Rochester City School District officials say that they hope to provide all students with the high-tech devices they need to do the advanced level of work expected of them. It’s the first tier to a more ambitious plan that Annmarie Lehner, the district’s information technology officer, will present to the school board later today.
The district is also working with the city on a much larger goal: making broadband available to all city homes and elevating Rochester to what Lehner calls a “gigabit city.”
The city school district has tried to get students access to devices such as laptops and tablets for several years, Lehner says, but many city families can’t afford Internet access. That means that students often have to go to either the library, a friend’s house, or a recreation center to do their homework.
“Only about 50 percent of our students have access to the Internet at home, and we’re not talking about access through a cell phone,” Lehner says.
Whether it’s taking an online course or completing an application for college or a job, Lehner says, many activities require easy access to the Internet; it’s a basic necessity for students.
“All these expanded day programs are great, but to do that means having access to the world through the Internet anytime and all the time,” she says. “For our suburban counterparts, that’s the norm. But it’s just not the norm for our kids.”
Later today, Lehner will recommend that the board approve using funds from the Smart Schools Bond act to buy the hardware that the students need. While some students have iPad’s or Chromebooks, the district wants all of its students from prekindergarten to 12th grade to have the technology, depending on their grade level, with the eventual goal of being able to take the devices home.
The second tier of the plan involves getting money from the New York State Broadband Program, which is designed to provide broadband access to underserved areas of the state.
The district is working with the city to tap into the fiber optics’ infrastructure already in place, some of which is owned by the city and the county, and to connect it with every city residence for free. Lehner says that this would allow broadband Internet speeds of up to one gig per second.
“We would not be providing that level to every home for free, but if we get the grant, we would provide between 10 and 15 megabytes per second, which is sufficient for basic Internet usage,” she says.
Businesses would also have access to the broadband service, she says, though it wouldn’t be free.
“But this would be a great boost, to be a gigabyte city and to provide those types of speeds would give more businesses a reason to locate downtown,” Lehner says.
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2016.
I am one who totally embrace technology. I have pioneered the use of technology in the RCSD for over 20 years. But I have several concerns that should be considered.
1) The RCSD has always been fast to jump on grant-driven programs with no sustainability plan to continue the initiative when the grant runs out. Someone has to pay the bill. Will this eventually become a tax payer obligation?
2) Allowing students to take devices home presents numerous potential problems such as theft and damaged devices. Students are already being assaulted and robbed for their cell phones. Giving them high-tech devices to take home makes them and even high target.
3) Providing digital devices for instruction must be aligned with acceptable instructional goals that require their use. In a “blend-and-flip” instructional format
students use technology in phases that are mixed with classroom style instruction. This process is best accomplished in an instructional learning lab where the teacher is present and leading the instruction.
4) Social media is causing a major problem with urban youth using the internet for entirely wrong purposes. How is the district going to ensure that this problem is not exacerbated by this initiative?
5) Where will the budget for the yearly repair and replacement cost come from?
6) When did doing homework requiring the use of a computer and internet become the new standard?
7) Students completing applications for jobs or college is best handled at school under the supervision of a trained professional who can help them navigate the system?
8) New York State currently does not allow students to take high school courses online outside of the school building. Is the District considering approaching the State to get them to change this policy?
9)Companies that provide Extended-Day programs that utilize web-base programs must have their programs approved by the NYSED, which is a rigorous process. Also, extended-day program are provided at school buildings. So providing this level of internet access to home has NO relationship to extended-day programs.
10) Rochester concentration of high-poverty citizens are primarily renters, and not home owners. These folks are very transient moving from apartment to apartment, and home to home frequently. How will the district manage this problem since many of the residences are NOT owned by District families?
These are just a few things that should be considered, in my opinion!
Technology is not the answer. The education systems with the best outcomes, worldwide, do not invest heavily in personal or classroom technology. Whatever this initiate might cost would be far better spent on making sure each RCSD building had adequate social and psych workers to engage with every student that shows any sign of need. Sending an iPad home with a kid who might get beaten by someone or for whom there is no stable living situation is not helping that student.
Instead of learning, the future is going to be learning how to learn. So, unless we like spending our time waiting, and waiting some more for our internet search results, then I can’t fathom the criticism. Also, what good is an internet device with no internet? Come on folks, geez, it’s common sense.