NEWS                                                                                        Walnut Valley Unified School District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                 880 S. Lemon Avenue

March 30, 2012                                                                        Walnut, CA 91789

Contact:         

Kelli Gile, Office of Community Resources

(909) 595-1261 ext. 31204

 

3rd – 5th grade students to participate next year

WALNUT, CA--C.J. Morris Elementary School iImagine One-2-One Technology Device program just keeps growing.

Students are reaping the benefits of utilizing cutting edge technology available to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Principal An Nguyen stressed “the importance of promoting learning anywhere and anytime by having the device in students’ hands at home for homework as well as weekends for additional research and learning,”

“When 99% of the technology devices go home with students each night, it eliminates the security risk of technology thefts due to break-ins at school,” he said.

The program launched in the 2010-11 school year for third graders. C.J. Morris was the first Walnut Valley campus to offer Apple’s One-2-One laptop program.

This year, the successful program grew to include approximately 180 third and fourth grade students.  The 3rd grades use iPads and 4th grades use MacBook Laptops.

For the third year, C.J. Morris will continue with technology deployment for 3rd grades, expanding the program all they way to 5th grade in the 2012-13 school year.

Principal An Nguyen and Title 1 Teacher Anna Chiavetta presented the plan to parents during the Learning with Technology Showcase held on March 29.

Third and forth grade parents got a chance to see how technology has been used to enhance learning in their child’s classroom this year. They also participated in a technology scavenger hunt activity.

Second grade parents were able to see how technology is being used in the 1:1 technology program to enhance classroom learning.

They visited third and forth grade classrooms to learn about technology with students.

Third grade teacher Carol Martindale said her students have been learning Keynote presentations, Pages documents, Comic Life, and taking pictures and putting them into various projects.

Students are able to choose different colors, pictures, and fonts to make projects pleasing to the eye, said third grade teacher David Boots.

“They’ve become designers and graphic organizers,” he said.

Utilizing numerous senses– writing, speaking, seeing the pictures, etc., also enhances the learning he said.

“These kids know a lot!” he said.

“My students are excited in their learning with technology,” said fourth grade teacher Tara Noelte. 

During the classroom scavenger hunt, student “tour guides” shared their completed projects with guests including a California Mission interview recorded in iMovie where each student pretended to be either a Spanish missionary or Native American that lived at a mission; California Region brochure created in the Pages software; How We Share the Planet keynote presentation; and Where we are in Time and Place news article where students researched explorer both past and present.

Noelte said the impact of the technology has enabled her students to become more independent, resourceful, and responsible for their own learning.

“I’ve taught them that all the answers do not have to come from the teacher,” she said. 

“One-to-One technology has allowed me much more flexibility in differentiating my instruction.  This ensures, that I am meeting the needs of every student, everyday.  My only wish is that every student in the district could have the same learning experience,” Noelte added.

After the classroom visits, there was a brief meeting to discuss the technology program and ask parents about their interest in participating in a lease-to-own program for their child next year in third grade. 

Students and their teachers got a chance to brag about the unique computer program at the State Student Technology Showcase held March 17 at the Palms Springs Convention Center.

Their presentation was titled ““I Have a Computer/iPad On My Desk, Now What Do I Do?”

Students shared projects and described how their learning has changed from teacher lead to teacher as a facilitator, and how students are taking responsibility for their learning, said Title 1 Teacher Anna Chiavetta.

C.J.Morris Elementary presented the Learning with Technology Showcase on March 29.  Shown: Principal An Nguyen and Title 1 Teacher Anna Chiavetta. 

C.J. Morris third grade parents visited their children’s class to get a firsthand look at the rewards of the One-2-One program. 

Using iPads, third grade parents completed a technology scavenger hunt with the help of their children. 

Fourth graders demonstrated technology skills they’ve learned on their MacBooks.