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Overview of FLI
The Farmington Learning Initiative (FLI) is the primary strategy for improving student achievement through the use of technology. The FLI provides every secondary student with a laptop and provides teachers with technology equipment and professional development to enhance their ability to integrate technology into all curriculum areas. A major goal of the FLI is to provide students with educational opportunities which allow them to demonstrate their learning through the use of technology in a variety of ways. We believe that giving students 24/7 access to technology will result in higher student engagement, deeper and more complex learning, and improved performance on state standards and benchmarks.
The primary strategy for addressing improved teacher effectiveness through the use of technology is the Technology Leadership Program which focuses on creating cadres of vanguard teachers who are provided intensive staff development opportunities. These teachers become mentors in the use of technology to other teachers within their schools. This program has been implemented in all schools.
The Farmington Municipal Schools has long recognized the potential for technology to improve and enhance the educational experience of our students. Early technology implementations in the mid-1980s focused on the installation of computer labs at each school. In the early 1990s the vision expanded to include more computers in individual classrooms and libraries. The late 90’s saw an emphasis on ensuring that every teacher had a computer and that all classrooms were networked and had access to the Internet. The idea of a 1-to-1 initiative where every student has access to a computer at any time is a logical progression for Farmington Schools and one that has been in the visioning and planning stages for approximately 7 years.
While districts and schools around the nation have been experimenting with 1-to-1 initiatives for over a decade, it wasn’t until 2002 that the idea became big news when the entire state of Maine rolled out laptops to their middle school students and teachers. Two years later, New Mexico jumped on the bandwagon with Gov. Richardson’s initiative to provide laptops for all New Mexico 7th graders. This initiative was never adequately funded by the legislature, but Farmington Schools applied for funding each year and began to equip 7th grade teachers with laptops and training that would enable them to be prepared in the event that our district was funded. That funding never materialized for us, and we have realized that because we truly believe in the benefits of laptops for students, we can’t wait for state funding and must proceed on our
own.
The purpose of this website is to inform our staff and our community about how we intend to implement our FMS Learning Initiative (FLI). A committee consisting of mid-school teachers and administrators, technology personnel, parents, and students is working on a comprehensive plan which will address the complexities of the project. We know that people have many questions and concerns and we will do our best to answer those here. This is an exciting initiative and one that we believe will continue the FMS tradition of improving learning through technology.
Robert R. Emerson
Assistant Superintendent: Curriculum, Instruction and Technology
Farmington Municipal Schools
301 N Court Ave.
Farmington, NM 87401
(505) 599-8820 x1022
Recommended Research Resources
If you are interested in some additional research information about 1:1 laptop initiatives in school districts we recommend looking through the links provided below. You will find informational sites, relevant articles, research studies and other useful information pertaining to 1:1 initiatives around the country. This information will help you understand the current and future educational environment in regards to the integration of technology in the classroom.
Metiri Group Reports
We don't make the students we educate, we make the students we educate smarter. |
FLI Presentations
Robert Emerson and Charles Thacker are available to present information about FLI to your school or community group. Please contact them if you are interested in having this information personally presented and to have the opportunity to ask questions and be a part of the FLI discussions.
Laptop Orientation and Distribution
At the beginning of each year we will have large orientations scheduled for each school during which we will assign laptops to new and returning students.
New students who need to attend an orientation and have a laptop assigned to them must do so through their school office. Each school will assign a laptop to new students during the school year.
Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ)
Check out our FAQ page for answers to frequently asked questions. We will be updating it as we get more feedback from our staff, students and the community. Please check back for more information, your question might be on the list.
If you'd like to submit your own question or comment you can use the form below.
An investment in the future; one student, one teacher, one classroom, one school at a time. |
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