By Maggie Robak
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District will be implementing new forms of technology throughout the district in May.
A technology committee of teachers, parents, and stakeholders will meet again on April 11, after its first meeting in February, in order to make decisions for the district on what technology should be implemented.
“Our goal is to figure out a five-year plan regarding technology for the district,” Technology Committee member and teacher Michael Hernandez said. “We will make our recommendation to Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews for his approval.”
The committee is broken into sub-committees that will evaluate new products, handle the immediate needs of the district and create a five-year plan. Some sub-committees have begun to meet independently, such as the ones focused on wireless connection and updating computer systems.
First, the district will implement wireless Internet service initially at Mira Costa, but eventually for the whole district. It hopes to start the project by May and finish within two years.
“Wireless connections will open infinite opportunities for teachers and students to interact with one another,” Mira Costa Principal Ben Dale said.
The administration also plans to update computer systems to increase their speed and effectiveness. The system transfer rate was already increased from 12 mbps to 100 mbps since early January.
“I know that we are behind in our systems, but we are doing our best to get caught up,” computer lab specialist Tighe Mishler said. “We are interested in creating long-term solutions to our computer problems like updating the computers’ infrastructure.”
The administration at Costa is also considering providing iPads for teachers to increase communication and experiment with different ways of teaching. The Technology Committee members have received a demonstration of the iPad and its many uses.
“There is some great stuff right now through app technology,” Dale said. “If I could get some iPads in teachers’ hands, that would be exciting.”
Administrators are also attending conferences of companies like Computer-Using Educators Incorporated to find new ways of using technology. The committee will also look at dealing with the ethics of technology. It is discussing the creation of an Acceptable Use Policy that will address how technology can be appropriately used in the district in the future.
“The AUP will aid students and teachers to set up guidelines on how technology can be used to best benefit the students’ learning,” Hernandez said.
Because the district is suffering financially, the committee is seeking the most cost-effective changes. They believe that many costs can be offset because they will save money in the long term by not having to make as many fixes. Other changes, such as providing teachers with iPads, can be dealt with by applying for grants to cover the costs.
“I’ve heard a few teachers talk about it, but I haven’t really heard or seen anything being done to change or improve our technology,” senior Timmy Barrow said.
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