At Google, some sophomore students often use laptops to enter reports in Google Documents and conduct research online.
Registered, these students can't imagine having classes at their fingertips without technology.
On the same campus of a building next door, the sophomore in world history class wrote their answers on the handout with a pen. One 15-year-
Old says her work is easier to track on the computer, rather than having these files everywhere.
To distribute technology more fairly and help students prepare for their careers, the Northeast Independent School District proposes to spend $64 million technically as part of $399.
4 million proposal for bonds.
Voters will decide whether to approve the bonds in November. 8.
Not everyone thinks technology investment is worth it.
While technology may attract students, experts say, they have not yet linked it to improving academic performance.
Technical package-
16% of total bond proposals-
Will be the second.
The most expensive of the 18 bond projects include network infrastructure upgrades and funding for library resources. About $41.
8 million of the total will replace or increase the equipment used by students and staff.
The region's senior director of Technical Services said the region usually changes computers after seven years of use. About $13.
3 million will be used to increase students' access to technology by hand
Handheld devices, interactive whiteboards, and document cameras similar to projectors.
Johnson said there was no commitment to buy a hand in the area
Since manufacturers continue to launch competitive products, handheld devices such as the iPad.
They are not sure how many hands there are because prices may fall
They can buy helds, Johnson said.
But even if the bonds pass, the region cannot buy one device for each of its 67,000 students, because it will cost $33 million or more for this alone.
So far, experts say technology has a lot of potential in the classroom, but few studies have directly linked it to improved test scores.
Professor of Educational Psychology at who Research Technology says most of the research has measured how much students or teachers love new devices like iPads.
But this does not necessarily mean that students will learn better.
"Not many good experimental studies can show teachers who use" doc cams "to improve student performance, or when we teach by hand --
This has improved the performance of the students, "Robinson said.
"What bothers me is that when people spend a lot of money on these fancy gadgets, we don't know how to use them, and there is no evidence that using them will improve learning.
"Research in Texas and Maine has found that in some cases, every student has a drop in secondary school test scores for laptops.
On 2009, a University Station researcher who helped evaluate the technology immersion project found that in middle schools where everyone has a laptop but has little impact on reading, students' standardized math test scores improved slightly, achievements in social studies and science.
"Policy makers look at this and ask, 'Does this justify the cost, '" Shapley said '. ". Sr.
People living in the area don't think so.
"Technology sounds good.
"Everyone and their brothers will be interested in technology," he said . ". “But . . .
We are the people who pay the bill and yes, I am sure we can not have these items for a period of time.
However, regional officials said that financing technology through bonds would ease the pressure on the maintenance and operations budget, which was cut by $28.
This year 4 million
"If this bond does not pass. . .
We will have to invest money in technology in one way or another, "said a district spokesman, adding that about 85% of the maintenance and operations budget is spent on personnel, mainly teachers.
"Thanks to the quality of the education that students receive here, NEISD is considered a premiere zone, which includes our technology.
"Research shows that there are other benefits to increasing technology access.
Shapley's study found that in middle schools with laptops, financially disadvantaged students became technically as skilled as wealthy students in schools with fewer laptops.
According to district officials, about 43% of NEISD students are eligible to become economically disadvantaged, although not all students will receive mobile devices through the bond package.
Students have also been shown to be better involved in their work while using technology, which leads to fewer disciplinary issues and increased class hours, Shapley said.
She and some NEISD community members say they believe that investing in technology can bring another benefit: better preparing students for their future careers.
"Technology is an important part of it when you try to teach kids to prepare them for the global economy," co-
Chairman of the political committee promoting bond issuance
Tom Johnson, who previously taught middle school, said that in places where there is a lack of research, teachers may have to follow their instincts and observations.
"As a former teacher, you know when you have established this connection and when the class you plan to have hit home," he said . ".
"You can see it from their eyes.
You can hear this in their questions and conversations.