Technology & Learning - December 2008 - (Page 12)

LEADEROFTHEYEAR Making the Virtual More Personal Credited with giving a technological face-lift to the district, Patrick Hockey’s forward-thinking ways saved not only the budget, but countless students on the brink of dropping out. On reaching a four million dollar deficit, the district looked for creative ways to recover funds. Noting 60 students scheduled to leave the school in favor of attending cyber charter school (varying $8-10 thousand loss per student), Hockey reasoned that they simply had to build their own cyber school. “We wanted it to be different than the other models presently in place. We created somewhat of a hybrid, with a face-to-face approach, so that on a weekly basis those students would actually meet a physical person and be able to talk about their goals and if they were meeting those goals,” says Hockey. “This was almost a progress Hockey set his sights monitoring, not just about grades, on the opposite end of but how the instructional strategies North Lincoln Hill Elementary the spectrum, the giftPrincipal/Technology of the program were meeting the ed program. Administrator, Philipsburg needs of the child.” “We questioned how Osceola Area School District (PA) Noting that not all students had to deliver appropriate the same level of reading comprehension or education without taking the student and would approach Algebra in the exact same physically moving them. For example, a thirdway, Hockey strove to find a personalized way grade student very, very high achieving in of matching student to best mode of learning. math might be physically moved to the junior “We tried to tailor it to the students needs high. This might not be socially acceptable, or and it started to grow a lot. We then started to the parents may feel their child isn’t ready for use that theme format for credit recoveries. that. We started to put cyber courses in place Instead of having students feel as though they so as the teacher is in front of the room giving were behind the eight ball and the only alterinstruction on third-grade math, that student native is to drop out because they’re so far can take their laptop to the back of the classbehind in credits, we looked at ways of room and be doing Algebra One.” extending their school days.” By encompassing all areas of academic Students already working a full load of ability in the plan, the needs of both student eight classes, but needing that one extra math and budget were met with stunning success. or social studies credit to move up to the next “Our district is now $1.9 million in the black. grade level could now add a cyber class later It’s turned around in three years, not by workin the afternoon, or complete necessary ing harder but working smarter and using our courses over Christmas or summer break. resources to every facet possible.” “We worked at breaking the mold and taking a blended approach where the school day is broken into cyber-based courses, as well as brick and mortar classes.” Finding success with struggling students, What They Use SOFTWARE Voicethread Animoto PLATO Learning Compass Learning Odyssey SchoolReach E2020 Learning Apple iLife Inspiration Adobe Microsoft Office Promethean World Audacity Skype Google for Educators Jing Windows Movie Maker Classroll.com First in Math netTrekker Schoolwires Atomic Learning Discovery Education YouTube SchoolTube TeacherTube Embeddedlearning.com Rosetta Stone Blendedschools.net PATRICK HOCKEY HARDWARE Ipods with a belkin recorder Apple laptops and desktops Lenovo laptops and desktops Promethean Interactive whiteboard Promethean Activotes AVRover Blackberry 8330 Bogen 3211WN-501 Tripods & Dollys Panasonic 9” Monitors “WE’VE MORPHED CYBER LEARNING TO EVERY FACET WE POSSIBLYCOULD BECAUSE IT WAS THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAYOF DOING IT.” LAST BYTE: 12 | TECH & LEARNING http://www.Classroll.com http://www.Embeddedlearning.com http://www.Blendedschools.net

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Technology & Learning - December 2008

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