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Lamar
Middle School STAR Grant
 An
Animoto video produced by Lamar Middle School highlighting current
technology initiatives on campus.
This teacher made product shows a sample of the students incorporating
technology into the science and math classrooms this year. With
technology two of the biggest challenges teachers face is having enough
equipment and developing comfort within a relevant technology enriched
lesson. With the training and materials from the STAR Grant, the Lamar
teachers are feeling more comfortable and opening the door to these new
opportunities for the success of the students. We are thankful for the
Vernier Probes, GIZMOS on Explorelearning.com, the headphones with
microphones attached, and the graphing calculators with Smart View for
the teachers to support student activities. |
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XO Laptop Pilots
 Not
just talking about 1-to-1 computers for students, Irving ISD has been
living it. So what new devices are available for younger students?
The XO laptop was released this year to a world market and its impact on
students and the current trends in technology are becoming obvious. Everyone
(community, parents, students, teachers, etc.) who was interested
in learning more about the XO laptop was invited to XO Laptop user group
meetings. The district purchased 23 XO laptops to use during the meetings
and afterward provide to various campuses on the basis of written grant
proposals... |
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 Technology
Integration in the Irving ISD
Online videos that provide an insight into the
technology implementation plan in the Irving ISD. The Irving ISD
is a leader in the implementation of 1-to-1 laptop programs at the high
school level across the nation, while our elementary schools integrate
technology into the core curriculum. |
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2007 National Best of
the Web Award
 Irving ISD has been
awarded the Best of the Web award in the K‑12 District Website category
from the Center for Digital Education. The website –
www.irvingisd.net – is one of four K‑12 district websites in the
nation to receive this distinction. The other K‑12 district winners are:
Clayton County, Georgia; Hillsborough City, California; and Olathe,
Kansas.
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Irving ISD Recognized as Education Technology Leader
 Many
LearnStar schools across the nation understand the
importance of integrating technology into the classroom and
the benefits of one-to-one computing. One LearnStar school
district, in particular, stands out as a model for
one-to-one computing and is leading the way for other
districts to do the same.... |
District Wins $975,000 Technology Grant
 Irving ISD is the only district in Texas to be awarded
a full "Vertical Team" portion of a TEA technology grant called the
Texas Technology Immersion Pilot Program. Irving High School, de Zavala
Middle School, and Lively Elementary School will share $800,000 over a
two-year period to implement the program. The purpose of the grant
is to explore the impact of technology immersion on student achievement
by... |
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MacArthur Named as Finalist for 21st Century Schools of Distinction
Award
 MacArthur
High School is among 56 schools named Phase II Finalists for the 21st
Century Schools of Distinction Awards to be presented by the Intel
Foundation this year. Twenty schools will be chosen to receive a combined
$200,000 in grants. Finalists were chosen from more than 1,200
applications submitted by elementary, middle and high schools nationwide.
MacArthur was nominated in the
category: Technology Implementation. These schools have shown
practical improvement in the implementation of technology in a specific
area of the school program or curriculum...
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Hot,
New E-Learning Paradigm
 Over the last three
years, Irving ISD has been busy mixing one of the premiere e-learning
programs in the world. The ingredients for that program are laid out
in a document called the Long-Range Technology Plan (LRP), which has
been a reliable recipe for success—not just in making technology available
but in making it useful and meaningful in a student’s education. The 10
most critical ingredients are... |
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Plug
In, Turn On, Win Out
How a district went from nearly no-tech to
attention-grabbing high-tech in five years
Located smack-dab between
Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving Independent School District has
experienced technology acceleration at its finest. Its ambitious
technology upgrade plan has put Dell laptops into the hands of every
student and sparked renewed interest in learning. "I see teachers teaching kids, kids teaching other
kids, and kids teaching their parents," says Jennifer Anderson,
Irving's executive director of technology. "And now I see other school
districts coming to Irving to find out how we're doing it"...(read
more)
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Microsoft Names Irving ISD a "Center of Excellence"
 Software
giant Microsoft has selected the IISD as the first 2003 Microsoft Center
of Excellence. With that designation, the district is recognized as an
innovator in the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.
As the first educational institution in the nation to
receive the award, the IISD has established itself as a front-runner in
the use of technology in education.
“We thank you for demonstrating that technology can
help students and teachers realize their full potential,” Microsoft
representative Mary Cullinane wrote in a letter to Irving ISD. “You’ve
shown, when used appropriately, technology provides educators and
students with great tools to help students develop the skills necessary
to become life-long learners in the 21st century,
and there is no greater reward than seeing a child experience the awe of
wonderment, and the thrill of success.”
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Technology in the News |
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Footprints in the Digital Age
Social Web
technologies are having a huge influence on students, even the
youngest ones. Yet adults are failing to help them explore the
safety and ethics of the "digital footprint" that they are
leaving behind, writes Will Richardson, author of "Blogs, Wikis,
Podcasts, and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms." Not only
should students be encouraged to explore topics that interest
them, but they must also learn to use technology wisely in the
general curriculum, he writes. A short lesson on Internet safety
is not enough...
National Lieutenant Governors Association Sponsors Resolution
for Children's Low-Cost Laptops
The NLGA unanimously passed a
resolution urging the federal government and the US Department
of Education to ensure that every American school child has
access to his or her own laptop computer...
Kids Today
Researcher Peter Grunwald believes students' increasing taste
for technology will transform classrooms...
One-to-One Computing and Classroom
Management
If you spend some time observing the best, most-respected,
teachers you will discover that one of their essential skills is
good classroom management. Classroom management is
essential if you want the students to learn. There is much
literature and many theories on the topic...
Kansas School District Rolls Out 1:1
MacBook Program
In one of the poorer districts in the Kansas City, KS
metropolitan area--where more than 75 percent of students
qualify for free or reduced-price lunches--administrators and
school board members have launched a project to ensure that
their students have all the technological advantages...
One-to-One Computing and Classroom
Management
If you spend some time observing the best, most-respected,
teachers you will discover that one of their essential skills is
good classroom management...
$100 Laptop to Cost $175 - and Run Windows
The founder of the ambitious "$100 laptop" project ... revealed
April 26 that the machine for now costs $175, and it will be
able to run Windows ...
Intel to Develop $199 Laptop to Challenge Nonprofit
Intel
Corp. has teamed with a Taiwanese company to develop a range of
low cost portable computers, including a laptop that would sell
for under $200 ...
What If Every Child Had A Laptop?
Lesley Stahl Reports On The Dream And The Difficulties Of
Getting A Computer To Every Child
One Laptop Per Child
MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte's dream is to put a laptop
computer into the hands of every child.
The One-to-One Tsunami
A look at the innovative programs that have made the one
laptop-one child phenomenon popular across the country - and the
effect it's having on student achievement.
Preparing Teachers for One-to-One
Ten tips to help educators working in laptop environments
thrive.
One-to-One in Ohio
Cincinnati Country Day School is no stranger to laptop
programs, but its decision to switch to tablets marks a paradigm
shift in the school's effort to make technology an integral part
of the learning experience.
One-to-One in Texas
At the Irving Independent School District, providing its
students with equal access to technology meant gaining the
support of all stakeholders involved: parents, community
members, educators, and administrators.
Creating a Tech-Infused Culture
As an educational leader, the technology administrator can and
should take the lead in ensuring students benefit from the
integration of digital technologies into classroom practices.
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