Technology Expands Learning

Technology is spreading through elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, and it's changing the way young people learn -- including at Efland Cheeks Elementary School.

Efland Cheeks in Efland recently received a $250,000 grant specifically for furthering the use technology in the classrooms.

Principal Rebecca Horne said the school has not been able to spend any of the money yet as administrators are still collaborating with parents and teachers to determine exactly what they will get. They are considering purchasing 100 laptops and a SMART board -- an interactive white board that hooks up to a computer.

"It's a great opportunity," Horne said. "We have really old machines, and (the grant) gives us a chance to get really top-of-the-line resources."

One school in North Carolina with plenty top-of-the-line resources is the Highland School of Technology in Gastonia. The Gaston County school system opened the magnet school in 2000 for pioneering students performing at or above grade level.

Each classroom has six computers with Internet access and a teacher station, said Glenn Gurley, communication and information technology coordinator.

"With the technology we have here, it allows students to get up-to-date info, and it opens the door to the outside community," Gurley said.

This setup leads to more student interaction and project-based learning as opposed to the traditional setting of the teacher on a stage, Gurley said.

Gurley reports that students' test scores are going up, and later this fall, the Highland School of Technology will be deemed a School of Excellence, the first high school to receive this honor.

Experts agree that technology is a beneficial tool for students if used properly. "There are benefits to technology that is used as a creative tool for students to do research," said Don Blake, technologist for the National Education Association.

"On the other hand, where schools can't afford much technology, or where there are just computers in a lab for math, there is little benefit to the technology."

Normally though, Blake said, technology expands the potential for helping students learn.

Tangibly seeing the effects of technology in the classrooms is difficult, said Frances Bradburn, director of instructional technology for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. "I think the effects are not something we can measure in standardized test scores," Bradburn said.

She said the effects are more obvious in the attitudes of the students. When technology is used in the classroom, students become more motivated, absenteeism drops, and sometimes, she said, the use of technology will completely turn around kids who were going to drop out.

Bradburn said advancement of technology in schools is something that has to happen because students will not think their education is relevant without the tools they use in everyday life and the tools they will use for the rest of their lives.

She said, "What is the point of education if we are not going to prepare students for the future?"

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.