The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS — Bath County students in grades 6-9 are participating in a new tablet technology program that supports 21st Century teaching and learning.
Kuno tablets have been issued to individual students in the “1:1 Program,” an initiative where pupils use the devices in school during the day, any homework is downloaded to the tablets while in school and the devices are taken home for after-school use and charging.
No home Internet access is required.
“It has gone very well,” said Paul Lancaster, director of technology and administrative services, who outlined the program to the Bath County School Board Tuesday night. “There have been bumps when you put 200 machines in students’ hands, but overall it’s gone as well as we could hope.”
Bath County schools have partnered with Curriculum Loft Corp. to manage use of the tablets. Teachers upload classroom documents, videos, web links or other material to a private course/class website that students are able to access.
School officials anticipate that this process will increasingly be used to limit the number of textbooks and other materials that students will take home from school.
Curriculum Loft also provides a device management system that allows school staff to control what applications are loaded on the tablets. Each device is specifically set up for one student and is password protected.
Teachers were provided in-service on the use of the tablets and the Curriculum Loft online resources.
They were then given time — and support — to begin preparation for student use.
Students were provided an orientation, and the devices are now making their way into classroom instruction.
Additionally, primary grade students in both Millboro Elementary School and Valley Elementary School have limited access to tablets in a new pilot program that is just getting started. These tablets will only be used at school.
“The program is under way,” Lancaster concluded. “There are some neat things happening.”
