School officials back district-wide technology plan

The Canton School Committee last week came out in full support of a plan to install interactive projectors in every classroom in the district from preschool through grade 8. The question now is how to finance the upgrades, which carry an estimated price tag of just under $500,000 for 134 classrooms.

The committee did agree during Thursday night’s meeting that there will not be a public donation effort, as had been previously suggested by CPS technology integration administrator April Goran.

Committee Chair Cindy Thomas said that while they would accept donations from school CAPTs and organizations such as the Canton Alliance for Public Education and the Canton Association of Business and Industry, the committee believes that the major brunt of the cost should be borne by the school department.

Thomas said the committee must make annual strategic investments. “We need to invest in technology every single year,” she said.

“We are behind the eight-ball,” added committee member Bob Golledge.

However, the committee is unsure how it will fit the technology project into the next capital or operating budget or when it will present its case to the Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, or at town meeting. Thomas said there are other looming capital projects that need the town’s attention, such as the planned addition at the Hansen School. Committee member Michael Loughran suggested that they explore leasing as another financing option.

The committee, which had several questions about the interactive projectors when first presented by Goran in late May, attended a demonstration and came away convinced that the project is worthwhile.

Goran also provided additional information at Thursday night’s meeting, including an update on what other nearby schools with similar populations are doing with related technology projects.

The project came to the forefront this past spring, following the installation of wireless capabilities at all of the Canton schools. Some classes in grades 1-8 currently have projectors that were purchased by individual school CAPTs or through grants from CAPE. In addition, all of the classrooms at Canton High School were outfitted with the technology — which includes a ceiling-mounted projector, speakers, and a pull-down screen — as part of renovations completed nearly a decade ago.

Goran said the plan was driven by teacher requests. She said the projectors would allow teachers to transition from lesson to lesson without losing valuable teaching time and would increase student interest, engagement, and collaboration. Goran cited one researcher, Robert Marzano, who reported that using interactive whiteboards was associated with a 16 percent gain in student achievement in one year and a 20 percent gain after 20 to 30 months.

Following Goran’s report, School Superintendent Jeff Granatino added, “We all feel very strongly about this.” Also joining in support of the technology upgrades were Curriculum and Instruction Director Jen Henderson and Kennedy School Principal Sarah Collmer.

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the July 31 School Committee meeting.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Aug 7 2014. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.