HOLDEN, Mass. – Director of Curriculum Kelley Gangi and an Apple Education Development Executive addressed the Wachusett Regional School Committee on Monday, presenting an overview of what “21st Century Learning Tools” are being used in the district schools and the potential for the utilization of technology in the coming years. 

At the recent State of the District address, Superintendent Thomas Pandiscio outlined the district's revamped technology plan, which calls for both hardware and networking installations.

Yet already, in the past year the district has deployed classroom response systems, which are "an integrated suite of tools that allow teachers to develop assessments, deliver assessments and collect real-time data on the spot through wireless handheld devices," said Gangi.

4,000 of the handheld devices have already been deployed in grades 2 - 12 throughout the district, and both local tests assigned by teachers and standardized tests common to the district are being used to collect assessment data.

"These tools really revolutionize the way we do assessment," said Gangi. "It allows teachers to collect data rapidly and make decisions on the spot, right in the classroom, rather than having to give paper and pencil tests, score them, analyze them and make instructional decisions later when the children are already gone from our classrooms."

The district has also began using Pearson Limelight, a student data management system used to collect, analyze and track assessment data.

"The classroom response systems integrate with limelight, so Limelight becomes a digital student cum[ulative] folder, where important assessment data can be longitudinally housed and analyzed over time," Gangi added.

Furthermore, while iPads are yet to be deployed district-wide, 257 of the Apple tablet devices have already been in use in the last two years used for intervention programs as well as administrative tasks.

"The iPad is really a gateway to 21st Century instruction," said Gangi, who explained that the tool allows teachers to deliver personalized and differentiated instruction and intervention resources to a classroom of students.

Elementary students in Title 1, and Special Education, as well as middle school students in the Math Academy program have been utilizing iPads.

"One of the pieces that's really going to revolutionize the way a tool like the iPad play out in a classroom is the new piece about textbooks online, and the app that allows us to easily create textbooks and resources, iBooks Author,"  said Gangi.

A K-12 development executive at Apple presented the educational used of the iPad to the school committee.

According to the representative, "agreements have been reached with the textbook industry," for textbooks to be released on iBooks.

Additionally, the recently released iBooks Author application allows teachers to create content for textbooks.

"Textbooks have been the butt of jokes for too long," he said. "They've been held up as an example of the publishing companies hands around school's necks and around their pocketbooks. They have been outdated by the time they're published."

But with the iPad, the representative explained that the textbook would be updated by the publishing companies, offering teachers the ability to "deliver to students a shared, current, vibrant body of knowledge, which we would use in a social endeavor we call school."

The iPad also allows for students to highlight text, and make notes inside books, and use the international features for world language dclasses.

The District plans on launching classroom use of iPads in pilot sites beginning next September.

"Based on our successful use of iPads for intervention in special education and Title I services, regular use of this learning tool in classrooms will capitalize on innovative instructional delivery while reducing our reliance on paper materials for students," said the superintendent.

More information about the district's use of technology and plans for implementation can be found on the aim21.org website.