1990 was my first encounter with First Class. A dial-up BBS system that I couldn’t afford but knew was the way of the future. I wanted to connect teachers, administrators and students in our district to begin working collaboratively. It has taken 15 years and I think we are almost there. Out of the BoxETC Courseware Home Page Construction Kit

FINALLY, A First Class, A-1 LearningNetwork-Windham Central Solution The Virtual School Network has helped bring technology off the shelf and move it forward in the district.

Quick Overview of District April, 2004  The district: – 8 Elementary schools; 1 Middle/High school; 2 admin offices; Range from 25 to 425 students: Total = 1100 – Covers 365 sq. Miles – Most schools single grade or grade clusters – Teaching, support staff and admin approx 225

What Took us so long?  Access through High School hub  No central management  Tech-lethargy  Very limited Dollars for Technology – Small schools; small dollars

The Matches that Ignited Change 1.High School drops hub model 2.No Child Left Behind requirements 3.State Technology Grade Level Expectations 4.Desire to get more out of the districts investment in First Class SVTC First Class Project 5.Is that all there is?

Dennis-Yarmouth District Cape Cod, Mass. Yarmouth School District Yarmouth Maine

What Did We Want to do?  The system – To increase the use of technology in the schools – To keep costs ALAP (as low as possible) – To allow for individual school identity – To create district unity – To be cross platform – To grow with use and need – To provide new and useable web sites for all schools  Usage: – Meet the daily communication needs of staff – Easy to use – Low frustration – Easy to publish of school information – Non-techie management and content loading – Lots of people able to contribute directly (incl. School board) – Provide all teachers with easy web publishing for their classes

What have we accomplished?  Given professional accounts for all teachers and staff  Raised the level of awareness and participation by school personnel  Presented workshops, discussions, and trainings at all schools  Attracted school board attention and involvement with training  AND

Individual School User Desktops

Typical Desktop

District + School Webs

TEACHERPAGESTEACHERPAGES

Lets take a First Hand Look

What next  Add High School students into the system  Build up all school sites with CONTENT  Expand use of forms, form tracking and paper reduction  Reach out beyond classroom for collaborative work  Integrate local SIS actively into the system  Create on-line learning environments for PD and student use

Conclusion  Teacher logins and usage is UP  Messages are being posted and people are responding  Comments are coming in about web sites  We have a ways to go BUT we are moving forward  Special thanks to Bill, Tyson, Scott and all the great folks at LearningNetworks for helping to make this project an outstanding success.  Questions