10. YOU
When Arizona Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne made his 2009 State of Education speech, he stressed that the success of our economy was based not on solid housing programs or sensible mortgage loans but on our schools.

“An economy of individual freedom and capitalism can only succeed if our schools produce people of character,” he said, adding that our culture has allowed discipline and character to “slip away from our public consciousness.”

So how do we produce kids with character? The most obvious step is to open up your wallet in order to build better schools, but don’t worry, there’s something in it for you, too.

Arizona taxpayers can get a credit ($200 for individuals, $400 for couples) for donating to a public school or to schools’ extra-curricular activities. The best part: 100 percent of your donation goes directly to the schools and programs (nothing for overhead), and you can choose specific activities or programs where you’d like your money to end up. Think the football team needs new helmets? Want to fund an after-school arts program to keep at-risk kids busy? Even if you don’t have a child attending school, your money can help make these things possible.

And if you don’t have cash to spare, perhaps you have a cache of school supplies instead. Several organizations, such as the nonprofit Phoenix Family Housing, are busy collecting school supplies in preparation of the upcoming school year. Phoenix Family is currently collecting backpacks, notebooks, paper, pens, crayons, folders and other supplies, which will be distributed to low-income families throughout August. Visit phoenixfamily.org to learn how you can help.

Your company also can make a difference by donating old computers and computer equipment. Arizona StRUT is a local nonprofit that takes used computer equipment, teaches actual students how to spruce it up, then donates it back to needy schools. Formed in 1997 by Intel and Motorola, more than 100 companies currently donate hardware through the program, and 349 schools and organizations received refurbished equipment last year, according to the nonprofit’s Website, azstrut.org.

And if you have nothing to offer but your expertise, that could come in handy, too, thanks to Horne’s Adjunct Teacher Program. The program allows engineers, mathematicians and scientists to teach courses in Valley high schools. Intel, Honeywell, Boeing, First International Bank and Tucson Texas Instruments all participated in the program last year, and Horne says it continues to be a success.

Of course, you can always contact individual schools to learn exactly what their needs are and how you can help fulfill them. Consider it an exercise in character-building.

Photo courtesy Amazon Kindle

HIGH-TECH HIGH

CHALKBOARDS AND TEXTBOOKS ­– how quaint. Here are a few gizmos and gadgets that are transforming the learning process.

Amazon Kindle
Lugging around bulky textbooks has long been part of every student’s college experience, but that could all change very soon.

This spring, Amazon announced Arizona State University’s participation in student testing trials of its latest Kindle reader, which was released in early May.

Kari Barlow, assistant vice president and director of strategic alliances for ASU’s technology office, says the project could result in ASU offering the Kindle alongside Mac, Dell and Verizon devices at discounted prices for students.

The Kindle DX allows for electronic downloads of up to 3,500 books on a 9.7-inch display screen that’s a little over a third of an inch thick.

It uses a revolutionary electronic “ink” that allows users to read for longer periods of time without straining their eyes.

“It’s very different than the technology from reading off your laptop,” Barlow says.

The device uses cell phone technology for downloads, a service that is packaged with the purchase of the new Kindle. The DX hit shelves on June 17 and is valued at $489.  

Clickers
The same technology used for polling during game shows is also being used for instant student assessment in Mesa classrooms.

Mesa Public Schools officials approved nearly $600,000 in spending on the remote controls, known as clickers, which are now being used in every grade level of the district’s elementary and junior high campuses.

The handheld, wireless device works like a remote control to deliver a student’s response with the click of a button. Aside from everyday evaluations of the day’s lesson, clickers also are being used in conjunction with Acuity, a McGraw-Hill student assessment application, for AIMS practice tests.

“It’s really leveraged our assets,” says Janine Gearheart, Mesa Public Schools director of educational technology. “Every grade level has received a bag of clickers.”

Other plans in store for the district are expanding the use of netbooks – low-powered laptop computers used mainly for Internet browsing – as well as the use of the interactive SMART Boards.  

Gearheart says an extensive amount of training goes along with the introduction of new technology in classrooms: “We want to ensure that projects are rolled out correctly.”  

iPods, Cell Phones
Instructors everywhere frown upon cell phone or iPod use in their classrooms, but one school district is looking at the possibility of using them to its educational advantage. 

“It’s a little piece of equipment with lots of potential, and nearly every student has an iPod these days,” says Nancy Pratt, technology and instruction specialist for Cave Creek Unified Schools.  

She says this is only one of the projects she and other education leaders are considering to enhance the student learning experience.

Students are currently using iTalk, an application that allows voice recording and transfers from iPods to computers, for language classes. Students can record practice conversations and play them back for assessment, and teachers can grade based on the audio clips.

Technology gurus at Cave Creek also are looking into the use of cell phones as a low-cost alternative to clickers. The audience response system compiles data based off text message responses.

“What we’re trying to do is maximize what we already have,” Pratt says.
-Carolina Madrid