Edison Township Public Schools Receive Recognition for Technology
EDISON, N.J. — Edison Township Public Schools has been expanding its technological reach in order to live up to its name and the 21st century learning environments of schools around the country.
The district has approximately 14,500 students and 17 public schools — but in 2011, the district was not utilizing technology in the classroom. That has all changed now that Richard O’Malley started as the district’s superintendent.
The changes in technology alone have given the schools national recognition, as they were the first K-12 district in the U.S. to leverage the Blackboard Mobile Central platform. In 2011, the district partnered with Washington, D.C.-based Blackboard Inc., to launch a custom-designed mobile application to enhance school communities.
The mobile application, My Edison, is free for students, parents and the community, and gives access to school news, district-wide events, maps, contact directories and more, all via smartphones, mobile devices and platforms.
Edison Township School District is one of the first K-12 districts to pursue a mobile strategy, as well as the district’s Parent Portal, giving parents the ability to securely access information on their child’s schedules, grades and attendance.
The move to utilizing greater technology was in response to a shift in students’ learning methods — most of which were heavily influenced by technology. During the same time as the mobile app was launching for the district, the schools also saw the implementation of iPads in freshman algebra classrooms, through a partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
What started out as a small advancement has now grown to over 300 iPads in algebra and geometry classes, including distributing iPads to eighth grade students in honors algebra classes this year.
“This is where it is heading into the future, and there are endless opportunities [with the use of iPads],” said Joe Riggi, eighth grade algebra teacher at the district’s Woodrow Wilson Middle School, in a statement.
Another technology that has been integrated into the classrooms throughout the district is Promethean’s ActivTables. The ActivTables are at four middle schools in the district and have made up the largest distribution of ActivTables in the nation.
The 16 tables in various classrooms at the middle schools all have a full 46-inch LCD HD display that works like an oversized tablet or iPad, allowing up to six students to work collaboratively on a single screen.
Even though the new technology is exciting, educators at Edison Township Public Schools say the innovations will not replace the district standards, or textbooks. Riggi explained in an article that even though iPads are great to have, nothing beats the learning environment with teacher and student interacting together. He explained, “That cannot be replaced.”
Technology Changes Design
The design of schools is changing and the focus now is to deliver students technology in collaborative and interactive spaces.
Along with all the gizmos and gadgets one would not assume that chairs and tables are making its way into the technologically advanced education market, but do not doubt that industry for a second. Furniture companies are hard at work developing solutions for students in the classroom. Along with Promethean’s ActivTables, VS America has also seen the evolution of classroom furniture and answered the needs of the changing market by developing its Lounge Series, which provides students the flexibility they need.
“It comprises of modular elements that allow you to create your own ‘landscape’ of soft seating,” said Carmen Klaus, business development manager for VS America. “The regular height backrests as well as the movable armrests can serve as a flat surface to put your laptop on while casually sitting on the seating area. The Hi-Back Lounge elements create privacy before you go ahead and share your work.”
As learning in the classroom progresses, classroom design is not far behind. Although VS America was not directly involved with Edison Township Public Schools, the company has delivered furniture to other districts who are also changing the way classrooms looks in order to meet different learning styles of students today.
“It generally seems that a lot of previous stationary IT equipment in educational environments is traded in for laptops. The added flexibility by just being able to pick up and sit wherever to work with your laptops is great because now students don’t have to stay within the walls of the media center or computer lab but can truly work throughout the school (or even at home),” said Klaus.