South school briefs: Technology moves front, center in Burnsville, Northfield

About 70 teachers in the Burnsville School District will share the results of research they have been doing on technology in the classroom during a talk on March 7 at 4 p.m. at the Diamond Education Center in Burnsville.

The teachers and their research are part of a district initiative this year on improving student achievement through technology.

Teachers are using devices such as iPads or social media and measuring the impact on student learning. For example, some teachers are using iPads to assess how well students are learning the material so they can individualize instruction. In other cases, students are using iPads or other tools to expand their access to information that would otherwise not be available at their desks.

The goal of the research is to discover what works and what doesn't with instructional technology so financial resources can be used most effectively to boost student achievement, district officials said.

"Effective instructional technology is rarely about the technology itself but rather how the technology can be leveraged to increase student access, motivation and understanding," said Rachel Gorton of the district's teaching and learning department.

The Northfield School District has agreed to a three-year program to provide take-home iPads to all of its students in middle school and above.

In elementary schools, iPad minis will be used, with several devices available to each classroom but not taken home, according to the school board.

The program will start this coming school year with the leasing of about 2,700 devices.

The three-year lease is expected to total about $1 million, or about $335,000 per year.