Schools plan increased use of technology in new school year

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

— Changes in the use of more and more technology may become apparent to students and parents as school gets under way next week in Gentry.

Judy Winslett, Gentry School District’s federal curriculum coordinator, said, “We are looking closely at the budget in an attempt to purchase as much ‘technology’ for students as we can fund. The Common Core State Standards call for increased infusion/integration of technology in the classroom with a focus on research, even at the lower grade levels. A second computer lab has been installed at the Intermediate School during the summer and new laptop computers were purchased for one of the distance learning labs at the high school. It is my hope to add both mobile carts of iPads and netbooks at every campus, once the budget is in place and approved.

“The district is contracting with Ken Stamatis, literacy consultant and Harding University professor, to provide professional development for our teachers relating to literacy and the common core. Additional presenters for our pre-service teacher training are Kelli Dougan, NWAESC math specialist and Don Warden from the Siloam Springs Museum. Mr. Warden will be providing the required Arkansas history professional development,” Winslett said.

Jason Barrett, the school district’s transportation director, said he would like to invite parents and studentsto visit the transportation link on the Gentry Pioneers Website (www.gentrypioneers.com/transportation/index.html).

“We created this link with the morning and afternoon route maps and approximate pickup and drop-off times for each bus,” Barrett said. “It also gives details of our inclement weather bus route changes - with lots of good information for parents and students.”

Gentry High School has two new staff members. Jennifer McMurray will be teaching English classes, and Malynda Guyll will be teaching special education classes, according to high school principal Brae Harper.

Harper also said the high school will be implementing a new policy which states: “The Gentry School Board recognizes that personal, wireless cellular devices have the potential to be used by students and staff for 21st century education in both teaching and learning. Recognizing such, the Gentry School District believes it has “compelling reasons” to allow such devices to be used by staff and students during the instructional day at the discretion of the school principal and classroom instructor.”

The Gentry School Board issued the following guidelines to help mitigate problems inherent to wireless communication and social media: Devices 1. All student and staff personal electronic devices shall be set to “silent” during the instructional day unless prior approval has been received from the respective supervisor.

  1. Personal electronic devicesmay be used in the classroom for instructional purposes as determined by the teacher.

  2. Other uses of personal electronic devices, if any, during non-instructional time for staff and students shall be determined by the respective campus principal.

  3. Failure for students to use personal electronic devices in a responsible manner will result in consequences as described in JGEB Disciplinary Measures.

Communications 1. All electronic communication between staff and students shall be transparent, shall be considered a matter of record, shall carry no expectation of privacy for either party, and may be accessible to others.

  1. All electronic communication between staff and students or staff and the public shall be professional and respectful in nature.

  2. Electronic acts, a communication or image transmitted by means of an electronic device, including without limitation a telephone, wireless phone or other wireless communications device, computer, or pager, that bully or harass another party are forbidden and will result in the staff member or student being subject to consequences with the maximum being, respectively, termination of contract or expulsion.

This shall be applicable whether or not the electronic act originated on school property or with school equipment, if the electronic act is directed specifically at students or school personnel and maliciously intended for the purpose of disrupting school, and has a high likelihood of succeeding in that purpose. [A.C.A. 6-18-514] 4. The Gentry School District offers no opinion about students or staff belonging to online social networking services, platforms, or sites. However, the district reserves theright to block such services from being accessed by district owned equipment. It also reserves the right to impose consequences for using such venues to bully or harass other individuals as described in the preceding paragraph.

The District believes it is unprofessional for staff and current students to be “friends,” or like meaning, on social networks and maintains that a “wall” needs to exist between staff and students in their personal relationships.

  1. Staff and students may not log in to social networks during class time unless as part of a lesson initiated by the teacher.

  2. Staff and students are prohibited from texting and/or emailing during class time unless as part of a lesson initiated by the teacher. Teachers may use any means necessary for school business.

  3. Certified staff and students are prohibited from initiating or taking personal calls during class time. Classified employees are prohibited from initiating or taking personal calls except during scheduled breaks.

  4. Staff and students are prohibited from accessing the Internet during instructional time unless such access is for instructional purposes as initiated by the teacher. All internet usage is governed by EH Gentry Public Schools Computer Network and Internet Acceptable Use Policy and IT Security Policies.

  5. The district reserves the right to impose, with limited notice, other restrictions on the use of personal, electronic devices if warranted by circumstances not addressed or envisioned in this policy.

Disclaimer 1. The Gentry School District assumes no liability for repairing or replacing lost, stolen, misplaced, or damaged personal, electronic communication devices for staff or students.

Sports, Pages 11 on 08/15/2012