School District on the Cutting Edge of Technology

Schools within the Pajaro Valley Unified School District are on the cutting edge of technology, according to Tim Landeck, the district's technology director. SMART Boards and constant computer upgrades are just a couple ways the district increases student engagement and efficiency in a technology-driven world.

Most recently, the district's working with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education to identify schools where they can create model technology classrooms.

Landeck said these model classrooms will be equipped with technologies such as SMART Boards, audio systems, document cameras and student responders—a tool used to facilitate the best teaching practices—and the district's also looking into its ability to provide each student with an iTouch or laptop.

“[The idea is] to help the county look at what a fully equipped and well-trained instructor can do,” Landeck said. “The goal is to have model classrooms by the end of year so people can come and view and see them in action.”

Landeck said the district first has to identify schools and teachers to share the model classrooms with, and that once that's done, they can begin installing new equipment and training staff, which they anticipate to happen by the start of next year.

Although the PVUSD may be on the cutting-edge of technology, it doesn't mean that digital resources are evenly distributed among each school. Landeck said the disbursement of funds is based on the size of each school's student population, and that most technology is purchased through grant money or categorical funding, and that non-qualifying schools have to seek other means to update their equipment.

“Some schools have a lot of technology, such as , who received a grant a couple years ago, and then other schools survive on parent donations, and they don't have the same level of technology,” he said.

An example of a school that's negatively affected by this funding model is , which raises funds for new technology through charitable means, because it doesn't qualify for e-rate funding, a program developed to help schools and libraries obtain affordable technologies for the purpose of improving telecommunications and Internet access.

“Aptos High is doing a real push to help support their aging equipment, and has a lot of parent support and a lot of people that are interested,” Landeck said. “We're on the cutting edge in many ways and were able to do it on thin budget and minimal amount of staff. The continuing challenge is maintaining what we have going on, when losing additional staff and resources.”

Landeck said two-thirds of the district's schools have received new equipment, and the district now is focusing on getting new equipment to the last third.

In the meantime, below is a list of some technologies and trends being implemented into some district schools. 

New Technologies and Trends at a Glance:

• SuccessMaker, an accelerated learning resource geared toward specific reading and math levels.

• SMART Boards and interactive whiteboards. Landeck said these have had a tremendous impact on instruction, student engagement and teacher approval.

• School-Loop, a parent, student and teacher communication tool, geared toward helping facilitate communication and awareness for all stakeholders in education, so they can monitor student progress and help keep people informed. It's an application that gives users the ability to check assignments and attendance, and allows students and parents to communicate with teachers through an email system. It has a gradebook function for teachers, allowing them to send emails to all their students at once.

• District computer upgrades. Landeck said this is useful in many ways, because the installation of new software allows computers to run faster while using less electricity. He said upgraded computers tend to run a little cooler also, which contributes some cost savings down the road.

• Infrastructure upgrades through the installation of newer Cisco routers and switches on some school sites. Landeck said this helps with the reliability of networks, allows students to access the Internet quicker, and allows office personnel to access important databases faster, which helps increase efficiency.

• Revised district website. The district website, which was revamped this year, is more accessible to parents, students, community members and staff. Landeck said it's the gateway for a lot of student applications, such as the ability to stream videos into the classroom and to other areas that have portal access to the district site.