New Rochelle's Jefferson Elementary School To Implement "Learning On-The-Go"

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — As part of an FCC initiative announced in July, the City School District of New Rochelle (CSDNR) has received funding to implement a “Learning On-The-Go” wireless pilot project to support and advance digital learning.

On Thursday, October 20th at 1:45pm, Jefferson Elementary School will begin Phase1 of this project when a group of 5th grade students will receive Dell mini-laptops with Verizon Wireless broadband cards and a separate group of 4th grade students will begin to pilot mobile learning devices before wider deployment to other students. District officials, members of the Board of Education and representatives from Verizon will be on hand as the CSDNR will also present a Community Service award to Verizon Wireless.

The CSDNR has a particular focus for their initiative to target English language learners (ELL), economically disadvantaged students, lower-performing students and students with disabilities in 5th through 9th grade. New Rochelle is one of only twenty school districts from around the country who were selected by the FCC for funding. As the District’s official E-rate data plan provider, Verizon is a significant partner in this effort as all of the devices and data plans being distributed to students have been purchased directly from Verizon. The technology will run on an encrypted mobile network, provided by Verizon, which will allow students to do work anywhere in a safe web environment. Additionally, school officials will have access to the equipment and the ability to completely deactivate any unit in the event that one is lost or stolen.

“We’re proud to be a part of this cutting edge learning program,” said Pat Devlin, president of Verizon Wireless for the New York Metro Area. “Wireless technology creates an innovative learning environment that is fun and engaging for both students and teachers.”

Another aspect of the “Learning On-The-Go” project includes the creation of a learning “cloud” for students and teachers participating in the initiative. The nredlearn.org cloud is an interdisciplinary, project-based and research-driven online learning portal. The principle behind the cloud is that any computer or device can be connected to the same pool of applications and resources and the cloud operates as a safe filtered learning portal for students that extends teaching and learning far beyond the walls of a classroom and hours of a school day.

“We are extremely grateful to both the FCC and Verizon for their support as we rollout this important initiative for our district,” said Dr. Christine Coleman, Director of Technology for the CSDNR. “Providing these students with an opportunity to engage with technology is crucial to their development and overall learning.”

Phase2 of the City School District of New Rochelle’s pilot project will entail the deployment of mobile learning devices to over 300 students at two other elementary schools as well as tablets at the middle school level and Netbook laptops to a group of high school students. In addition, 30-40 iPad devices will be distributed to students with disabilities.

A copy of the original release from the FCC can be found here:

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0711/DOC-308331A1.pdf

About City School District of New Rochelle Technology Department
The overarching vision of the Instructional Technology Initiative in the City School District of New Rochelle is to move forward vigorously to integrate technology into curriculum, instruction, professional development, and information management which will impact and expand the scope, quality, and richness of all educational programs. Technology’s major purpose must be to provide access to a global network of learning resources and communication tools to enrich and expand learning beyond the classroom walls. As the district begins to transition into an informative millennium, New Rochelle educators, students and the community-at-large will need to access state-of-the-art technology resources within an asynchronous environment to create, analyze, share and communicate knowledge that will redefine education and motivate life-long learning.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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