Last fall, students and teachers in the Osseo School District took part in the initial stages of a new era in technology-infused education—or digital learning. Tim Wilson, chief technology officer for Osseo District 279, was at the helm of implementing the new program.
“This excites me, in a sense that it does a great job at creating a level playing field for all students and families, unlike before when many students lacked access to necessary technologies, and even the Internet, to complete assignments,” he says.
As part of the new program for all students in grades 6, 10 and 11, approximately 7,500 Apple iPads have been distributed to students, with about 1,800 units in the hands of trained faculty members, who Wilson refers to as the “early implementers” of digital learning.
“Digital learning allows for a blend of in-class learning with online courses and assignments, providing flexibility that has not been used in educating our youth,” Wilson says. “This is a big vision, multi-year effort of digital learning with modest year one goals.” Students can use their iPads to participate in online discussions, take quizzes and share documents with their teachers at any time.
In addition to students and teachers with iPads in-hand, the extent to which Osseo has invested in better Wi-Fi and increased bandwidth is noteworthy, allowing increased Internet capacity and faster connections to accommodate taking advantage of the digital learning system on a daily basis.