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Greenville ISD Technology Advancements Spotlighted

The recent 1:1 iPad initiative at Greenville High School armed every GHS student and teacher with an iPad, furthering the district’s priority to design all curriculum around a Product Oriented Education (POE) format. The POE model is designed to engage and involve students in the learning process as producers of knowledge, not merely consumers of teacher-directed lessons. High School students have created short films, designed experiments and utilized educational applications with their personal devices.

With the high school pilot program successfully implemented, the technology department has now installed iPad stations on all other district campuses. 120 iPad minis were issued to GISD’s five elementary schools, 24 iPads were distributed to the Greenville Sixth Grade Center and 100 iPads were disseminated for use at Greenville Middle School.

Of the iPads installed in the district, 230 were purchased with grant monies awarded to the district. Additionally, Alliance Bank purchased advertising rights on 1200 cases, greatly offsetting the cost of the cases.    

Because of the success of the initiatives, Greenville ISD has received statewide notoriety and was asked to present at the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals this past summer. Of the seminar participants, the Gary ISD assistant superintendent took special interest in GISD’s technology endeavors.

In fact, Gary ISD took so much interest in GISD’s success that they sent a crew of nine faculty members including the superintendent to spend the day shadowing Greenville ISD staff installing and utilizing the personal devices. Observing master high school teachers Paula Ballew and Linda Wensel and learning the fundamentals of the program from Executive Director of Technology, Mandy Clayton, Gary ISD was inspired to implement a similar program in their district. 

The Greenville ISD technology department has designed several ways for teachers and parents to have quick access to relevant news and free iPad apps. A Twitter account found at the handle @gisdiTeachTech and a blog accessed at training.greenvilleisd.com both allow parents the opportunity to stay abreast of the ever evolving technological sphere.

As GISD looks to the future, Mandy Clayton says of her plans, “The technology department will continue to seamlessly integrate technology in our classrooms and curriculum. Our aim is for technology use in the classroom to become as natural and routine as pen and paper. We will continue to work to make GISD the most technologically advanced district in the state.”