New Brunswick School District

Metro students get iPods

School District 2 is hoping the use of additional technology in the classroom will boost student motivation and learning.

The district, which administers English schools in southeast New Brunswick, has been involved in a research project that has seen 125 students at Riverview Middle School, along with teachers and administrators, have access to iPod Touch units over the last two years.

On the handheld devices, Grade 7 students could access books and other interactive features. The goal of the research project was to see if there was an improvement in learning and in attitudes toward learning when technology was brought into the classroom.

"A lot of students have their own iPod, so once they're taught how to use it as an educational tool, we're hoping they'll continue to use it that way," says Elizabeth Nowlan, acting director of education for the district.

The project is a partnership with Apple Canada, the University of South Maine and Red Ball Internet.

Mario Chiasson, the district's K-12 technology and information communication technology co-ordinator, is leading the project.

"I was always intrigued by what kind of impact (technology) was having on an organization, but also for learning," he says.

Chiasson is currently working on a report based on the findings of the project and wouldn't reveal any specific information until it is complete.

But anecdotally, he says the results are positive.

"The integration of those (information communication technology) devices has had a significant impact on the attitude on student learning," he says. "The research says that there's a direct correlation about the willingness to engage, the willingness to innovate and the willingness to create."

A video highlighting District 2's iPod project at Riverview Middle School can be found online at YouTube.com by searching "21st Century Education Series: My E-Backpack" It features testimonials from students explaining that they use technology constantly outside of school and are happy to see it brought into the classroom.

Teachers and administrators also had access to the technology, and as a part of the project, iPads have been purchased for all 38 of District 2's principals.

The purpose, Nowlan explains, is to get principals into the classroom more often to monitor classroom activity.

She wouldn't divulge the cost of the purchase because it is part of the partnership between Apple Canada and the University of South Maine. iPads typically sell for around $500.

NJ Left Behind: Grading NJ's Charter School Bills

Again, a step in the right direction. The Center For Education Reform compares charter laws across the state; one of the marks of strength is multiple authorizers, including universities. NJ’s historic reliance on the DOE as the only authorizer has been criticized by entities as diverse as The Fordham Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education (in our Race to the Top application). Two for two. The commissioner shall not approve an application for the establishment of a charter school unless the designation of a school district as the charter school district of residence or inclusion of the district in the charter school region of residence has been approved by the voters of the district at the annual school election in the case of a charter school to be established in a Type II district, or the board of school estimate in the case of a charter school to be established in a Type I district or a Type II district with a board of school estimate. In the event that a subset of school districts included in the region of residence of a proposed charter school does not approve of the inclusion, the charter school applicant may submit a revised application to the commissioner that does not include the school districts in which the inclusion was not approved. Um, okay. But why are we suddenly talking about community approval for new charters? Why shouldn’t voters get to vote on awarding a contract to a new superintendent? Or the purchase and implementation of a new math program? Or the local bargaining unit’s pay increase? True, voters in most districts already vote on annual school budgets, but there’s a bill (backed by NJEA and NJ School Boards Assn.) currently working its way through the Statehouse that would eliminate that vote if the district stays below the 2% cap. Now, it’s true that South Brunswick and Princeton, high-performing school districts, may not need a Mandarin immersion charter school in their midst. (This proposed charter has generated so much heat that a google search turns up 2,130,000 results.) In fact, 3852 is informed by this sort of scenario: a highly-specialized school that drains much needed funding from a state-aid-starved suburban district. So why not propose a bill that focuses our charter expansion in districts with poorly-performing schools? Why cut off charter school growth throughout the whole state? That's politics for you. The bill goes on to propose that every single student in the districts covered by the charter be admitted into a lottery, regardless of whether the parent has expressed interest. Why such a cumbersome proposal? Because the bill is driven by fear -- that charters discriminate against poor kids and special needs, that charters "cream off" the top performers. And if you trust school boards to award contracts, etc., why not trust them with charters? Yet Bill 3852 forces the vast majority of districts in NJ, which are Type II, to have public votes. Thus, aspiring charter schools must use scant resources to mount a marketing campaign. Not the best use of potential education dollars and not good for kids, rich or poor.

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