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International Polytechnic (iPoly) High School at Cal Poly Pomona, has been named one of six national Demonstration Schools by the Verizon Foundation. Due partly to its recognized expertise in technology, the Project-Based school was chosen to pilot the use of two classroom sets of iPad tablets in conjunction with research resources provided on Verizon’s educational portal, Thinkfinity.org/.
Thinkfinity resources include interactive lesson plans, activities, videos and webinars for teachers, as well as activities, educational games and resources for students and parents. The website also connects students and faculty to a network of professional content partners including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Geographic Society, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and iPoly’s key content partner, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
“iPoly teachers and administrators will help develop the Museum’s understanding of Project-Based Learning and how technology can support student-driven projects,” states Thinkfinity Education Development Officer Kristin Townsend. “Much of the information exchange will happen online through the Thinkfinity Community’s free tools for collaboration and conversation.”
The funding of a $75,000 grant, which was initiated after a site visit by Verizon in early 2011, allowed the recent purchase of the iPads, software, and Wi-Fi carts. It also covered the cost of teacher stipends. “The mobile tablets (iPads) are being used by teachers who are determining best practices for the iPads in our education environment,” says Assistant Principal Lisa Marin. “Students and teachers will have mobile access to vetted research and multiple educational applications that we anticipate will enhance learning.”
“The amount of apps that can be used in my classroom is almost limitless,” states Sophomore World History Teacher Sean Daly. “I look forward to using iMovie, Numbers, Pages, GarageBand and Keynote in my classroom on a regular basis. Another app I hope to use is Comic Life so students can create comic books detailing the events and consequences of the French Revolution. With the iPads, every student is actively engaged—researching while I am teaching. It is quite amazing and productive.”
The high school is no stranger to Apple products; its campus has been 100% Mac for the better part of the past decade. When given the choice of purchasing various brands of tablets,“the iPad was easily the final candidate from the start,” explains Microtechnician Paul Huang. “Not only did it exceed the operating hours requirement, the operating system was designed with the school environment in mind. It eliminates the need to make photocopies to distribute research material. It also gives us the ability to synchronize information to all iPads wirelessly with a few clicks so students can access documents from their own desks.”
Teachers will be testing the iPads to determine the utility of mobile tablets in classrooms and the PBL environment. They will also videotape lessons that integrate Thinkfinity resources and give feedback to an evaluation team from Pace University, N.Y. The school has committed to a one-year partnership with the Verizon Foundation, with discussions underway on extending an additional year after initial evaluation.
iPoly is administered by the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
About iPoly High School
Run by the Los Angeles County Office of Education in partnership with Cal Poly Pomona, International Polytechnic (iPoly) High is a specialized public college-prep high school. iPoly (ipolyhighschool.org) serves 500 students from more than 40 cities representing Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties. The school uses the Project-Based Learning model, in line with the 21st Century Learning Initiative.
About Verizon Foundation
As the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, Inc., the Verizon Foundation (foundation.verizon.com) invests in initiatives that leverage innovative technology and interactive learning to increase teacher effectiveness and advance student achievement.
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