New Learning Opportunity: iPads for Orcas

“iPads for Orcas” Celebration Rolls Out New Learning Opportunities for Port Graham School

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Wednesday, September 21, 2016, rolled out iPads for Orcas, a festive celebration in Port Graham School. Students, staff, community, and guests gathered in anticipation for every student to be presented with their very own iPad for use in school. Before presenting the devices, Principal Kleine explained to the joyful audience how this project came to life.
Until just a few years ago, Port Graham was not only geographically isolated—technology more typical of what students on the road system experience was not available, as the internet was exceedingly slow. In 2014, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District subsidized a microwave broadband upgrade in Nanwalek and Port Graham, allowing much faster access. As students and staff watched neighboring Nanwalek School enter a new way of learning through the Apple ConnectED Grant, staff and site council supported efforts for iPads to become a reality for Port Graham students.
img_1931Through requests, Port Graham School was awarded donations from two corporations that important to Port Graham residents. Chugach Alaska Corporation donated $10,000, and through the Paluwek Heritage Foundation, Port Graham Corporation provided $4200, the remainder of the funds that would have provided a 1:1 implementation. However, Port Graham experienced a population explosion this fall, growing from the expected 29 students to 36! Determined to put ipads into every student’s hands, the staff opted to use rollover funds from the school budget for the remaining iPads.

Principal Kleine expressed thanks to everyone who helped this innovation, and invited students to be like the orcas for which they were named. She invited them to swim into the digital world, exploring safe places on the internet, and apps that would help them increase their skills. She encouraged them to dive as deeply as they dared into their research, learning to think more deeply as well. In this celebratory environment, she asked everyone to be partners in this new way of learning, and “to keep a joy of learning in our school, using our strength of helping each other as we leap into this new world of technology!” Teacher Devin Michel read the vision statement for the project, encapsulating the ideas by asking students to “Develop the way we think, the way we work, and the tools we use to expand our minds.”

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As words of gratitude and invitations to learn were presented, students were signaled to express their joy with kazoos and pompoms whenever Principal Kleine sounded her tambourine. Finally, each student’s name was announced in a commencement-like manner, and elementary teacher Ms. Devin Michel presented each with an iPad, followed by congratulatory hand-shakes from Second Chief Martin Norman, site council secretary and staff member Heather O’Domin, and secondary teacher Colby Way.
img_1894Title VI tutor Camille Parry guided students in front of a poster thanking Chugach Alaska and Port Graham Corporation. After a group photo, and cake, students went to classrooms to turn on their iPads and take their new devices for a spin. The activities were riddled with smiles and laughter as the “iPads for Orcas” came to life!
Story contributed by Nanwalek School and Port Graham School Principal Nancy Kleine

 
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1:1 iPads bring dynamic learning opportunity to Nanwalek School through White House ConnectEd initiative

Kenai Peninsula Borough School DistrictKPBSD 50 years logo Smallest  version
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888

News Release
iPads bring dynamic learning opportunity to Nanwalek

Soldotna, August 17, 2015—Palpable excitement is in the air today at Nanwalek School, where 80 kindergarten through twelfth grade students anticipate receiving their own Apple iPad on Tuesday August 18, 2015.
A year in the planning, the rollout celebration to begin the comprehensive 1:1 technology solution for every student and teacher, including Apple hardware, software, and services, begins at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 18, 2015, with guests and dignitaries present to speak to students, staff, and the community. The upcoming year is a game-changer for Nanwalek School, the only school in Alaska, and one of 114 schools in the country, to receive an Apple grant as part of the White House ConnectEd initiative begun in 2013.
Nanwalek School is located in a small village on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula, across the bay from Homer, Alaska. By giving students access to the latest technology and powerful learning tools, we’re working to transform the classroom into a place of deeper exploration and creativity.
“We are very excited about this opportunity for our students in Nanwalek,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “A key part of any initiative is professional development for our teachers and through the training commitment from Apple, we are confident that the new technology will have a tremendous positive impact for all of our Nanwalek students.”
As a result of the initiative to receive iPads, Apple TVs, and MacBook laptops for teachers:

  1. Students and teachers will be introduced to a new level of technology that they have not previously experienced in the village or school. This experience will be enhanced by faster Internet installed by the district through ACS in September 2014
  2. Academic core learning will be strengthened through resources and e-books on the devices
  3. This grant includes professional development for teachers in differentiation to strengthen core instruction, and intervention processes to increase achievement

IMG_9979Nanwalek School honors cultural identity while developing students to be effective members of society. School goals for the ConnectEd initiative include:

  • Students, parents, and community will be our partners
  • Teaching will be transformed
  • Students will be active learners
  • Students will strengthen their academic learning
  • Students will have a tool for preservation of language and culture
  • Students will have more possibilities for postsecondary options

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Nanwalek School to receive 1:1 technology via Apple and ConnectED

Kenai Peninsula Borough School DistrictPrint
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888
News Release

Nanwalek School receives Apple and ConnectEd grant

Soldotna, October 31, 2014—One of 114 schools in the country, and the only school in Alaska, our KPBSD school in Nanwalek, serving 79 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, will receive an Apple grant as part of the national ConnectED program. This award enables Nanwalek School to provide a comprehensive 1:1 technology solution for every student and teacher, including Apple hardware, software, and services.
Instructional practices and student learning at Nanwalek School will radically change as a result of this initiative to receive iPads for each student in the following ways:

  1. Students and teachers will be introduced to a new level of technology that they have not previously experienced in the village or school. This experience will be enhanced by faster Internet was installed by the district through ACS in September
  2. Academic core learning will be strengthened through resources and e-books on the devices
  3. This grant includes professional development for teachers in differentiation to strengthen core instruction, and intervention processes to increase achievement

“I am thrilled to learn that Nanwalek School is a recipient of an Apple ConnectEd Grant, said Steve Atwater, superintendent. “I am confident that the infusion of technology into the classrooms and professional development for the staff will lead to an increase in student engagement and in turn academic achievement. Thanks to Principal Nancy Kleine and Director Jim White for all their work to make this happen.”
We continually seek ways to engage students in instruction, and trust that having this exciting technology will attract students to school and increase attendance,” said Principal Nancy Kleine. “This type of learning is interactive and focused, and students will learn the necessary skills to be effective members of society.”
“We believe that the young minds and young innovators of tomorrow should have every opportunity to realize their potential through today’s powerful learning tools,” states the Apple website. “It’s important to us that our contribution to ConnectED makes a difference for students and communities who need it the most. We’ve chosen to provide our support to schools where at least 96 percent of the students are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Despite their economic challenges, these schools share a vision of what their students’ lives would be like with Apple technology.”
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News Release: KPBSD 2014_10_31_Nanwalek School Awarded Apple ConnectEd grant
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