Classrooms of the Future Coming to School District 93

Students will shift to digital learning with iPads, Airbooks in new 1:1 Learning initiative

BLOOMINGDALE, IL — Community Consolidated School District 93 students will see their traditional schools converted into dynamic digital learning centers beginning this fall thanks to the Board of Education approving a new 1:1 Learning initiative.

Superintendent Bill Shields announced to staff on Tuesday that the initiative will help schools incorporate the newest technology into their day-to-day instruction to improve academic achievement.

The District 93 Board of Education approved the plan for students to shift to digital learning by putting digital devices into the hands of every student and teacher. The plan will begin next school year when all teachers will start working with MacBook Air computers. In January 2013, all of the District’s almost 400 sixth-grade students will receive MacBook Airs, and some Kindergarten students will receive iPads as the District begins using the devices to improve learning.

In time for the 2013-14 school year, pre-kindergarten through first-grade students will receive the iPads and students in grades three, six, and seven will receive MacBook Airs. For the 2014-15 school year, the remaining students, in grades two, four, five, and eight will receive their digital devices.

With 1:1 Learning, educators can use interactive texts, videos, animations and other features in digital instructional programs to provide more dynamic, personalized lessons with assessment tools that determine in real-time each student’s level of performance to help teachers quickly identify academic strengths and weaknesses.

Students will eventually be able to use etexts in the classrooms. The etexts are highly adaptive to each student’s learning needs and include features to digitally highlight, take notes, bookmark, quickly look up definitions, link to relevant topics, get audio and video support, and more.

“This is going to allow the District and teachers to personalize education,” Shields said in announcing the District’s decision. The initiative will eventually allow students in grades 3 through 8 to utilize technology and educational resources both at school and at home while preschool through grade 2 will be provided with iPads to enhance learning in the classroom.

According to Shields, “Children will be able to learn at their own pace and be challenged consistently to utilize critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. Our students will have the ability to go on virtual fieldtrips they would never be able to afford to make in person. They will be exposed to world-wide experiences and situations while never leaving their community. It’s going to have a major impact on how students learn and help make students more responsible for their own learning.”

To help bolster its personalization of children’s education, District 93 also will put into place an integrated data systems and learning environment. The system will integrate all student data, assessments, reporting, and mobile access into a single environment so each student’s achievement data and learning progress is available anytime and anywhere. This real-time data will allow teachers to make instructional adjustments to the needs of each learner, while allowing the students to constantly be aware of their progress toward meeting their academic requirements.

School District 93’s District Leadership Team, which includes parents, also has been briefed on the plan. “Our community is getting excited about this, and we’re going to work very hard to involve community members with the School District in this effort that is so critically important to our children’s future,” Shields said.

District 93 will work with Pearson Education Company to make the transition to 1:1 Learning a smooth one for students and staff. Pearson’s 1:1 Learning applies a research-based 1:1 Learning Framework to help districts successfully start and run mobile learning programs. Pearson 1:1 Learning will provide Community Consolidated School District 93 with training to help teachers and staff with the shift to digital learning. Pearson will help put the program into effect, including helping to plan and manage the massive project.

“Educators at CCSD 93 have made the important decision to meet students in the digital environment where they live, using technology to enrich the learning experience in a way never before possible,” said Scott Drossos, Senior Vice President of Pearson’s 1:1 Learning. “We will work with Superintendent Shields and his team as partners as the district prepares students for college and the technology-driven workforce of tomorrow. CCSD 93 has decided it is going to lead the way in this digital revolution, and we applaud and support the School District’s determination that every child benefit from these enormous opportunities for learning.”

###