Technology Briefing in Chicago for Madison Public Schools!

A group from Madison Public School including Harold Scott, Marilyn Moyer, Audrey Loosvelt, Dan Jackson, Pat Kratochvil, Jill Weidner, Jane Lafleur, Vicky Jones, Mary Abler, and Jalayne Keyes (from ESU #8) visited the windy city for a technology briefing. The group arrived in Chicago February 28th and stayed until March 1st. The event was specialized for Madison Public School and funded by Apple. Highly recognized educators including Rae Niles and Apple representatives shared information and experiences on 21st Century Learning skills and implementing a 1 to 1 Learning Initiative. This program is all about providing every student with a notebook computer for educational purposes at school and at home. It will give the students an opportunity for learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Today's learners have grown up in a digital world with cell phones, computers, video entertainment, iPod technology and the Internet. Engaging these students and making education relevant for them is critical. Research shows that this type of Learning Initiative can have a significant impact on family and community. Students act as mentors to parents, siblings, and other community members. This group along with other faculty at Madison are working to bring the school, staff and students on to a whole new level of educational excellence. Other Madison staff will be attending 1 to 1 briefings at Westside High School in Omaha and Arnold Public School in Arnold, Nebraska over the next few weeks. These events are very helpful for exploring the potential of a Learning Initiative. A decision regarding the implementation date has not yet been made.