Brooks Technology and Arts Magnet uses its iBooks on a daily basis. We use the iBooks to expand the capability in our library, move them into classrooms, especially Language Arts rooms frequently, and have taken them off campus to assist in staff development. Our students and staff enjoy and take advantage of the ability to access the internet and all of their documents from anywhere on campus.

--Howard Pitler, Principal

Mueller Elementary. The laptop computers that were provided by the M3 grant have been used in many ways by several different classes.  We have used them to create a virtual tour about Mueller that we will continue to update for our Mueller Web Page.  When students worked on the virtual tour they learned how to make tables using Microsoft Word, and they were then able to practice using digital cameras to insert pictures into their tables. Finally they worked on their writing skills as they created captions for their pictures.  Other projects include using Lego Robotics to work on problem solving skills, and learning how to program computers.  Future plans for the laptop computers include making a “clay animation” movie of the book Roll of Thunder and increasing Internet use.

--Beth Adamson, 4^th/5^th grade teacher

--Linda Paul, Librarian

Northeast Magnet High School. Northeast supplemented the M3 laptops to make a mobile lab of 16 computers. At this phase of Northeast Magnet High School’s  wireless is most frequently used in our library to increase the number of computers available to classes that visit the library. We also have had teachers and Generation www.Y students use them to make presentations in class, since they are more portable.  We have used them in demonstration settings such as our fall Project Fair and English Class Life History Presentations.  At those occasions we used the wireless connections to pull their files from the network and present them on the individual computers.  We have recently shared some of them for a district wide training session held at the Instructional Services Center. We have plans to work with a couple of teachers this fall and get the wireless into their classrooms for use by the students as a group.  They will possibly use the Internet some, but mostly be finishing their projects by creating presentations for the spring Project Fair.

--Larry Foster, Technology GoTo

--Sister Eloise Hertel, Principal

North High School: During the first year of the grant, North High School reported 131 instances of teachers checking out the mobile laptop cart for classroom use.  The departments used the laptops for: 

• administration (yes, even the administrators used them)

• counseling (they were taken down to the auditorium and out to all of the middle schools for enrollment purposes

• English, foreign language, math, science, social studies, special education,

• staff development and many, many night meetings including parents' meetings

• WSU Curriculum and Instruction masters classes

• flexibility around the library and in teachers' rooms

• to show grades and progress as well as displaying student work right at the
  conference table  

• taking notes at meetings

• staff development with Woodland Elementary was done using the laptops where the
  Gen Y students were teaching the teachers

• sharing Web sites with students

• many web quests such as one on genetics

• Darwin online

• physics lab using excel, making formulas, and calculating answers and checking labs

• A teamed English/social studies class wrote a business letter of which the
  subject matter was medieval times 

• Honors American History II researched the New Deal legislation to assess the effectiveness of social programs.

• another English class researched various customs in the Middle Ages in comparison to modern times.

• career research was done in classes where the counselors were conducting classes.

Brooks Magnet Middle School: The iBooks, Airport and cart traveled to classrooms for small group activities several days.  

• Students worked in small groups using the five iBooks.  Projects varied.

• Students researched various topics using the iBooks within the classroom
  when the library was already scheduled with another class.

• Language Arts Class:  Students used iBooks for word processing.  Poems,
  short stories.  

• Generation Y Class used iBooks in working with their partner teachers to
  show their projects, e-mail, etc.

• Students checked out the iBooks to use in the library for research.

• They could sit anywhere there was a place.  The floor worked a couple of
  days when the library was packed.  

• One teacher checked out all five iBooks for students  to take make-up
  tests on Blackboard.  

• The iBooks traveled to a couple of workshops with students.  

• Inservice for staff on Blackboard - iBooks were used so everyone would
  have access to the Internet for the training.

• iBooks were used in several classed to meet the needs of our students.

• Great for note taking at technology conference.