By Michelle McCracken, Reporter
Kaneland administrators are looking for ways to incorporate new technology in classrooms.
“It’s not the school that’s pushing for new technology,” Erika Schlicter, Director of Curriculum for 6-12, said. “The world’s pushing us.”
Currently, teachers are piloting some of the technology that could come soon. Kris Weiss, Assistant Principal at Harter Middle School, is in charge of the group called 21st Century Pilot, a group of over 20 teachers trying to implement more technology in classrooms.
“Technology already helps teachers, but with new skills they are being taught, teachers can become more effective with a larger group of students. They can reach more students in more effective ways,” Weiss said.
At the high school, teachers are incorporating new activities that involve the technology, such as Glogster, which allows students to create interactive posters online.
“I think it’s a creative idea,” freshman Elle Tattoni said.
Every Kaneland student received a Google Docs account, which is a data storage system. This system allows students to create and share documents with other students from any computer.
“Our goal is to have all students be college, career and community ready,” Schlicter said. “Some schools are buying tablets for the students. We’re not quite at that point. We’re in the conversations.”
Providing technology can be risky, she said.
“It all depends on how students use it,” Schlicter said. “Some students think their use is for fun, but not in the area of learning. It needs to be productive. I’m not going to guarantee anything because of our budgeting process, but on the horizon we’ve talked about surveying and asking [what technology students have access to].”
“Being career, community and college-ready requires all of these skills,” Weiss said. “These are all skills that everyone needs in order to be successful in the global economy and world that we live in.”