Futurekids and IBM Team Up to Deliver Cutting Edge Technology

(June 28, 2003) - Every high school teacher and site administrator in the Daviess County Public Schools district is receiving IBM Thinkpads and has received training in how best to use the new technology in the classroom. Each laptop computer is fully outfitted with wireless connectivity, DVD player/CDRW drive and other software resources, such as MS Office Professional, Vital Source, Dreamweaver and Coldfusion.

DCPS recently completed a “pilot program” of its innovative eLearning project, which is designed to provide technology resources to both teachers and students in order to take teaching and learning to a higher level.

Training of teachers is being done by Futurekids, a technology training company based in California. The company provided three-hour training sessions for more than 200 high school teachers and administrators during the week of May 3. Additional training is scheduled in July and continues throughout the 2004-05 school year. When asked why the district chose Futurekids as their Professional Development Partner, Susan Smith, The District’s Technology Coordinator stated, “Like Daviess County Public Schools, Futurekids has a proven track record for integrating technology into the curriculum. This breadth of experience made them an ideal partner to train our faculties who are already very sophisticated in their use of technology.

During the training, it was evident that Futurekids was intent on customer satisfaction. Their trainers were knowledgeable and flexible over a broad range of technology skills and they adjusted their training numerous times to fit our "just-in-time" training needs.

We rolled out 225 laptops in two days. In three hours, under Futurekids' direction, every teacher: unboxed their laptops learned the rudiments of the laptop controls logged into the network configured their e-mail dealt with wireless settings on the network and off learned the elements of an e-lesson learned where to find help for the project on the web.

Stu Silberman, DCPS Superintendent, said the eLearning project was designed to incorporate the technology of tomorrow into the classroom of today. “Our kids are already using technology and are very comfortable with it,” Silberman said. “The eLearning project builds on this foundation and encourages new levels of thinking and learning. Our kids are excited about learning, and most importantly, they are learning without boundaries. With laptop computers, a whole world of information is literally at their fingertips.”

Dzana Homan, President and CEO of Futurekids, shares her enthusiasm for the partnership with Davies County Public School District and IBM. “Futurekids is committed to achieving excellence in professional development of teachers so that they have the knowledge and ability to use information and communication technology literacy skills in every aspect of their teaching. We will maximize the investment in technology infrastructure through training that yields understanding, productivity and seamless integration into academic content.”
 
About Futurekids
Futurekids is the premier provider of technology teacher training solutions for schools and universities around the world. Futurekids has a 22-year record of success in technology education. Their core competency is providing technology training as it relates to teaching and learning. They have relationships and achievements with many key educational partners such as Intel, IBM and Dell.  Futurekids is privately owned with headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. For more information on Futurekids, please visit http://www.futurekids.com/.