side, will be providing updates throughout the school year of their progress. We look forward to hearing how the students are using and benefiting from this valuable initiative.