Exceptional Educator Helps Bring Technology To RIS

By Susan Coney

At a recent awards ceremony held at Reed Intermediate School, Principal Donna Denniston and instructional technology specialist Ken Royal accepted an award, which named Reed as an “Exemplary Technology Site.”

The Connecticut Association of Schools chose Reed along with Frenchtown Elementary School in Trumbull and Greenwich High School out of approximately 20 schools that applied for the award. Reed received a plaque designating the school as an Exemplary Technology Site and a grant in the amount of $500. Funding for the award was provided by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Assistant Principal Tony Salvatore said that the school will most likely use the funds awarded toward the purchase of a Smartboard, which is powerful tool that provides more flexibility in teaching. Mr Royal went on to add, “A Smartboard is something we should have. It can be used in small or large group instructional settings. It is a mobile unit with a touch screen, which is perfect for any training type session. It sure beats carrying around a monitor.”

Ken Royal applied for the grant by submitting a brief 250-word summary of the type of technology Reed utilizes. Mr Royal said that Reed will serve as a model school providing ten site visits from other schools. “The town gave us all this wonderful equipment and it’s our obligation to share it. We can spread and share this knowledge with other school districts. It’s amazing what teachers can do with this. There is no reason that this can’t happen in all the schools across our district.”

Portions of his letter stated that Reed has a useful and interactive Internet site, which includes an events calendar for the school. Reed offers online educational streaming video and educational resources. All teachers have websites, which share classroom activities and homework. The intranet has useful news, handouts, movies, forms, and photos that are only available at Reed. Every student and teacher has a network login where work and documents are available.

Teachers, staff, and students benefit from the most productive software available including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and Inspiration. All teachers have flash drives for increased productivity at and away from school. Attendance and grading are computerized. Reed even offers online cafeteria prepaying for student lunches.

Every two-teacher team has a digital camera for recording classroom events. Each classroom is equipped with LCD projectors and speakers that are ceiling mounted, as well as an overhead type projector used constantly in day-to-day teaching.

In addition to two computer labs and a Multimedia Center that contains 20 additional computers, every classroom has at least one student computer. There are also six wireless carts of laptops that may be wheeled into classrooms.

Sixth grade math and science teacher Barbara Mancher uses the class website to post updates on classroom information, homework, long-term projects, and assignments. She also uses the online educational videos as a creative and interesting way for the students to receive reinforcement of skills she has previously taught.

As part of a recent homework assignment the students were required to log on, watch a video accompanied by music in a James Bond-type fashion teaching the students a five-part, ten-minute lesson on decimals. After watching the lesson the students were required to print out the correlating worksheet and complete it as part of their homework. Those students who do not have access to a computer at home are not penalized but given time during learning lab to complete the assignment. It presents and reinforces information in a stimulating alternative setting that is very kid friendly.

Sixth grade student Mara Scallon said, “It’s a lot better here than at the elementary school. It is more updated and we do more fun things. Mr Royal is very informative and he really helps everybody. He’s very good with computers and kids and teaching.”

Sixth grade science teacher Todd Steniford agreed saying, “Mr Royal is the hub of this organization. It is all due to him that we have this technology. He’s not a talker, he’s a doer. He knows what he has in mind for the kids and he doesn’t stop until he gets it in place.”

Although everyone at Reed credits Ken Royal with the school’s amazing technology, he is very humble about his impact. He credits Norm McConnell who was once the instructional technology person for Newtown Schools with providing the foundation. The IT position was eliminated due to budget cuts; however, Mr McConnell continues to work in Newtown as a chemistry teacher at the high school.

Mr Royal said, “When I came to Newtown in 1996 as a classroom teacher I was at a teachers’ meeting and saw this guy with a laptop. Back then you didn’t see any teachers with laptops and I thought to myself, who is this guy? I have to get to know him.” Frustrated at first with the lack of technology available in the Newtown district, Mr Royal expressed his concerns to Mr McConnell who promptly appeared with two computers for use in his classroom. Mr Royal went on to say, “Mr McConnell started at a time when there was not a lot of technology. He didn’t have anything to begin with. I don’t think he gets enough credit for starting up the technology program here in Newtown.”

He also credited Principal Donna Denniston for her constant support and efforts to bring more technology to the school.

Mr Royal exudes a passion for technology that is contagious and has certainly carried over to the students and staff at Reed. “My frustration is that I know I can do more. I see the educational side and the technical side. My job is to push the envelope on the educational side to get as much technology for the schools as we can. The height of what you can do with knowledge is to share it. Our obligation is to share knowledge,” he said.

As an instructor he has noticed a need many students still have for better keyboarding skills. He stressed that many students still use a hunt and peck approach to typing assignments on the keyboard. This slows creativity and the entire writing process by prohibiting the students from being able to get their ideas down quickly. Mr Royal has developed a plan to help close that gap. Beginning next fall students will have access to an online keyboarding course. Students will be able to log in, take the course on line from home or at school, and gain valuable practice in keyboarding skills. “I’ll have a record of what they have done and will be able to track their progress,” he said. “This has another benefit in that it helps to improve reading skills,” he quickly pointed out.

Special education teacher Michael Altenburger continues to be impressed with the technology that is available at Reed and credits a great deal of success to Mr Royal. He summed it up nicely by saying, “Ken possesses an amazing ability to enhance student learning through the use of software and hardware here at Reed. He is eager to share his knowledge and is continually working with teachers to help them incorporate the technology into their lesson plans. Ken also works hard to make sure that the instructional delivery is not overpowered by the technology, thus making the integration natural and seamless.”