Kyrene Among Three Districts in Nation Chosen to Showcase Teaching with Technology

The Kyrene School District has been chosen by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to host a Technology Site Visitation on February 20-22, 2008. Kyrene is one of three districts, nationwide, to be afforded this honor, and is the first district ever to be so recognized in the Southwest. This is a follow-up to Kyrene's selection in 2006 as one of three districts to be recognized as a Technology Salute District by the NSBA.

A Technology Site Visitation is designed so that approximately 100 educators (teachers, principals, Superintendents, and Governing Board members) from other school districts across the state and country may come together to learn about what an innovative district is doing to integrate technology into instruction, learning, management, and productivity. 

Kyrene has many technology initiatives, including network access for all students and staff, a vital data warehouse, and a variety of instructional and management software systems, but the Kyrene Teaches with Technology Project (KTTP) is the cornerstone of Kyrene's Technology Plan. 

What is Kyrene Teaches
with Technology Project (KTTP)?

KTTP is organized around grade level learning teams of teachers who meet monthly with a District Educational Technology Specialist (mentor) and the building principal to set goals and to discuss how instruction and learning may be impacted by technology. As part of KTTP, each teacher's classroom is enriched with 5-8 wireless laptops, a document camera, and a video projector.

Many districts utilize rolling laptops-on-a-cart, which suggests that the teachable moment occurs on a schedule. However, Kyrene has a strong belief that learning occurs continuously and thus technology must be available wherever and whenever it is needed. In reality, KTTP is not really a technology project at all, rather it is a curriculum and instruction project that is a catalyst to systemic change in our schools.

The KTTP model provides 5-8 wireless laptops and two desktops in each classroom that is in KTTP. This provides a ratio of 1 computer to every 3 or 4 students, not counting computer labs. We are not so concerned about the quantity of the stuff but rather the quality of what students and teachers do with it. An override election on November 8, 2005 provided funding for this project, with funds being available as of the 2006-07 school year.

For more information go to http://www.kyrene.org and select the NSBA Tech Site Visit button or contact Mark Share, Director of Technology or Dan Neville, Assistant Director of Technology, Kyrene School District (480-783-4133). Daily schedules for the visit will be available closer to the time of the event.