CFSD New Technology

I have been asked as a technology leader, How do you balance innovation with consistency? My answer is building systems with a lot of flexibility. The rebuilding of Stillson Elementary School allowed me to observe, seek feedback, and dream about what classroom technology could look like in 2020 and beyond.

We began by piloting mobile classroom setups upon request by teachers. We outfitted teachers with a Macbook, an iPad and an Apple TV connected to the projector so that the teacher could teach from anywhere in the room using a mobile device wirelessly and utilize the iPad as a writing surface to demonstrate, mark up and annotate instructional materials without getting in the way of students’ views of the board.

For instructional purposes, this worked very well. Technologically, we had some issues. We had numerous issues with Apple TV’s displaying properly, with iPad apps not being compatible with Apple TV, with devices losing their wireless internet connection when streaming, with sound and video not working consistently, etc. If you have been an early adopter of the mobile classroom setup, you may have experienced some, or all of these! We made changes to settings and did troubleshooting with Apple on issues we were having, but we were not able to solve the issues with finality.

At the same time, it started to become more apparent that declining enrollment was going to cause all of us to tighten our purse strings on the financial front. That, along with the human capital it requires to maintain and services thousands of devices had me dreaming about a 1-device solution for mobile classroom. Other requests, such as dual monitors and the requirement to have mobile devices for meetings prevented us from keeping just desktops in classrooms.

We researched and developed a Windows Mobile Classroom solution as the solution for all teachers at the CFAUSD. So far, Stillson has implemented this approach, CFMS will be fully implemented by the end of the school year, and Hillcrest and Halmstad will experience these upgrades over the summer of 2021. Plans to continue this roll-out district-wide are underway as well, realizing that we cannot (and should not) replace all devices at one time in the district.

Why is this solution both innovative and consistent? Well, it is consistent because every teacher gets the same pieces: a Windows touchscreen laptop, a docking station with a wide monitor, keyboard, mouse and stylus pen. All rooms will also be outfitted with a ScreenBeam wireless screening device (kind of like a Windows version of Apple TV). This system integrates with a Smartboard at the elementary schools and a projector at the MS and HS. All classrooms will be set up the same in that regard.

Why is this solution innovative? Well, this is the interesting part. Teachers have the flexibility to use this set of tools in a variety of ways. When the laptop is “docked” at your desk, it gets a wired internet connection and is directly connected with your Smartboard or projector. It acts as a desktop computer and has all of the reliability of a desktop computer.

If you don’t like to be tethered to your desk, you can undock your laptop and wirelessly display from anywhere in your room. You can write on the screen of the touchscreen laptop and students will see on the display your notes and annotations. Students can demonstrate work on the touchscreen laptop as well.

The SMARTboards in elementary classrooms can also act completely independently from any computer, which means students can be working on a completely separate and independent activity on the Smartboard while a teacher is working with a group of students utilizing the laptop.

There are many more ways that this setup can be used for flexible innovation in the classroom to leverage high impact instructional strategies to promote engagement and learning. These are just a few. At this time, the schedule for completing the rest of the replacements would include updating the high school work stations in the summer of 2022 as well as Parkview work stations and Smartboards. Southview would be completed in the summer of 2023. (Southview had the most recent updates in technology before Stillson, completed in 2015).

Elementary Teachers New Classroom Tech

Elementary teachers, you get to look forward to all the above (minus wireless keyboard & mouse), plus, the ability to use your Smartboard as an oversized computer. Yes, that is right! Teachers can sign into their Smartboard just like they do with their desktop computer and use it in that sense with a wired keyboard and mouse. Also, as your device is docked, you will have the same capabilities you have been accustomed to with your desktop computer and Smartboard.

Jennifer Kuehl Sarah Merconti are teachers at Stillson and they wanted to share how their new technology has gone thus far. Jennifer says "Screen beam (once we got it working in all classrooms) was a lifesaver for teaching in the classrooms on a cart. Now being back in the music room I am enjoying using notebook lessons again and being able to use the smartboard as a smartboard." She also mentioned how she loves all the options she has to share on her screen and it just took a little time to figure out what is best that suits her particular lesson. Sarah says, "I love the fact that the Smartboard is its own computer. This works GREAT for subs, too. I also love the flexibility of having the option to be mobile with the Screen Beam."