Scales Elementary is a low-income school, with 75 to 80 percent of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches. Many students don’t have access to computers and other technology outside of school, which is why transforming Scales into a one-to-one academy will open the door to resources these elementary grade students could not reach before — like access to online museums and libraries. Every Scales student will have a laptop as the result of an override voters passed in 2005, and the older students in the school will be able to take the computers home.

Technology integration is not new Scales. A recent news article profiled fifth graders using GarageBand to experiment with jazz after reading a biography of Louis Armstrong’s childhood. A webquest sent them on a scavenger hunt for information on jazz musicians.

Teachers at Scales now volunteer for training on how to use technology and how to integrate it into their lessons. But at the new academy, training will be in-depth and ongoing. Those who have had access to the existing technology are especially intrigued since they have seen the way in which students are engaged when they have access to digital curriculum tailored to their needs.

The Tempe school district hopes that Scales Technology Academy and other Tempe schools with specialized missions will help capture the attention of open-enrollment students from nearby districts.

Source : East Valley Tribune, Scales Academy integrates technology with curriculum