8 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018
Digital
from 1A
connection is fed by fiber optic
cables, which can download at
speeds of 100mbps (megabits per
second). And to ensure constant,
uninterrupted service throughout
the day, wireless connection
points have been installed in
every elementary school class-
room and across the middle and
high school campuses.
Mapleton’s
technological
advances may seem starkly dif-
ferent from the childhood class-
rooms in the memories of many,
but this sort of digital induction
is hardly the exception, with
most schools around Mapleton
positioned somewhere on this
spectrum.
Downriver, the larger Siuslaw
School District also benefits
from fiber connections in each
school, though much of its infra-
structure is older and nearing its
limits. A small number of tablets
are dispersed among kinder-
garten, first and second grade,
but Chromebook laptops make
up the bulk of high-tech handouts
for grades three and up.
Around 400 Chromebooks
shared district-wide supply a stu-
dent body of nearly 1,400 in
addition to roughly 250 older
laptops, the latter of which
Siuslaw
School
District
Superintendent Andy
Grzeskowiak would like to phase
out.
“You can take a Chromebook
and put it on a desk and it'll go all
day long,” he said. “You’re only
going get four hours out a tradi-
tional laptop.”
Chromebook laptops, which
are simpler, lighter versions of
their bulky predecessors and pri-
marily perform functions with
the Chrome browser, give stu-
dents instant access to their
assignments and records on the
school's servers, boosting the
convenience and efficiency of
the average school experience.
T HE D IGITAL C LASSROOM
Mapleton and Siuslaw are
reflective of a national trend
toward “digital classrooms,” a
harmonious
immersion
of
teacher and student school life
into educational technology.
Software, hardware, cloud
drives, internet access and other
high-tech components make up
these classrooms as educators
work to develop student experi-
ences that increase engagement
and adaptability in a digital gen-
eration.
The abundance of devices and
digital tools at a teacher's dispos-
al can make for creative applica-
tions in any class.
Indeed, Mapleton schools find
uses for their technology in lan-
guage arts, social studies and
even their farm-to-table class.
The access to digital books in
itself makes the technology use
applicable nearly across the
board.
“Basically any reading cur-
riculum has a big online compo-
nent to it,” said O’Mara. “A lot of
middle school and high school
textbooks are now online. Some
districts aren't even purchasing
new textbooks because you can
purchase them online.”
Sarah Timpe, who teaches
third and fourth grade in
Mapleton Elementary School,
finds regular use for devices in
her classes. “I’ve used iPads for
the kids recording each other
doing projects like writing songs
and making commercials to show
what they've learned,” she said.
Even outside of school, the
impact of a digitally integrated
classroom becomes apparent.
“My sons don’t bring textbooks
home,” Timpe said. “They can
get online and get the textbook at
home.”
A key benefit to integrating
modern technology into class-
rooms is the adaptability it
affords various learning meth-
ods. In Mapleton, interactive
whiteboards at the front of class-
es augment learning by offering
audio, visual and even tactile
stimulus — in which objects can
be touched and interacted with
on the board. Adaptive online
programs such as DreamBox
boost math skills by tailoring
instructions and interactives
games to each student's personal
progress.
These immersive experiences
are an acute contrast to passive
learning models of old, which
rightfully bore criticism for their
stale, rote-memorization style of
education. Newer models present
a logical engagement point for a
generation that has grown up
using smartphones and tablets.
“The kids are definitely inter-
ested in the technology,” said
Timpe. “It’s definitely a draw for
them. I think especially with the
DreamBox math app we have,
I’ve seen a lot of improvement in
math skills from use of that.”
Some classes are even offered
online. Though mainly used for
credit recovery and electives
rather than primary instruction,
they open the door for more case-
by-case adaptability. Because
smaller districts like Siuslaw and
Mapleton don't always have a
teacher on staff that specializes
in particular electives, online
classes can provide students with
a wider class selection in subjects
such as German or psychology.
Online classes typically con-
sist of two teachers: one in the
classroom, who helps facilitate
the online lesson and answer
questions; and one on the screen,
who may be a professor or spe-
cialist in the desired field. While
some online video lessons can be
live depending on the program
and online instructor's time zone,
most
are
pre-recorded.
Grzeskowiak cites the asynchro-
nous nature of living on the West
Coast as the main limitation.
“To time it and do it live is
very, very difficult,” he said.
Even attempts to synchronize
Siuslaw and Mapleton lesson
hours proved unworkable.
Regardless, the individualiza-
tion afforded by the lessons
makes them valuable tools. In
addition to expanding elective
choices, students who need extra
attention can benefit from these
classes.
“Online classes are a great
option when you have a kid who
transfers into your school,” said
O’Mara. If a student from anoth-
er district enrolls with credits that
don't map on to their new
school's system, online classes
can fill gaps and effectively put
the new student on track.
have embraced the evolution of
technology in the classroom,
they are also keenly aware that
allowing access and exposure to
this landscape comes with its
caveats.
Overuse of online classes, for
example, is a concern for
O’Mara.
“For some kids, that works,”
she said. “And if that’s the
avenue that they’re going to go
down in their job skill set when
they graduate, I think that’s per-
fect.” The danger lies, she says,
in swinging the curriculum too
heavily in favor of this method in
sacrifice of interpersonal interac-
tion.
The troubling overlap of the
digital world and social life finds
a nesting ground in the increased
use of social media, such as
Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter,
becoming everyday forms of
interaction. “It’s opened up the
number of people that kids can
interact with,” said O’Mara.
“However, I also think it has
lessened personal interaction and
how kids interact with people in
person and the skills that they
have to do that.”
Understanding body language,
social cues and conflict resolu-
tion notably all play in to a child
becoming a productive member
of society and there are concerns
the narrow scope of internet
interactions may break down
social deftness.
How one interacts with the
click of a button has a vastly less
personal touch to it than face-to-
face interaction, but equally sig-
nificant potential consequences.
According to Grzeskowiak, it
needs to be stressed to students
that “you can be horrible to
somebody at the speed of light
and not get that back.”
Impressing upon students the
ideals of social responsibility
goes hand-in-hand with warning
them about online dangers. In no
uncertain terms, some notoriety
of the internet has been earned in
cases of unwanted solicitation of
minors and predation. Both
school districts recognize the
need for educating youths to nav-
igate the internet safely and use
their technology responsibly.
In Siuslaw School District, for
example, middle school students
are treated to an annual “digital
citizenship” class, which teaches
not only how to use their tech-
nology, but how to use it respon-
sibly. Students walk away with a
necessary awareness of how to
interact with peers and how to
spot red flags in internet chat-
rooms.
Despite these obstacles and
potential drawbacks, both super-
intendents agree it's worth
investing in classroom technolo-
gy.
Grzeskowiak recalls his own
advantages as a student in the
'70s. “I had a set of encyclope-
dias at home,” he said. “And I
had a typewriter. And so I was
able to do certain things at home
that other kids couldn't.”
The peaks and valleys of the
educational landscape have long
been shaped by the “haves” and
“have-nots,” and as technology
and access to information have
scaled through the decades, a sin-
gular rule of thumb has remained
constant: “If you have access to
materials — and it doesn't really
matter what that's been over time
— you have an advantage,” said
Grzeskowiak.
Today, the advantage of hav-
ing a school with up-to-date tech-
nology quickly becomes evident
when considering the extent to
which education is offered
online, through devices and on
computers.
Convenience, flexibility and
speed of access are integral com-
ponents to both a student's ability
to learn and a teacher's ability to
deliver meaningful lessons.
O’Mara agrees that the inte-
gration of more digital class-
rooms is an advantage. “I think
the job market is going more
technology-based, which allows
for more freedom at home and
what your job is,” she said. “For
Mapleton, that's why we try to
give them the exposure at
school.”
M ODERNIZING M APLETON
The efforts of schools to keep
pace with the demands of moder-
nity have long been thematic to
the education arena, and Maple
School District was no exception
to this struggle.
Before
renovations
and
upgrades began last year, the dis-
trict's schools had suffered from
a limited, sub-par internet con-
nection.
“Three years ago we had 10
megabytes (per second). Two
years ago we upgraded to 20
megabytes,” said O'Mara. “And
it was slow.”
In
2015,
the
Federal
Communications Commission
defined “broadband” as a mini-
mum download speed of
25mbps. A nation-wide policy
was thus established, stating that
all Americans should have access
to this as a minimum standard.
Failing to meet this standard in
Mapleton schools bore frustra-
tions in the classroom.
With 40 notebook laptops
shared between the middle and
high schools and another 40
iPads for the elementary school
to complement lesson plans,
bandwidth became a glaring
issue as the schools' internet
capabilities often struggled to
meet the demands of the class-
room technology.
For example, “If all of our
iPads were on at the elementary
and connected to the internet and
a classroom set of [notebooks]
tried to connect, it would boot
people off,” said O'Mara. “It was
almost not worth using the tech-
nology.”
But in May 2016, Mapleton
School District's luck began to
change.
“We hit the jackpot. We really
did,” O’Mara said. “It all started
See
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
M AKING D IGITAL C ITIZENS
of Western Lane County
While both school districts
1601 15th Street • Florence, OR 97439
541-902-0304
Great Futures Start Here
Volunteer
Get
involved
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who are hungry in our community. If you have
four hours a week available, we are in need of
volunteers to staff our Front Desk and also act
as Guides as clients walk through the pantry.
Please call our volunteer coordinator, Ivy Medow,
@ 541-997-9110 (Monday – Friday, before noon)
to learn more about volunteering. info@lorence-
foodshare.org 2190 Spruce Street.
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First Meeting
Assisting those in need in our Community.
Free Hot Meals Mon-Wed-Fri
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HELPING HANDS COALITION
Volunteer
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involved
New Life Lutheran Church,
2100 Spruce St, next to Foodshare,
Call 541-997-5057 to Volunteer
Join the Peace Harbor Hospital Volunteers.
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in a caring organization.
Peace Harbor
Volunteers
Date and Time:
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Second Meeting
Date and Time:
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Third Meeting
Date and Time:
Donate
Do your part and
volunteer today
to help support
these local non-proft
organizations in
our community!
Saturday, February 3, 10:00 a.m.
All meetings will be held at the
Florence Habitat for Humanity offi ce,
2004 Highway 101, Florence, Oregon
Do your part and
volunteer today
to help support
these local non-proft
organizations in
our community!
Volunteers needed for new home construction, home repairs, general
offi ce work, public relations and program administration. Join an
operating committee and help Habitat help others!
Call 541-902-9227 or e-mail to fl orencehabitat@gmail.com
Offi ce located at 2004 HWY 101, Florence
Information and home ownership applications will
be available at each of the listed public meetings.
Eligible applicants are those who have lived or
worked within the Siuslaw Fire District for at
least one year and are legal U. S. residents. For
additional information call Florence Habitat for
Humanity at 541-902-9227.
Please attend one of the following
meetings.
DIGITAL 9A
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541-997-8412 ext. 2218
Meals on Wheels are available to people over the
age of 60 who cannot get out much due to illness
or advanced age and who are not eating properly,
regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those
who prefer to make new friends in a dining room
setting.
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541-997-5673
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