1
1
Dell Partnerships
Support2
3
2
1
Successful
TIP3 Program
2
CLARKSVILLE
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
3
1
1 Challenge
Successfully
introduce
2
teachers and students to
3
wireless technology
CLARKSVILLE ISD
Schools
• 1 elementary school
• 1 middle school
• 1 high school
2 Solution
Student
3 and teacher access
™
™
to Dell Inspiron notebook
™
1
2
3 Result
With the right knowledge
and support, teachers have
computers and Dell Axim
been quick to adopt
through a successful
handhelds backed by strong
technology in their
TIP Program roll-out.
partnership relationships
classrooms resulting in
including an effective staff
eager-to-learn students,
technology development
pleased parents, and wide
component.
community acceptance.
Technology is such an important part of 21st century life;
a well-rounded education includes teaching students
how to utilize it. In order to introduce wireless technology
Student Population
• 998 students
• 69% economically
disadvantaged
into curriculums, the Texas Education Agency has formed
Student Diversity
• 53% African-American
• 34% Caucasian
• 12% Hispanic
• 1% Native American
provide wireless computer resources to students and
District Web Site
http://www.clarksvilleisd.net
the new Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP) program to
teachers in an effort to develop technology skills,
including schools with smaller budgets.
Dell has been selected to work with TEA to implement the program. In addition to supplying wireless
hardware, Dell has formed partnerships to offer a comprehensive program that includes professional
development, online educational resources, formative assessment tools, productivity software and
technical support.
The Clarksville Independent School District is the first district to enroll all of its three schools into the
program,
including kindergarten through twelfth grades. Clarksville’s educational leaders are
1
discovering that providing students with wireless technology access is only part of the immersion
2
to3create a successful technology learning environment.
process. Staff training and relationships with the right computer education resources are necessary
1 The Challenge
Clarksville
ISD, located in Red River County, Texas, is an ideal candidate for the TIP program.
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The rural county has a population of more than 13,800 people. Approximately one-third of the county’s
3
residents,
ages 25 and older, did not graduate from high school. Plus, more than 17 percent of the
county’s population lives below the poverty line.
“Our number one goal with the TIP program is to increase
student achievement. Another important goal is to help
bring our community into the 21st century,” said Pam Bryant,
director of state/federal funds for Clarksville ISD.
“Our community is pretty rural and underprivileged so we
would never be able to provide this opportunity to our
students and our community if not for this grant.”
In addition to Clarksville
ISD, TIP participants
include 22 experimental
(technology immersed)
middle schools, 22 control
middle schools, one
vertical team in a school
1
Another challenge for the district is that, for many educators, this is the first opportunity they have had
to2implement a wireless technology program. Teachers and administrators require instruction on how
to3make the most of the technology in their schools and classrooms. Consequently, they need a
technology partner that can provide more than just hardware and software. In particular, the program
must have a healthy training component in order to be successful.
district and one secondary
campus. TIP is funded with
$12 million from a federal
Enhancing Through
Technology grant.
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2 The Solution
Through
3 TIP, Clarksville ISD selected Dell to provide notebook computers and technology professional
development training for teachers and students in each of its three schools. Dell brought partners
together that could offer a comprehensive program, including online and face-to-face professional
development from Co-nect, web-based communication system from eChalk, online instructional
resources from Classroom Connect and netTrekker, assessment tools from CTB/McGraw Hill’s iKnow,
Microsoft Office productivity software and technical support. With this package, schools can spend
more time focused on providing quality education for their students rather than focusing on acquiring
the right technology support resources.
Clarksville ISD received a grant of $950,000 through the TIP program. Their Dell Inspiron notebook
computers arrived in mid-October 2004. After engraving the computers and completing the necessary
record-keeping, the district issued the computers to teachers and students in grades four through 12 by
the middle of December. Kindergarten through third grade students received Dell Axim handhelds in
early 2005.
Providing training is a critical component of implementing the program, and Dell’s professional
development partner program is designed to ensure that teachers are receiving the instruction they
Understanding that
need to both incorporate technology into their lessons and comfortably teach students how to use it.
schools need a complete
The district’s programs include planning; evaluation and monitoring; instructor-led workshops,
technology solution, Dell
and coaching.
put together a group of
partners to provide a full
spectrum of educational
technology needs,
including Microsoft®
Office productivity
software, professional
development, online core
curriculum resources,
online formative
assessment resources
and technical support.
Rolling out the program has been a large undertaking that has required not only the resources that Dell
has
1 gathered, but resources from within the district. Clarksville ISD formed a TIP instructional
leadership team to prepare for their technology immersion. The team consists of the district
2
the
3 three school principals, high school assistant principal, high school student services administrator,
superintendent, technology director, instructional technology coordinator, director of state/federal funds,
one middle school teacher and two elementary school teachers. “When we need to make decisions
regarding TIP or our technology implementation, we pull in the instructional leadership team. It makes
the process much easier,” says Bryant.
1
2
3 The Results
Dell’s leadership role in supplying a team of resource providers has helped Clarksville ISD implement
the TIP project throughout the entire district. “When we started this process we really had no idea
what was involved or how to make it happen,” Bryant explains.
“Dell has taken us under their wing, kept us informed
throughout the process, answered our questions, and
encouraged us.”
Through professional development efforts provided by Dell, the teachers are quickly introducing the
technology in their classrooms. “One of my primary concerns before we started was that the process
might be frustrating for teachers,” says Bryant. “I wanted teachers’ comfort level to be as high as
possible and the professional development training has been really good at fostering confidence.
Even teachers who were a little intimidated at the beginning are starting to see the big picture
of how technology will help them and are now eager to learn more about how they can integrate
it into the classroom.”
Having attentive professional development training
combined with productivity software, online classroom-oriented
communication resources and online assessment tools
have also allowed teachers and students to experience
the impact of technology immediately.
One skeptical elementary teacher recently shared her excitement with Bryant. “She came running
down the hall one day, held up an external memory key which stored the work of one of her students
and said, ‘I’ve had trouble getting this little boy to finish his assignments all year. He has done three
assignments that he was behind on.’” Bryant adds, “Technology encourages students because it is fun.”
Additionally, the technology has helped with discipline. “The students love it. They are so excited.
We are not having near the number of discipline challenges we’ve had in the past,” Byrant shares.
Students’ and teachers’ excitement has also spread to the community. “I knew this project would
greatly impact the teachers and students. What I did not know is how it would impact the community.
I’ve had parents nearly cry at parent orientation meetings when I tell them we’re going to start having
classes after school so they can learn how to use Microsoft® Word or Excel,” says Bryant.
Dell’s comprehensive approach to helping provide TIP schools with the resources they need for a
successful implementation has made a difference to Clarksville ISD. “I have heard nothing but positive
things from the teachers and students about Dell. And our teachers are embracing the technology
with the help of the professional development instruction.” Bryant explains. “Throughout this whole
process, Dell and all of their partners have definitely been the right choice. They have been our
guiding hands.”
“Throughout this whole process, Dell and all
of their partners have definitely been the right
choice. They have been our guiding hands.”
—Pam Bryant, director of state/federal funds for Clarksville ISD
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