- Corcoran Unified
School District - 1520 Patterson Avenue
Corcoran, CA 93230 - (559) 992-8888
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Corcoran Unified's Anytime+Anywhere Learning Projects
Technology is a leverage tool to spring our students into higher levels of academic achievement appropriate to the world in which they are most familiar and uninhibited.
Welcome to The Corcoran Unified School District one-to-one website. The information on this website provides background, rationale, explanation and some logistical information on our one-to-one device program.
The School Board and District has been committed to this program since 2005, and it has been a process of excitement, achievement, frustration, struggle and a very steep learning curve. In all, the journey has been well worth it since students are receiving opportunities to leverage their learning in exciting and motivating ways. The District is at the point of fulfilling the vision of providing student access to technology learning tools within and outside the school day with the advent of free Internet access for all Corcoran students.
Our students must be prepared for life in the 21st century. It is our responsibility to equip our students with necessary skills to access information and to become technologically literate using a variety of available technology. Equity in access to learning at its highest level is essential and we cannot be successful until each student has the same opportunities to interact and engage in a technology and information rich world.
Students today were born into a world where technology is not new but a seamless part of the culture and communication around them. The interests and focus of many of today's youth are very much entwined in some sort of technology and use, which is not necessarily common among today's adults. Not only are the perspectives and technology proficiencies of today's students worth considering, but also it is important to realize that the skilled use of technology has become a necessity to survive and compete in a business world and society that is more and more information based.
The fact is that students are comfortable with technology, have a keen interest to use technology, thrive in using technology, and are motivated to use technology. The results are that students read and write more with interest and enthusiasm when using technology in a constructive, well-planned methodology. We are making a commitment to see that our students and teachers have the optimal tools to improve academic achievement for all students with the readiness and skill subsets that are acquired in a curriculum that uses these powerful tools.
- Rich Merlo
Superintendent of Corcoran Unified School District
Teacher and Staff Perspective Video
Check out this video:
Student & Parent Perspective Video
Check out this video:
ABC 30: iPad’s change how Valley students learn
From ABC Channel 30 Action News’ DeShaunta Bullock:
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) – Digital textbooks are changing how students learn in the Valley. Some schools across Fresno County are giving students iPad’s to use in the classroom.
Check it out here: http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/education&id=7977103
Hanford Sentinel: Wireless Wonders
From the article:
Fulfilling the “anytime, anywhere” learning vision of the Corcoran Unified School District, teachers and administrators handed out new classroom tools Wednesday night: brand new iPads.
iPod Touches for every 4th and 5th Grader
The 2010-2011 school year has been very busy for Mark Twain School. In addition to receiving a whole school wireless infrastructure upgrade, new Apple laptops, and Promethean Interactive Whiteboards, the teachers will soon be receiving an iPod Touch for every student in their class.
Each class will receive an iPod Touch for each student to use during the school day with access to apps for their grade levels that will target core curriculum, intervention and challenge areas for students. In addition to educational apps, students will have a student response system app for their iPod that allows for instant checking for understanding of student answers. The teacher will post a question and the student enters their response right on their iPod Touch. A graph immediately comes up on the screen with the percentage of answers correct and incorrect. This will be very powerful for re-teaching “in the moment” and not having to wait for the results of a quiz or test.
In addition to apps and the student response system, students will be using the iPod Touches to record reading passages for fluency practice. By having the students record themselves and then listen to what they sound like, they are able to immediately make improvements to their reading. The teacher will then have an audio recording of each student’s reading and be able to track their progress in iTunes.
6th Grade Students get iPads for Anytime, Anywhere learning!
6th grade students will soon get an iPad to use both at school and at home! These devices will be piloted with the 6th grade students and teachers at John Muir Middle School. Each student will receive a district issued iPad, case, and WiMAX router for their use during the school year. The iPad will come with apps specifically targeted for middle school use, as well as access to the district network and Internet during the school day. While away from school, the students will use a wireless WiMAX router that will allow the student to access the same district filtered Internet as they do at school. This will create anytime, anywhere learning opportunities!
Teacher’s received their Apple laptops and iPads recently and have began working tirelessly on making sure this roll-out is a success. They have attended numerous trainings, videoconferences, and are collaborating on how these devices, apps, and Web 2.0 tools will enhance their core curriculum.
iPod and iPads are debuting at Corcoran Unified
The 2010-2011 school year has brought change to the way students learn. Students all over the district will soon be utilizing anytime, anywhere learning via an iPod Touch or an iPad. Students will use these devices to increase their learning. They will be used to teach the core curriculum, as intervention, and as challenge activities. CUSD is excited to get these devices into the hands of the students, where they will become an integral part of their daily activities both at school and at home.
Rollouts
This month we are continuing the roll-out of Apple Mobile Devices. The roll-out includes equipment purchase, professional development with teachers as well as students, and follow up with individual classrooms. Kings Lake was the first site to receive iPads. These devices will be used between the two Block 9 classes by teachers Mel Parker and Wendy Rivas. John Muir 6th grade teachers also received their teacher iPads as part of the 6th grade iPad One-to One Project. Projected student roll-out is for the end of November for in-school use and end of January for take-home use. Mark Twain students will also be receiving an iPod Touch for use during the school day. These devices are currently being configured and will be in the hands of the students at the end of the month.
