LAWRENCE: Grant equips 6th graders with notebook computers

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   LAWRENCE —   When the Lawrence Township public schools open next week, Lawrence Intermediate School sixth-graders will be packing a little more in their backpacks than the usual pencils, notebooks and erasers.
   They will be toting new Dell netbook computers, thanks to a $1.4 million federal technology grant that has put a “mobile computing device” — a computer — in the hands of every sixth-grader at LIS. They will keep them as they move into 7th and 8th grades.
   The school district is one of 10 districts in the state that received a Teaching and Learning with Essential New Technologies in the 21st Century (TALENT21) grant, according to school district officials.
   ”This is part of our five-year strategic plan for the school district,” said Jennifer Polakowski, the district’s grants manager. The objective is to provide students with the skills they will need for careers in the 21st century, she said.
   ”This was a good starting point to provide more computer access to the children,” Ms. Polakowski said, adding that it will “level the playing field.” Some students already have access to computers at home, but others do not.
   Ms. Polakowski and Crystal Lovell, the assistant superintendent for curriculum, agreed that children want to take an active role in their learning. They want to communicate and collaborate with each other and with their teachers, and it is easily done interactively on the computers.
   They can get instant feedback from their peers and from their teachers, Dr. Lovell said. If a child is writing a paper, it can be shared with other students for their input. They like to share, so writing a paper or developing a project doesn’t seem like work or a chore, she said.
   ”Learning is the key,” Ms. Polakowski said. “How can we continue to excite them about learning? There is still room for regular classroom instruction, (but) the technology engages the students.”
   There also is a “green” aspect to the TALENT21 initiative, Dr. Lovell said. It is not necessary to print out multiple copies of an essay or project, because it can be shared online with other students and teachers.
   The grant also allows the school district to “knock down the school walls,” Dr. Lovell said. The computer initiative allows teachers to communicate with parents and with the community, she said.
   ”We can connect the parents with the teachers,” she said. “A parent may say, ‘I do research in that area (if the class is engaged in a project).’”
   Although the netbook computers have begun to be distributed this week, school district officials have held a series of meetings with parents and students to help them become acquainted with the new computers. Teachers also have taken professional development classes to help them learn about the possibilities.
   Looking ahead, becoming computer-savvy is necessary in the workplace, Dr. Lovell said. There is much competition and collaboration among employees, and as companies downsize the workforce, it is important for the workers to be “the best of the best,” she said.
   ”The students want access to information,” Dr. Lovell said. “For us not to do this would be a disservice to them. We are more looking at skill sets, not the device. We are trying to build on their skills for getting access to information.”
[email protected]