Fairland School receives $65k tech grant

Jessica Graham jessica.graham@maiminewsrecord.com | Posted: Monday, August 25, 2014 2:22

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FAIRLAND Fairland Elementary students are reaping
the benefits of a $40,000 Oklahoma Educational
Technology Trust grant.
The school used the grant to purchase 130 new iPad Minis
for students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. In addition, the
school also received professional teacher development
training valued at $25,000.
Fairland fourth grade teacher Jerry Jones said these
devices will be helping students do activities and tasks
that would otherwise be out of their reach.
These devices are helping us achieve what would have
been impossible to learn and know in books alone, Jones
said. With technology students have the opportunity to
learn about animals and presidents and so many other
things with videos, and text from so many places.
Technology opens the world up to students.
Jones said technology in his classroom has changed not
only the way he teaches, but the way he approaches each
students education.
Without technology what would take a day or maybe even two can be done in minutes, Jones said.
And I get to see exactly what the student has learned or has not learned on a specific topic we are
learning in the classroom.
Fairland Elementary School Principal Angela Wade said some of the students have experience handling
iPads outside of school, while others are using them for the first time.
Jones said without a doubt this technology is creating new and different learning experiences for his
students.
Technology takes students far beyond the text book, Jones said. They get to see the way people live
not just read about it. They get to experience education in a whole new way and they are responding to
it.
Fairland Reading Specialist Laura Goins said the process began three years to get the OETT grant to buy
iPad for Every Student
Students and teachers at Fairland
Elementary will experience learning in new
and innovative ways thanks to a $65,000
grant from the Oklahoma Educational
Technology Trust (OETT). The school
received $40,000 to purchase new
technology equipment in addition to
professional teacher development training
valued at $25,000. The iPad Minis are
already being used in classrooms.
the iPads for the elementary classrooms.
Wade said the process to get a technology grant for the school began about ten years ago. She said it
included incorporating technology and better leadership skills into the school.
The technology team, comprised of Laura Goins, Amber Schertz, Mary Caudill, Jill Douthit, Angie
Wade, Tammy Powell, Kristin Hitchcock, and Tanya Reece, worked many hours last school year to write
the grant application, Wade said.
She said there were ten practices the team had to choose from on which to write the grant. She said they
picked shared values, authentic teaching and concern for equity.
Then you had to explain where the school was at on the three practices that all good schools have,
Wade said. You had to tell where you're at, what obstacles you face, and what your action would be if
you received this grant.
Goins said through the use of the new iPad Minis the school is now able to video and post the daily
Fairland School News on their own YouTube channel. Until now the newscast has been closed circuit.
Wade said by placing the newscasts on YouTube it will not only allow the parents and students to view
them at home, it will also teach the students to use the technology the iPad offers and take it to another
level.