Oak Ridge Today

ORHS selected for Sprint 1 Million Project, providing free internet to students for homework completion

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Oak Ridge Schools bus

Oak Ridge High School is participating in the Sprint 1 Million Project program. Through that project, the high school will receive free internet devices and service to help students complete their schoolwork from home, a press release said.

“Sprint’s mission with this project is to provide free wireless devices and service to one million students who are in need of reliable internet service,” the press release said. “The 1 Million Project is the largest corporate initiative in U.S. history to bridge the digital divide and help close the ‘homework gap’ for students lacking home internet access.”

The press release said Sprint plans to welcome approximately 200,000 eligible high school students into the program each year for five years, offering them devices and connectivity for up to four years while in high school. Oak Ridge High School is now a part of this five-year program.

“For the 2017-2018 school year, we will receive 300 devices,” the press release said. “We will continue to communicate with Sprint annually to determine the device quantities needed for the following program years.” [Read more…]

Wetland restoration project on Melton Lake Greenway on March 5

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Melton Lake Wetland Restoration

The Healthy Waters Program in Oak Ridge will be conducting an invasive plant removal on the Melton Lake Greenway, under the Edgemoor Road bridge, on Sunday, March 5, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

This is in an effort to restore a wetland along the greenway by removing non-native invasive plants, cleaning up trash, and planting native trees, grasses, and flowers, a press release said.

Tina Ball and Caitlin Craighead, the AmeriCorps members serving in Oak Ridge with the Public Works Department’s Stormwater Management Program, have received a grant through the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, or TWRA, to make this project possible, the press release said. [Read more…]

Schools give Year Two progress report on Access Oak Ridge

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These charts depict the increase in use of the Canvas learning management system, or LMS, since its adoption in 2015 in Oak Ridge Schools. Dips in usage occurred in June and July of 2016 when school was not in session. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)

These charts depict the increase in use of the Canvas learning management system, or LMS, since its adoption in 2015 in Oak Ridge Schools. Dips in usage occurred in June and July of 2016 when school was not in session. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Submitted

During the past two years, the Oak Ridge school district has been making new strides in our Access Oak Ridge digital learning initiative by putting Lenovo Yoga laptop computers into the hands of every student in grades 5-10.

Our vision in this initiative is “to empower all Oak Ridge students with equitable access to digital learning opportunities, and to innovate, design, collaborate, and ultimately succeed in local and global communities of the future.” Within this vision, we believe that learning should be student-centered, with technology that enables exploration of content with greater depth and breadth.

Our aim is to continue to grow Access Oak Ridge to provide opportunities that lead to substantial benefits for both students and staff. Fostering innovative thinking expands the classroom beyond the school walls for our students.

Prior to embarking on the Access Oak Ridge initiative, dedicated information technology (IT) staff and instructional technology coaches had been preparing our students and teachers with digital tools and software for more than a decade. In 2014-15, our instructional technology coaches worked with a team of teachers to research and select a learning management system, or LMS, to securely house all of our online content for courses such as soft copies of textbooks, course readings, designated internet content links, software, and videos, as well as student and family progress monitoring (course grading). The LMS the teacher team selected is Canvas by Instructure. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools working on completing Phase 2 of convertible laptop purchases for students

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Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October 2016 as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October 2016 as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge Schools is working on completing the second phase of a program that, among other things, provides convertible laptops to students. The program is known as Access Oak Ridge.

Phase Two brings the technology, which is also known as one-to-one technology, into all high school classrooms.

Due to funding, Oak Ridge Schools started the second phase by purchasing devices for two grade levels, ninth and tenth grades.

To complete Phase Two, about 750 additional machines are required at an estimated cost of $530,000. [Read more…]

Borchers to give update on ‘State of Oak Ridge Schools’ at Tuesday lunch

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools superintendent, will give an update on the “State of Oak Ridge Schools” during a Tuesday lunch.

The update is expected to include information on Access Oak Ridge, a program that provides convertible laptops for students; successes; and new and upcoming programs and initiatives.

The update is scheduled from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, November 15, Lunch with the League at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Convertible laptops provided to two grades at ORHS as part of Access Oak Ridge

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Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge.

The roll-out to the two grades at ORHS was launched the week of October 17.

“Through our Access Oak Ridge digital one-to-one initiative, our vision is to empower all Oak Ridge students with equitable access to digital learning opportunities; to innovate, design, collaborate, and ultimately succeed in local and global communities of the future,” a press release said. “This initiative is geared toward increasing opportunities for creativity and out-of-the-box problem solving. In a 1:1 environment, teachers can serve as collaborative facilitators in an atmosphere of timely information gathering and authentic problem-based learning.”

The student laptops or portable devices are also in use or being rolled out in other nearby school districts, including in Anderson County and Clinton. They’ve previously been distributed to students in some other grade levels in Oak Ridge, starting with some students in the city’s two middle schools. [Read more…]

Agle seeks re-election to Board of Education

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Angi Agle

Angi Agle

Angi Agle is running for re-election to the Oak Ridge Board of Education in the November 8 election. Early voting starts Wednesday, October 19.

Now completing her third term, Agle serves as the Board’s representative on the Tennessee Legislative Network, which helps to keep all Board members informed about proposed and new legislation affecting schools from the state level, a press release said. Agle has earned the Level IV Board Member designation from TSBA through continuing education through the Tennessee School Boards Association—in addition to civic and legislative advocacy.

“Oak Ridge Schools are now gaining traction toward some long-time goals, and I believe it is important to see these through,” Agle said in the press release. “The Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness, the five-year plan devised by the community-based 2020 Planning Committee, and the Access Oak Ridge initiative give us concrete goals, direction, and tools to ensure that our students—all of our students—succeed.” [Read more…]

Access Oak Ridge initiative grows to include grades 9, 10; device pickup next Monday, Tuesday

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onetoone

Every ninth-grade and 10th-grade student at Oak Ridge High School should have a new digital device, a convertible laptop, as of Wednesday, October 19. It’s a continuation of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, Access Oak Ridge.

“Through our Access Oak Ridge digital one-to-one initiative, our vision is to empower all Oak Ridge students with equitable access to digital learning opportunities; to innovate, design, collaborate, and ultimately succeed in local and global communities of the future,” a press release said.

Here are the instructions for ninth- and 10th-graders and their parents/guardians to follow to receive their school-issued devices, according to the press release:

At your preferred arrival time on your grade-level designated day, come to the Wildcat Arena parking lot (on the Providence Road side of the building, across from the city outdoor pool.) Enter the building through the Wildcat Arena entrance. [Read more…]

School board has special meeting Monday to consider one-time spending approved by city

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Oak Ridge Schools School Administration Building

The Oak Ridge Board of Education will have a special meeting on Monday to consider approving $538,048 worth of one-time spending that was approved by the Oak Ridge City Council this past Monday (May 6).

If the Tennessee Department of Education agrees, the extra money, which had been requested by Oak Ridge Schools and the BOE, would not be part of the city’s annual “maintenance of effort” for the schools, a level of funding that can’t be reduced.

Most of the $538,048, or $425,000, would be used in the next fiscal year for principal and interest payments for a four-year technology lease that began in fiscal year 2016, the current fiscal year. That lease funded the purchase of convertible laptops for grade levels 5-8, supporting what is known as a 1:1 initiative and part of Access Oak Ridge.

The other $113,048 would be used for building improvements: [Read more…]

Borchers to discuss school improvement, STEM, Access Oak Ridge in Tuesday lunch

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will discuss school improvement, STEM, and Access Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Oak Ridge Schools officials have previously said they would like to transform the school system into the premier preK-12 STEM school district in the nation. Borchers is expected to highlight that plan and other programs during a Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 19, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Access Oak Ridge is the program that has, so far, provided convertible laptop computers to every middle school student. Borchers is expected to give an update on that program during the Tuesday meeting, which starts at noon.

Borchers will also review areas of focus and strategic initiatives for school improvement, a press release said. The public is invited. [Read more…]

Remaining middle school students to get convertible laptops in January

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Robertsville-Middle-School-Device-Rollout-Nov-3-2015

More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, and roughly 130 were distributed at Jefferson Middle School. The remaining laptops will be distributed to the other middle schools students in January. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

They’ve tried a pilot program at the city’s two middle schools, and in January, school officials will distribute convertible laptops to the rest of the students at Jefferson and Robertsville middle schools.

The pilot program was considered successful. It distributed more than 300 convertible laptops to about 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

The students, grades 5 through 8, are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects. [Read more…]

Game-changer: JMS, RMS trying laptops now, more students could soon

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Robertsville-Middle-School-Device-Rollout-Nov-3-2015

More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, pictured above, and roughly 130 were distributed to sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

In what was described as a “game-changer,” more than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

About 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School are trying the devices this month, and they could be “rolled out” to all middle school students, grades 5 to 8, in January, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.

The students are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects.

“When implemented well, the research shows an increase in student engagement and achievement,” Borchers said. [Read more…]