Covering an area of 88 square miles, the Klein Independent School District (KISD), located just north of Houston, is Texas-sized and growing. The current student population of 43,400 is expected to grow to 65,000 when the area is fully developed.
Successful bond elections in 2004 and 2008 included sizable funds for technology that enabled the establishment of a one-to-one student and teacher laptop program and a solid infrastructure for the district. The 2004 bond funds allowed KISD to plan for laptops in all high schools and one intermediate school. The successful 2008 bond election assured that the 1:1 program will be able to support district growth as well as replacement of existing technology. Computer labs, software for career and technology education and fine arts, along with mathematics graphing calculators and science probes were also funded through the successful bond programs.
Before its one-to-one implementation, KISD established an enviable baseline of technology for schools and classrooms, along with a robust wireless infrastructure. The district provides each K-12 core content classroom with an interactive whiteboard, a projector, a document camera, a student response/assessment system, and four networked student computer workstations. The district-wide network infrastructure supports wireless computer access, file storage, wired and wireless telephones, the student information system, printers and an automated library infrastructure. Replacement computers are also incorporated into the district's overall technology plan.
After considering various options, KISD chose to build its one-to-one program around Tablet PCs, rather than standard laptops, because the pen technology features of the tablets are particularly helpful in math and science classes and provide students with the flexibility needed to have the right tool for whatever their task may be. The deployment schedule has been gradual, with mobile computers typically issued to teachers a year before the students receive them.
The first Klein ISD students to receive Tablet PCs in 2006 were those enrolled in a new program that opened that year - the Vistas High School Program - serving 150 students. The following year, the 1:1 program expanded to Krimmel Intermediate School, a brand new school serving 1300 sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Teachers at one of KISD's four established high schools also received their Tablet PCs in 2007. The following year Tablet PCs were issued to 3500 students at that same high school.
The successful early deployments were followed by another high school in 2009, with plans for students at the third high school to receive their Tablet PCs in 2010 followed by teachers at the district's fourth high school. Klein ISD anticipates that the one-to-one computing will be expanded to the remaining intermediate schools as new funds become available – with elementary schools to follow when funding permits. Currently, elementary schools are not involved in the one-to-one program but, instead, mobile labs are being used more frequently in locations throughout the schools.
A Focus on Students as Creators of Content
The one-to-one program began with a vision that - when used effectively - the Tablet PC could fundamentally change the culture of learning throughout the day, both in the classrooms and at home. There is also a strong commitment to the concept that all students in the 21st century must develop the skill sets to be producers and creators - not just consumers - of digital content.
According to Ann McMullan, KISD's Executive Director of Educational Technology, Klein ISD teachers and students are transforming teaching and learning through the 1:1 program. Tablet PCs – equipped with DyKnow monitoring software - enable teachers to share students' digital work with the rest of the class and spark classroom conversation and collaboration. Angel Learning's LMS (learning management system) provides students and teachers with powerful tools for digital instruction and communication. As a result of the 1:1 program, McMullan has seen students and teachers embark on a variety of exciting new projects. Teachers are better able to differentiate instruction, in part because the high level of student engagement frees a teacher to move around the room to attend to small groups of students and/or individuals.
The technology is furthering learning and understanding in a variety of subject areas. Reading topography maps, for instance, is typically a difficult conceptual peak for kids to scale. However, when students in an 8th grade science classroom were able to maneuver these images with their stylus and Google SketchUp, the 3D models made sense. Virtual manipulative tools for mathematics as well as complex simulations in science lead students to greater understanding of challenging concepts. Students and teachers are leveraging Web 2.0 technologies as well. In English classes, for example, students in one class may all be reading a set of different novels, but they use blogs to share their reflections with students from other classes – who are reading the same novel as they are – to greatly expand their book study.
Even students in choir benefit from 24/7 access to the Tablet PC. Students practice their vocals independently by viewing lyrics streaming across their screen, with breaths and pauses marked – using an application created by the students from simple software. They also use recording software to identify their beginning pitch, and then turn in their best practice recording to their teacher via the learning management system.
Professional Development and Support
By issuing computers to teachers one year before the students, Klein provides ample opportunity for educators to become comfortable with the technology and plan for its effective use in their classrooms. Teachers begin with "out of the box" training to learn the basics of how to use all components of the Tablet PC. The initial technical training is quickly followed up with sessions on mastering the basic software applications. Then the work begins on how best to leverage the technology to meet specific curriculum objectives. Teachers participate in online professional development as well as face-to-face. Working in professional learning communities, teacher training evolves into job-embedded learning. Full time campus instructional technology specialists are hired for every 1:1 school whenever teachers first receive their Tablet PCs. Once the students receive their Tablet PCs, students and teachers may learn new techniques together with the help of the campus instructional technology specialist who can be present in the classroom while instruction takes place, providing guidance and support.
McMullan gives high praise to the grassroots form of professional development that occurs when some teachers naturally emerge as instructional leaders and welcome colleagues into their classrooms to observe students and teacher using the Tablet PC. Regular meetings between the one-to-one administrative teams at the different schools also assure that all leaders share lessons learned to provide for future smooth implementations. Collaboration on all fronts is the key to Klein ISD's success.
Working Together
While Ann McMullan leads the team that provides technology professional development and coordinates instructional technology integration across the district, Klein ISD's CTO, Karen Fuller, oversees the overall technical implementation – from hardware purchases to network security. One of the keys to success, both district leaders say, is the close working relationship between the information technology and educational technology departments. Fuller sees herself as providing "the nuts and bolts that allow the car (the educational uses of technology) to run."
Not surprisingly, one of Fuller's top concerns is safety and security – something that worries many district leaders as they embark on an ambitious technology implementation. Everything that goes through the Klein system is filtered, whether students log on from school or home. The district uses CompuTrace to discourage theft and provide financial protection against loss. Few Tablet PCs have actually been lost or stolen, Fuller says. When it does happen, it is often the result of Tablet PCs being left in automobiles, a more common occurrence with staff rather than students. Deploying the program to an entire school at one time has also been helpful in deterring theft. Students aren't as tempted to take or borrow another student's device when all students at the school have their own Tablet PC.
Technical support at all 1:1 schools is provided both on site and through the district's network operations center. A technical repair center is established at every 1:1 school and full time technicians are assigned to those campuses.
Parents are involved in the learning from day one. Prior to a student receiving his or her Tablet PC, the parent(s) attend an information meeting and receive training on student and parent responsibilities in a 1:1 program. Parents have a choice of paying either a non-refundable $70 accidental damage replacement fee or a $200 refundable deposit to cover specified damages, should they occur. Like students and teachers, parents also have access to online help to learn how best to support their children in a 1:1 learning environment.
Evaluation
The district hired Red Wagon Evaluation & Consulting Services to do an external evaluation of the first-year implementation at Krimmel Intermediate. The researchers used classroom observations, questionnaires, focus groups and individual interviews to describe the use of tablets, identify strengths and challenges, and provide recommendations for future implementations.
The Krimmel evaluation report found that teachers used technology as instructional tools in the classrooms an impressive 80-90 percent of the time. Students were positive about the implementation and aware of the instructional activities made possible. Technical issues were not a hindrance.
Students, teachers, parents and campus administrators all agreed that the most challenging aspects of the program were implementing new classroom management strategies and revising typical managerial tasks such as grading. The survey also found that parents needed additional information and assistance to supervise and support their students. The report found that the district had provided essential resources and support, including staffing, guidance, and equipment. It also praised administrators and teachers for being responsive problem solvers.
Key recommendations – which have been used by district leaders to enhance the program as it is deployed in additional schools – focused on refining innovative instruction and increasing time on task. This includes more frequent and individualized feedback from teachers to students and more emphasis on differentiating instruction. The report concludes, "As demonstrated by the Krimmel program, successful 1-to-1 implementation requires innovative and dedicated teachers, technology-proficient administrators, a shared-leadership philosophy, and trust among constituents so that problems can be easily identified and resolved."
