S.A.D. #4 Grant Takes Technology to the Community
By: Shelagh Talbot of the
Moosehead Messenger
Re-printed with permission of
the Moosehead Messenger
The
sign for the SAD #4 campus reads "
Crystal Priest, the SAD #4 Technology Integration Specialist, said she submitted a concept paper to the state last fall. In December, she was notified that SAD #4 was one of seven state finalists that had applied. "I realized it was time to get input from the community as well as school staff," Priest said. She collaborated with Pete Myrick, the district's adult education coordinator, Linda Packard, the high school librarian; Bill Thompson, head of the science department, Lisa Martell, head of the math department and local librarians. "We did a lot of brainstorming and added to the original proposal," Priest said. "By February vacation, we had put together the final proposal."
The grant will help provide 100 wireless laptop computers to Piscataquis
Community High School (PCHS) students, 25 wireless laptops to teaching staff,
10 computers to local libraries and the fiber optics to allow seamless interconnection
between school, the students and families at home and the community. "The grant was written so that people in the
area will be able to borrow laptops from the local library," Priest said. The actual cost for creating this virtual community
is $533,000 and school officials have plans to access other grants and district
funds to make up the difference. Much
of the funding for the Innovative and Advanced Technology Grant comes from
a small surcharge levied by the public utilities commission that appears each
month on telephone bills in
SAD #4, which includes the towns of Abbot,
In 1991, SAD #4 was awarded a $500,000 curriculum grant for RJR Nabisco which gave them the technology start they needed at the high school level to remain competitive with other schools in more affluent areas. By 1994 the middle school was on line as well, with computers for all the teachers.
"We are aggressive at seeking out funds," PCHS Principal Bruce Lindberg said. "We're not afraid to jump right in and go for it." That position has paid off well for the district and it has taken the lead in Governor Angus King's Laptop Technology Initiative by becoming a pilot site for other schools to emulate. Recently district funding combined with a generous grant from Guilford of Maine allowed SAD #4 to provide laptops for all seventh and eighth grade students. "This latest grant will allow us to expand on the technology that's already in place," Lindberg said.
Last week, Lindberg, Marttell and Priest, along with SAD #4 Superintendent Matthew Oliver and a group of administrators and educators, traveled to Brewster Academy, a private secondary school in Wolfboro, N.H. to see how their very successful laptop program has impacted students. Brewster officials have documented that in the almost 10 years since the Academy has had one-to-one access to laptop computers, SAT scores have risen an average of 92 points.
"I was very pleased to learn that SAD #4 and
Martell said she was very impressed with Brewster's integration of technology. "This visit showed us that we have an exciting road ahead of us," she said. "They (Brewster Academy) continually emphasized that there is a lot of work behind their success using laptops; for example: extensive curriculum work, staff development & technology support. Their overall laptop success was attributed to those previous successes. Because of our continued focus on curriculum & staff development, PCHS's laptop project is going to be a great journey."
Although there is much work to do to implement the focus of the grant, there is also much to rejoice about at SAD #4. "It's very exciting that the students are the benefactors of this grant," Bill Thompson said. "If we provide the right tools and the proper supervision, they'll do well," he added. Priest agreed. "It's all about using technology as a tool to enhance learning," she said.