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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Curriculum & Instruction Roundtable: Technology in the Classroom

The Community Roundtable on curriculum and instruction that was held on Tuesday, Oct. 13, included lively discussion on a variety of topics. In order to keep the conversation going, we invite readers to post their thoughts on each question that was presented to participants at the Community Roundtable. Click here for notes on what was discussed at the Community Roundtable.

There is little doubt that technology will be an important part of any career that current Broadalbin-Perth students choose. In the past, Broadalbin-Perth has incorporated technology into classrooms that would enhance the learning environment with a goal of increasing student success.

This year, the district invested part of its federal stimulus money into the purchase of 10 SmartBoards. Broadalbin-Perth also began a multi-year effort to replace antiquated technology in classrooms and computer labs. Currently, the district’s biggest technological concern is its out-of-date infrastructure – such as switches, wires and internal network connectivity devices – which is lagging far behind other districts.


Given the current economic climate and the district’s financial situation, how important is it to you that the district incorporate adequate and appropriate technology into the classroom?

Additional Information
  • At the start of the 2009-10 school year, Broadalbin-Perth owned 594 operable computers, of which 487 are considered high-end and 107 are considered low-end.
  • All students in grades K-3 receive 30 minutes of technology instruction per week; students in grades 4-6 receive 40 minutes of technology instruction per week; students in grades 7-8 receive 210 minutes of computer instruction per week for 10 weeks.
  • There are 239 computers at the High School (6.6 students per computer), 133 computers at the Middle School (2.2 students per computer), 114 computers at the Intermediate School (3.7 students per computer) and 108 computers at The Learning Community (3.3 students per computer), as well as two wireless computers and four desktop computers that are shared by the pre-kindergarten classes.
  • Broadalbin-Perth has a microwave connection between all building sites that supports the district’s voice, video and data infrastructure. Fiber backbones exist throughout all buidllings with wiring with CAT 5 Ethernet connections to all computer labs, media centers, classrooms and offices.

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