February 23, 2010

 

WATKINS GLEN --- Students at Watkins Glen Middle School are dropping their pencils and picking up handheld mobile devices for school assignments.
     The Watkins Glen School District has teamed up Verizon Wireless for a high-tech pilot program.
     Students have been working with the technology since December.
     Now, they're going to be a part of an infomercial for Verizon's Mobile Learning Device.
     Watkins Glen Middle School is the first school in New York to use the MLD.
     About 200 fifth and seventh graders are part of Verizon's Mobile Learning Device pilot program.
     “We've met with a lot of schools and Watkins Glen is a kind of a forward thinking school,” said Verizon representative, Jack Stich.
     The Mobile Learning Device is like a cell phone, for the classroom.
     Kids can access a filtered Internet, write essays in a Word document, and link their assignments to the computer.
     “We each get to really do it, so it expresses ourselves more, and it’s better than doing worksheets,” said seventh grader Megan Dupuy
     Administrators say the world is changing with innovative technology and kids are learning differently.
     “We have not abandoned the paper and pencil, what we've done is integrated technology into the current classroom setting as an enhancement to what we are doing,” explained Watkins Glen Superintendent, Tom Phillips.
     The MLDs are linked to teachers’ computers so they can see what their students are doing.
     Technology teacher Greg Groden says the devices really engage his students.
     At first, a little too much...
     “Some kids have figured out how to use it where they shouldn’t, but we've gotten around that,” he said.
     These days, kids spend countless hours on Game-Boys and laptops.
     Now they get to use similar technology at school.
     “In math we still write with paper and pencils, but I don't really miss it, ‘cause this is kind of more fun to use,” said seventh grader Keziah Fraboni.
     Administrators hope to implement the program in all middle school grades in the fall.
     Nearly 75 percent of the funding comes from state aid to GST BOCES.
     The district will explore federal aid options as well.