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Posted on 09/27/2005 1:49:09 PM PDT by ShadowDancer
Detroit Unveils New Digital High School
Project Is Part Of Deal Between School District, Apple
POSTED: 2:52 pm EDT September 27, 2005
DETROIT -- High school students will use wireless laptops, iPods and other top technology as part of a new school-within-a-school program touted as the first of its kind in Michigan.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm joined Detroit Public Schools officials Tuesday to unveil the Detroit Digital Learning Community High School at the city's Crockett High School.
She said she hopes that Crockett's "small high school" program will serve as a catalyst to encourage other schools to create similar programs.
"The digital high school will be the first of, what I believe will be, a generation of new high schools across the state," Granholm said.
The project is part of a $1.2 million four-year deal between Detroit Public Schools and Apple Computer Inc. Funding comes through a federal grant.
The district is leasing Apple equipment, including 780 wireless laptops, computer software and iPods. The company is providing technology and teaching support.
About 240 laptops will be used this year by freshmen at the Digital Learning Community. The rest will go to 14 other Detroit schools, mostly middle schools, to encourage students to enroll in the digital school.
Ninth-grade students are currently being selected to attend Digital Learning Community this year. About half will continue in the school as 10th graders; the rest will move into other career programs.
One applicant is Crockett freshman Brittany Rucker, 14, of Detroit.
"Detroit has a bad record so far ... and Crockett is getting to be one of the best," said Brittany, who wants to become a gynecologist. "And getting this company to come to our school, and the technology, it's like we're making history and I would like to be part of it."
Freshman Deondray Banks, 15, of Utica, wants to study business management in college and said the new high school could help him prepare.
"It gives us a heads up for what's going on for the future," he said. "Most of the world is based on technology and ... it's getting us ready for the business world."
William F. Coleman III, the district's chief executive officer, said the program will reach out to students who are at risk of dropping or not graduating on time.
He said Detroit already has 15 small learning communities within its high schools designed to increase standardized test scores and graduation rates and steer more students to higher education.
Granholm said such schools focus on a new set of "three Rs": they're rigorous, relevant to the economy, and allow students to build relationships with teachers.
The small school communities pair incoming groups of 400 to 500 freshmen with a group of teachers. Often students select specific career pathways on which to focus.
To encourage the development of more small schools in the state, Granholm is seeking legislative support for a $180 million fund that would offer districts loans to create small schools.
The state also is working with the private Skillman Foundation to encourage new small schools by developing partnerships between public schools and businesses and foundations.
My school already does this (Private catholic High School) Every Student has a Laptop. Text books are on CD and work is handed in "Paperless" over E-Mail and Network Connection.
Gadgets are good, but it is no substitute to good old teaching and good solid knowledge and skills. Remember when SR-71 were designed the engineers did not have access to CAD for design.
More money! More toys! More press releases!
I couldn't possibly agree more.
The system will be trashed withitn a year.
William F. Coleman III, the district's chief executive officer, said the program will reach out to students who are at risk of dropping or not graduating on time.
(this garantees your prognosis)
Wow! Detroit must be a really cool city.
I'm betting it will be a zero instead of a one.
Why teach spelling when you have spell check.
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"The project is part of a $1.2 million four-year deal between Detroit Public Schools and Apple Computer Inc. Funding comes through a federal grant."
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
Our Local Catholic school is getting there. They get closer to paperless every year.
This year every class room got a "Smart Board" Awesome technology!
I've been trying to get this "paperless" Idea across to our local public school board but as Gen. Honore would say: "they are stuck on stupid".
Seems they just can't conceive how it would be cheaper being that Text books go for about 40-50 bucks a pop and last around three years here (if they are lucky). Plus they have to buy all sorts of booklet supplements at outrageous prices. Not to mention all the test papers and such.
Oh well at least the Catholic school is on the right track.
The lap tops will be in the pawn shops tomorrow.
Well, I may be out of step with the times but I have a daughter in 5th grade who HATES looking up definitions in the dictionary (like I care). She had a handful to look up last night and I could have very easily let her come down here on the computer and punch them into the dictionary link. Over and done with in three minutes. No way, Jose. She sat at the table (all eleven grumbling and pissing and moaning years of her) looking them up in the collegiate dictionary. I'll be damned if I have children that can't function without a computer.
At least not girls.
Short version:
1. Dump money in toilet
2. Flush
3. Complain toilet is stopped up
4. Demand federal government fix it
5. Repeat
Speaking of 14 year olds, I question whether the discipline and work ethic exists in this generation. Allbeit, I am not far removed from them at the age of 25 but I at least got most of the way through middles school before e-mail killed the phone call/postal letter. Perhaps this will help the kids become more disciplined if the correct tools are in place to monitor and facillitate the use of the equipment, the research, the studying, etc. It could be a great tool for certain students. Now I'm not so sure about the maiden voyage of this thing beginning in Detroit?!?!?!?
Remember when SR-71 were designed the engineers did not have access to CAD for design.
CAd?
The K+E slide rule was king of the calculators! Made out of wood!
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