April 2007

Small School Benefits from Online Resources in a Number of Ways

Orcas High School, Barbara Kline, Principal

"We're a small place, and for us online resources are really important," says Barbara Kline, principal of Orcas Island High School. After a technology bond passed on the island, the school started looking into the types of online resources available and joined the DLC for the 2005-06 school year.

"Maile came up after we joined and did some trainings that were fantastic. Even though the students and teachers were kind of burned out since it was the end of the year, they got really excited about the Digital Learning Commons," Kline says. (Maile is Assistant Director of School Support and Partnerships at the DLC.)

In between on-site trainings provided by the DLC, Kline and her staff facilitated presentations of DLC resources at staff meetings while teachers followed along on their laptops. In addition, English and social studies staff met in groups to look at DLC resources in depth, since students in these classes have to write research papers and prepare for debates.

Creative use of the DLC's portfolio tool

Orcas's music teacher, who, Kline says, "has embraced technology to the Nth degree," is using the DLC's portfolio tool in a unique way. Students record their practice sessions and upload the files to their portfolios. This allows the music teacher to listen to the recordings on her own, away from distractions. Afterwards, she sits down with students individually to give them feedback, often replaying sections of their recordings as they talk.

"I think students get much more into perfecting their work, because they're recording it individually and the music teacher has more energy and time to focus on their recordings…[Portfolio] has done a lot…for improving the overall quality of the performance of her group. It's a very interesting use of the resource."

While students are quick to embrace new technology, they aren't so quick to embrace new search engines. "It's in their vocabulary, 'Google it,'" Kline says. "Kids are impatient, so it takes training and retraining and giving them class time."

Retraining students to do smart searching

To ensure that students take advantage of the DLC's library resources, which serve up relevant -- and safe-- resources, the resources are built into lesson plans. In the beginning, Kline went into the classrooms and worked side-by-side with teachers, showing students how to make the most of resources like netTrekker and Corbis. And she continues to visit classrooms, to remind students and teachers.

"Sometimes you need to be the extra teacher, because people are sometimes reluctant to use new tools…They have to use them over and over again until they become part of their normal repertoire."

Kline believes that leadership is "absolutely vital" when it comes to weaving the DLC into a school's fabric. "You're the person who knows everything…I mean, I don't know how to teach chemistry very well, but I do know what this teacher asked last Thursday and what this one's doing on Tuesday, so I can help them to make those connections."

DLC resources help teachers meet the needs of every student

Some of the teachers are now using Apex Learning's ClassTools, online curricula available through the DLC, with students who are behind in their coursework and with students who have a difficult time focusing or functioning in a group.

Students work on ClassTools on a laptop in the classroom while the teacher delivers the lesson to the rest of the class. "These are students who are happy working one-on-one on the computer, and they are doing much better than they were doing before," Klein says.

Students are also using ClassTools to earn high school credits in Orcas's Oasis High School. Oasis serves homeschooling families and students who aren't on track to earn a diploma through the traditional high school.

Kline adds: "I think that the Digital Learning Commons is a real gift, and I really appreciate that it's out there."

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