Anita Community Schools * 2008 ILTC Final Report

 I. Executive Summary

Anita Community Schools was the recipient of an ILTC grant through the Iowa Department of Education
in January of 2007 in the amount of $95,000. Our school’s initlal focus was to put into place a one-to-one laptop
learning initiative for our 9-12th grade students at CAM High School.
The goal was to place a laptop computer in the hands of each high school student, with special emphasis
given to special needs and at-risk students, to increase reading, writing, problem solving and critical thinking
skills through higher student engagement during and outside of the school day.

This report concludes our ILTC grant period, the progress made towards our initial goals,
and how the project is sustained and progressing forward.

II. Project Description

In early 2007, student laptops were issued and checked out for student use within coursework at CAM High School.
Initially, a student fee and daily check-out was required in the hopes of ensuring student responsibility with the
equipment. As of August 2008, students are issued their laptops at the fall rollout event and asked to purchase
insurance to cover damages to their computer. Ongoing, tiered professional development has occurred since 2007,
with the high school staff, with middle school and elementary staff following along with the hopes of eventual
inclusion of those buildings and students. Achieving Rigor and Relevance with Multimedia Technology I and II coursework
has been provided for the CAM teaching staff by Loess Hills AEA 13 technology consultants.

Additional courses with Apple Training on iLife, technology infusion into curriculum, and connections to the
new technology standards have occurred in 2008. Lessons and coursework have been developed around use of
Internet capabilities, and are now being required across the curriculum by all staff on a daily basis and
in the ongoing teacher evaluation tool, including staff career plans. Technology is being used to meet the
many needs of diverse learners in the school, through differentiated instruction at various levels of ability.
We have included all students and staff at CAM High School in this project, 115 students, 22 teaching staff and 2 administrators.

The grant project team included the high school principal/curriculum director, technology coordinator,
grant writer, and 5-6 lead teachers in various curriculum areas of English, Business, Spanish, etc.
These teachers helped to lead and continue to lead professional learning teams through peer observations,
sharing out, and being the ones to try new teaching approaches with technology.
The high school principal/curriculum director was the lead person in asking staff for change in teaching
styles and being open to new teaching approaches.
The School Improvement “team” was involved in the original grant application and ongoing analysis of student achievement related to the project.

Apple I-Books were purchased for students and staff to initiate the laptop learning experience.
Staff was trained in the use of the iLife suite, Inspiration, Moodle, online learning strategies
such as discussion boards, customizing learning to individual courses, new technology standards
and various web resources available to teachers. We also purchased projectors for some classrooms.
Professional development has been ongoing and has built over time from the initial exposure in learning with technology
to fully developed student led projects utilizing technology in areas such as Spanish, English, P.E. or Consumer Science.

Impediments have included the initial “naysayers”, or instructors who found it hard to dive right in.
Most now are fully involved and enjoying the newfound teaching strategies attainable with technology.
The occasional server being down or students not being able to access Moodle or the school web site occurs as
a barrier, but students are taught to problem solve, much as they would have to do in the real world in a job with technology delays.
Overall, the one-to-one laptop learning initiative has been a great success and has brought about a new approach to student learning.
Through the laptop learning project, our students will be better prepared as they enter the larger world and leave CAM High School to go out on their own.

III. Identified Outcomes (goals and objectives) (See Grant Goals & Student Learner Outcomes, attachment A.)

Attachment A: Grant Goals & Student Learner Outcomes Anita Community Schools ILTC Final Report 

		Goal							Outcome

1.	Equalize technological playing field	-All 9-12 students issued		
by putting laptop in each student’s 		laptops in August 2008.
hands (emphasis on at-risk, special needs) –Required use by staff in
							 lessons throughout curriculum.
							-Technology required in teacher
							 evaluations.

2. Higher levels of student engagement	-Increased positive results on 								latest IPI (fewer non-engaged)
							-3 classrooms totally immersed
							in using Moodle
							-70% of classrooms using 									technology in daily lessons
							-98-100% use in Core classes,
							except in math.

3.  Increase student achievement		-We are currently addressing 
							the diverse needs of all 									students; trying to differentiate 							instruction as we plan lessons 								utilizing technology.

							-ITBS scores are still needing
							improvement in math and 									reading; but we feel this will 								improve over time.

4.  Identify Innovation/Needs from		-Using the Iowa Cycle of Prof.
Best Practice Technology Use			Development model to plan PD
		and					-We are incorporating 		 

5. Ed. Tech. Planning				technology into the ongoing 								School Improvement plan, 								ongoing, tiered PD, and Career 								plans of staff.
							-Spring 2008 visit to small 								district in Nebraska with similar 							needs and use of technology

6. Sustainability of Project			-Entered into long-term 									agreement with Apple, Inc.7/08
							-Hire of full time technology 								coordinator, to provide ongoing 								technological guidance to staff 								and students
							-commitment by board of 									education to support laptop 								learning initiative

7. Involvement of Stakeholders		-Community S.I. meeting April 								2008 showcasing student tech. 								projects
							-Required parent sessions prior
							to laptop issuance, Fall 2008
							-ongoing public relations, 									through local media, school web 								site, school newspaper, PTC, etc.

8. Curriculum Development			-Professional Learning Teams in 
							place since early 2007 (study 								group-type setting to share, 								learn from teaching peers)
							-Required peer observations by
							staff 2007-2008
							-“Share Out” session during PD

							-2008-2009 PD includes focus 
							on further development of 								curriculum; projects to increase 							student research, analysis, and 								presentation skills

9. Assessment					-ITBS scores, IPI, lesson 									rubrics, walk through surveys, 								use of remote desktop to 									measure computer usage time 								beginning 10/08, more self-
							assessments by students. We 								see more student centered 								learning on a daily basis.

IV. Conclusion of Project

 Even since the interim report in February of 2008, we feel our school system has made great strides in fully engaging students through the use of technology in the classroom. Recent teacher comments include: “We’ve come a long way in one year.” “We need more projectors to be able to show what we are producing.” “I am anxious to do more things in my curriculum through technology.” We would estimate that 98% of our teaching staff is utilizing technology in each of their courses. Some instructors still utilize traditional teaching methods, but all have tried and are using some form of technology throughout their coursework.

A survey of CAM High School teachers in the spring of 2008 revealed that approximately one fourth of them feel they are using low levels of student engagement with technology, while half feel they are at a medium level of engagement. One fourth feel they are into the high levels of engagement within their instruction. Teachers are finding they need to do more “front loading” in their units of study, meaning preparations for students to be able to engage in lesson concepts through technology. This might include the prior input of vocabulary words into a review site for student review, posting of chapters, information, questions or assignments onto Moodle for student access, or initiating an online discussion forum. Both teachers and students alike, are excited and eager to show projects, learning activities and new strategies they have used when utilizing technology. Some examples of learning activities using technology include: parent and student email groups, student created commercials used within the high school musical production, a Romeo and Juliet movie created in English, job presentations in Practical English, spreadsheets in math, discussion boards, assignments on Moodle, various types of reflections done using technology, multi-media presentations, student presented lessons, podcasts, research projects, speeches and reading fluency practice in GarageBand, concept and vocabulary review, writing and editing using Word, wikis, blogs, Inspiration software for brainstorming and the use of various online resources such as United Streaming and TeacherTube.

Teachers are also learning how to polish and demand more of their units of study through technology as teachers and students become more familiar with the possibilities. Teachers are being encouraged to use “checkpoints” as measuring sticks for student progress in a larger unit of study over longer periods of time. Students in advanced placement courses involved with IWCC (Iowa Western Community College) out of Council Bluffs, are finding more and more of their work has to be accessed online and we are able to keep advancing in that concept. The addition of a full time technology coordinator has been a much- needed asset to the learning setting in our schools.

This technology expert has provided the support and guidance needed for setting up many lessons, connections and projects by students and teachers alike. Our district has learned some lessons in what to do and not to do with a grant project of this type. We advise to purchase the latest and best laptops fully loaded with needed software, since that will help in the long run of an initiative. Don’t skimp, as it will cause more troubles than what it is worth in savings over time. We also learned to not charge an initial user fee, but do charge an insurance fee to cover damages to the student computers.

Probably the biggest thing that the ILTC grant provided for Anita Community Schools was the opportunity to see the possibilities of online learning and bringing about greater student engagement through laptop learning. The grant motivated us to purchase the laptops, which led to going completely one-to-one. Since the spring of 2008, our middle school in Massena has also gone with a one-to-one initiative, and the older high school laptops have now been taken to the elementary school for the fifth grade students to use. Several are also available in the elementary library for K-4 use. Students appear to be motivated to learn and highly engaged in their classes for the most part. Over time, we feel we should see an increase in student achievement scores in math, science, reading and writing. CAM High School would recommend a one-to-one laptop learning initiative for other Iowa high schools.