The Customer Need
Since Eloy school funds are sparse, they must go towards fundamental needs – personnel, textbooks, pencils and paper. among the teaching and administrative staff, advanced technology has been a dream for years.
“We’ve had intermittent technology, but our desktop computers were about seven to ten years old,” said michelle Covarrubias, the district’s director of Curriculum and student academic services. “While many districts, including us, would love to have new technology, you have to find money for it. Kids here may not have seen some things others take for granted.”
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In addition to budgetary challenges, the Eloy was struggling to improve student engagement and attendance. according to Covarrubias, many students were disinterested in learning and needed an incentive to simply come to school. additionally, more than a third of the students in the district are english language learners (ELL), who typically test below average in reading and math. It was critical to find a solution that would help personalize learning for these students that have a more difficult time with the curriculum.
On a mission to transform learning, Eloy applied for a federal school improvement grant in 2011, and received an award that would underwrite new technology for its schools. It was a rare opportunity for the youth of eloy, and district leadership felt the responsibility of choosing strategically and intelligently.
In 2012, a technology research team was assembled to plan a school-wide integration of leading-edge technology into all classrooms and curriculum at the district’s eloy intermediate school. They broke into small groups to evaluate five technology vendors, viewing classroom simulations and visiting other schools to observe the varied technologies at work.
According to Covarrubias, however, the technology options they looked at seemed incomplete – offering only disparate devices rather than integrated classroom solutions. that all changed when they saw a demo of samsung school. “With the tablets, interactive whiteboards and other technology, samsung had the complete package,” Covarrubias recalled.
After watching the technology in action, speaking with support teams and comparing price points, Eloy staff decided that, hands down, samsung school was the best fit.
The Results
Following the introduction of Samsung School in the classroom at the beginning of the school year, both student attendance and engagement skyrocketed. In fact, according to technology coach oursler, the teaching staff counted nearly 100 percent student attendance every day.
“Every lesson, they know we’re going to include samsung school technology and they’re very eager to get started,” said teacher irene avila. “They take notes on their PowerPoint, send it back to me, or send it to another student. We’re also using it a lot in our math class for practice games and quizzes, and incorporate it into our Galileo testing. they take it all on the tablet. It’s getting them to explore more − it’s something totally different for them.”
In addition, Samsung school enables teachers to personalize learning for struggling and english language development (eld) students. Baker, who teaches a 5th- and 6th-grade combined (ELD) has experienced this firsthand with her students. “The ability i have with samsung school to utilize apps so students can hear words and put those words into sentences really tailors the lesson to students’ needs,” she said. “They can now practice one on one with me, in groups or independently. I believe it’s going to have a direct effect on how quickly the students learn the language.”
By deploying samsung school, Eloy intermediate is getting closer to its goals of immersing students in technology that will help prepare them for the future. They supplement Samsung school by utilizing online educational resources such as Khan Academy, Think Central, Galileo ATI, learn Zillion, learning A-Z, Brainpop and renaissance. And e-books are slated for purchase next year – another step toward immersive digital learning.
A more effective use of technology is helping this rural school district with a small budget deliver a world-class education to its community. Teachers are professionally recharged, using samsung school to infuse a greater sense of wonder and desire for knowledge in their students. Classes are more student- centric and personalized, and students are empowered by the knowledge and skills they are able to obtain.
School leadership predicts an increase in student enrollment, due to the new technology’s potential. “eventually we’ll draw non-district students because we’ll be the only school in the county that has programs on this scale of implementation,” Rogers said. It also enhances the potential to attract quality teachers.
But ultimately it’s about the positive impact on student achievement. “Because of Samsung school, students are now able to compete at a global level,” said Baker. “It brings learning to a whole new level. It lets our community and parents see that we want what’s best for our students: to prepare them for college and the workforce.”
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