An HP Technology for Teaching Grant story

Grand Manan of New Brunswick Canada is a small, island community. Separated from the mainland by a 90-minute ferry ride, the island’s economy is based on fishing and tourism. Geographically isolated as it is, however, ClustrMaps on the web site for Grand Manan Community School (GMCS) shows substantial activity from across the globe.

The school is connected to the high-tech possibilities of learning. The concentrations of visitors from the Netherlands and Texas, for example, come from well-established programs to learn about different cultures and polish communication skills. Go deeper into the web site, and you will find student documentaries in Power Point, complete with the “Ken Burns” photo scan effect.

GMCS entered the 21st Century School with strong technology use. A Canadian government program equipped the schools with computers and established a project-based learning culture. However, the reach was not complete when that funding program was discontinued.

The seventh and eighth grades did not have equal technology access. While most grades had integrated technology until the classroom, a range of issues, from teacher technology skills to reliable access had put up barriers in those grades.

The situation changed when technology mentor Andrew Jones applied for and received the first and second phase grants from the HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative. Combined, those grants provided 15 HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PCs, a cart to make it easy for the tablets to travel between classrooms, HP multimedia projects, HP digital cameras, HP iPAQ Pocket PCs, and a wireless access point.

Significantly, professional development also came with the package. The ISTE program began with a teacher skills inventory. ISTE then designed a series of technology training modules to help teachers with their computer, networking and Internet skills. The district was also able to send four representatives to a National Education Computing Conference to connect with other innovative districts and share ideas.

Seventh and eighth grade changed, along with every year thereafter for those students. Teachers shifted to project-based activities that gave them time for one-on-one support. Textbooks expanded to unlimited online materials. Students care more about academic achievement. Discipline problems have declined. Test scores and college scholarships are significantly on the rise. And Grant Manan is now beginning to see college graduates return to the island community. Other schools in New Brunswick are also coming to see what is happening at this academically leading school.

These are the grades that initiated project with students in a Texas town on the Rio Grande and the Netherlands. They create PowerPoint presentations, build websites, research reports online and love learning.

Explains Jones, “Our students are hooked, our teachers are hooked, and there’s this tremendous level of excitement and passion. Thanks to HP, we now have a progressive, technology-oriented culture at every grade level. The value to Grand Manan’s school and the community as a whole is immeasurable.