School district launches one-to-one initiative

PINE PLAINS— The Pine Plains Central School District introduced its one-to-one technology initiative to Stissing Mountain Middle School students in the third week of September.On Thursday and Friday, each student in sixth, seventh and eighth grade received a Dell Venue Pro 11 Windows 8.1 tablet after training to use the device earlier in the week.The tablets are programmed with McGraw Hill e-book learning materials for sixth- through eighth-grade social studies as well as seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish. More than 300 devices have been distributed to students and staff.Teachers received their tablets earlier in the year for training during the spring and summer.“We’re excited to roll this out, and we think it’s going to give our students an edge in the 21st century when they move onto college and careers,” said middle school Principal James DiDonna.The initiative began with Superintendent Martin Handler’s arrival to the district at the start of the 2013-14 school year.Handler transitioned from his previous district in Pennsylvania during the brink of a technology initiative there.The superintendent used this connection to Pine Plains’ advantage by sending DiDonna and Director of Technology Richard Harlin to the Pennsylvania district for research.Research continued with a subsequent visit to a district in Queensbury, N.Y., and eventually a committee (including Board of Education members, administrators, teachers and parents) for the task was formed.Handler identified various benefits to the paperless approach, such as interactive learning and software updates in place of physical re-editions — a benefit both to the school district and the environment.“Now, is this going to replace teachers?” Handler asked. “Absolutely not, this is a tool for the teacher.”Going forward, Harlin said the district would like to expand the initiative into the district’s elementary schools and high school.Handler said that although evaluation of the program at large would take time, the process can begin with surveys to students and parents this school year.For more information, go to the Instructional and Informational Technology page at www.ppcsd.org.