5. Collaboration with Other Falmouth Community Organizations Falmouth Public Schools - Technology Plan - Spring 2003

Use of Community Personnel Resources

The Community Resources Database was established to to create a directory of people in our community that are willing to share an area of expertise and/or experience with our school community. Contributors may be parents, teachers, students, alumni, Falmouth residents, or anyone else who has an interest in sharing expertise, experiences, careers, hobbies, and/or skills with the Falmouth school community. Teachers use this database to share learnings and resources obtained during out-of-district professional development.

Communication with Parents

• PTO Meetings - Librarians and other technology staff are available (and have) presented to parents on such topics as the Marvel databases and Internet safety.
• Web based subscriptions such as the Agile Mind Math software (Algebra through Calculus) allow parents to view course materials and gain a better understanding of what students are learning.

Use of Community Programs

• Basic courses in word processing, spreadsheets, presentation and the Internet are offered by Falmouth Community Programs. Another course of interest would be the community programs digital camera course. There are teachers in Falmouth who could benefit from these courses. They are inexpensive and offered at a 25% discount, making them a cost-effective alternative for teachers who cannot (usually because of conflicting schedules) take them when offered in the district.
• Three brochures are sent out per year and are available online. The Adult Ed & Recreation Coordinator for the town of Falmouth and the K-12 technology integration coordinator need to make sure teachers receive information about these courses in a timely fashion.

Use of the Public Library

• Falmouth Memorial Library has a wireless connection to the Internet set up. This means that students with MLTI laptops can use their laptops at the library. This will be especially helpful for students who have difficulty connecting their laptops to the Internet at home.
• Library staff are available to assist students in using Internet resources.

Use of School Facilities by the Community

• The high school computer labs are particularly well set up for hosting adult evening classes. Falmouth Community Programs is currently taking advantage of this resource.
• The ATM room at the high school is available for community use. Community groups using the ATM room in from October 28, 2005 to January 19, 2006 included:
  • Virtual connection with a site in Texas
  • UMO college class - one meeting
  • Ad Care (3 hours)
  • Maine Rural Water Project (20 hours)
  • Department of Education training & assessment information (15 hours)
  • Fire Chiefs (9 hours)
  • Drummon & Woodsum
  • Maine Transitional Network
  • Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine

Students as Teachers and Technology Supporters

• Currently, Dianne Rossi uses grade 3 and 4 students as trainers in her technology courses for senior citizens. This has proved to be very successful, both in allowing one-on-one instruction for the seniors and in creating a bond between children and senior citizens. The students also learn the satisfaction of helping others. When students teach, they also learn concepts and skills better.
• At the high school, an iTeam is a group of students that supports teachers and other students in their use of technology. They have been instrumental in maintaining the 10th grade laptop carts on a daily basis so that they are in excellent condition.
• Students in the web programming course, as well as an independent study student, iTeam members and student volunteers have created web sites for teachers as well as community members (Lions Club web site). Teacher web sites are then maintained by teachers after students have completed the setup and design and have the site functioning correctly. Mrs. Greene's 8th grade web site is a good example of this.

Last Updated: 1/2/06

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