Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Batkid film fundraiser brings in over $100,000 Grange Co-Op garden helps feed the hungry Emergency Services Man found asleep in stolen car Medford School District considers gifted land for new school Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Man found asleep in stolen car Grants Pass man arrested on sex abuse charges Comic book strives to teach kids to be ready for earthquakes Medford library bathrooms vandalized multiple times Politics and Elections Cecil, Stricker to face off in mayor's race, again Commissioner Skundrick plans final four town hall meetings Medford eyes electronic sign visual pollution Medford council veterans plan exit Education Medford School District considers gifted land for new school Loan default rate threatens Umpqua student aid Logos art teacher recognized High-tech tools Eagle Point equips kindergartners with iPads Environment Deadly deer virus may be spreading Talent earns Bee City USA designation Those without senior water rights left high and dry Stressed but off life support Rogue watershed councils plan to merge State news Nation - World Obituaries Dr. William Lee Margaret A.Vinzant Death Notices Stuart Skeele Frank Raymond Nadeau Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories (No heading) Seahawks use big first half to rout Bears (No heading) Murphy ready for city, SOGC tournaments Ducks break camp, prep for game day Varsity 541 College Sports (No heading) Ducks break camp, prep for game day SOU football team has an eye in the sky Raiders open with two triumphs Mannion's understudies compete for No. 2 spot Pro Sports Seahawks use big first half to rout Bears (No heading) (No heading) Versatile Martin looks to earn 49ers roster spot Finally, game ends in Cubs' victory Community Sports Results / Standings Second season a success for Rogues Runners defend titles in Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Locals shine in Dwarf Car Nationals opener Mustangs rout Alaska in opener Business Latest Stories Ashland's Paddington Station takes top national prize Soul Shine Yoga and Massage to open in downtown Medford Blog: Daydreaming: Three Easy Steps Blog: It's back, back, back, back to school time Medford company joins Inc.Magazine's 5,000 fastest-growing list Real Estate News Median residential housing prices rise 10.7 percent, but may begin to level out People In Business People in business Transportation Agriculture Opinion Latest The summer of my discontent: An open letter to Bill Rauch Other Views: NCAA must maintain academic integrity Letters to the Editor, Aug. 22 Michael Gerson: In Iraq, this is no time to lead from behind Our View: Marijuana sales — a taxing problem Editorials Other Views: NCAA must maintain academic integrity Our View: Marijuana sales — a taxing problem Our View: Water law has outlived its purpose Our View: Karuks have a head start on casino plans Library keeps a close eye on (financial) books Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Aug. 22 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 21 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 20 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 19 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 18 Guest Opinions The summer of my discontent: An open letter to Bill Rauch The power of local philanthropy Who I am and why I want to serve on the City Council City council members should be paid Lifestyle Latest stories A musical celebration at Camelot Down, but not out, at Cascade Lakes Relay Fishing Report: Friday, Aug. 22 Shoot Out! Dry grass leads to vehicle restrictions Food Community blog: Onion pickles can wait for home-canning lull Cooking outside the box Cold Cucumber Cream Soup With Tomato Salsa Summer Squash Pasta With Green Goddess Dressing Corn on the cob butter recipes Home and Garden Green Scene: Diagnosing common tomato troubles Lawn talk Tips for keeping backyard birds cool this summer Bath time for the birds: You can help them stay cool and clean Learn to pick produce at the peak of ripeness Health Community blog:Here�s How To Leave Despair For Resilience Health officials detect West Nile Virus in another Jackson County sample Community blog:Doing laundry... Healthy Aging: An udderly unlikely vacation find Community blog:The Unfriendly Skies Hiking Faith Religion briefs Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East - Part three of four Religion briefs Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East part 2 Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Grange Co-Op garden helps feed the hungry Medford woman graduates with honors Century Club New Arrivals Wedding: Schulman-Nadolny Columnist for a Day Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs Brian Regan hands out the laughs at Britt Randall Theatre extends 'Godspell' American Idol Live! comes to the Britt Stage 'Pump Boys & Dinettes' opens at Camelot Theatre Theater Randall Theatre extends 'Godspell' 'Pump Boys & Dinettes' opens at Camelot Theatre Film festival kicks off annual 'Daedalus Project' Review: The joy of 'Godspell' is infectious Randall Theatre opens 'Godspell' Music Live Music in Local Clubs Jeff Addicott: A Rogue Valley Experience Guitar Circus with Peter Frampton and Buddy Guy Brian Regan hands out the laughs at Britt Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at Britt Community Events Shady Cove Tie Days Swap Meet 'Prints From the Plateau' at the Rogue Gallery Nature Walks in Lithia Park ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum World of Wine celebrates local varietals Dining NW Raw Kelly's Crepes Basil & Berries India Palace Taco Riendo Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Get Up & Go: Saturday, Aug. 23 ... Forestry crews snuff human-caused fire outside Gold Hill ... ACCESS warns clients to check possibly contaminated nut butters ... Get Up & Go: Saturday, Aug. 23 ... Forestry crews snuff human-caused fire outside Gold Hill ... ACCESS warns clients to check possibly contaminated nut butters ... EDUCATION Eagle Point equips kindergartners with iPads By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 18, 2014 @ 6:48 pm Updated Aug 19, 2014 at 12:05 AM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 18, 2014 @ 6:48 pm Updated Aug 19, 2014 at 12:05 AM » Social News Christmas will come early this year for nearly 300 Eagle Point kindergartners who, on the first day of school, will receive an iPad — theirs to use in class for the school year. The Eagle Point School District spent $264,438 on 720, 16-gigabyte iPads and iPad minis, the remainder of which will be used in social studies and language arts classrooms at Eagle Point and White Mountain middle schools, at Eagle Point High School and at Shady Cove School. Like Medford, Eagle Point adopted the 2015 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections, a language arts curriculum for sixth- through 12th-grade students that combines traditional group instruction with digital assignments and individualized instruction. The extra iPads were needed in the secondary classrooms to implement the new curriculum. “It’s a dictionary. It’s a world atlas. It’s a GPS. It’s a telephone. It’s a camera. It’s music. It’s a calculator. It’s another tool,” said Allen Barber, the district’s human resources director. “The teacher is still the most important factor in the daily education of these children. Technology is just another tool for the students to use.” The district will begin offering full-day kindergarten this fall. Full-day kindergarten will be implemented statewide in fall 2015. “So many kindergartners are coming in not ready for kindergarten,” Barber said. “When we asked our kindergarten teachers, ‘What can we do to support you?’ This is one of the things they asked for.” Over the last five years, the district purchased 450 iPod touches for the fifth-grade classrooms, and 1,010 Chromebooks and 1,566 iPads for the secondary social studies and language arts classrooms. “We have almost 3,100 devices now, and we have about 4,000 students,” said Barber. “We’re getting really close to that one-to-one initiative.” Other classrooms can “check out” these devices or access the desktop computers and laptops available in some of the classrooms and the labs. Last fall, the district also adopted a “Bring Your Own Device” policy, in which students can use their personal devices in class and not be reprimanded. “We want an atmosphere where students can bring their own technology or use the technology we provide,” Barber said. “We could have stopped purchasing technology during the economic downturn, but we chose not to,” he said. In 2012, the district conducted a study to figure out what devices students preferred. District staff assembled more than a dozen secondary students in a conference room, where they administered a fake test. In the room, there were iPods, Chromebooks, iPhones, Dell laptops, MacBook Airs, iPads and a variety of other technology, old and new. “Our goal was to see what kind of technology they would use,” said Barber. “But they all just grabbed what was in front of them. If everyone had been fighting over the iPads, we would have bought all iPads. But what we learned is they didn't really care.” The district’s information technology staff will talk with teachers to find out what applications they would like to use. The IT staff can then download the app to all devices registered to a classroom, to a grade level, to a school site or districtwide, said David Whitehead, the IT supervisor. Jennifer Fisher, one of the district’s systems administrators, said that in the past, it would have been quite a feat to add that much technology. “But now I could add 50 iPads to our system in probably five minutes,” said Fisher, adding that she can manage all 2,016 of the district’s Apple devices from her desk. When a student or teacher turns on one of the new devices, a district profile is immediately downloaded to prevent students from accessing “inappropriate” websites or stealing the device. “If it’s stolen, they can’t use it unless we wipe our profile off it,” Fisher said. Barber said one of the district’s MacBook Airs was recently stolen and then recovered after a local repair shop called the district to find out how to remove that profile. This summer, in addition to the iPads, the district ordered 292 Chromebooks, 21 charging carts for the iPads and 360 keyboards so kids can use the iPads to take the Smarter Balance assessments this spring. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt. By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 18, 2014 @ 6:48 pm Updated Aug 19, 2014 at 12:05 AM » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501