Students develop Web-based, digital photography and Hyperstudio projects that emphasize a differentiated curriculum while addressing learning standards. Web authoring The Lake Placid Central School has developed a Web site rich in student projects. These include everything from local history information to virtual curriculum exchanges with students in other countries. From this pilot project, the district has learned many things which are now being integrated into other classrooms. Each classroom has four networked computers with Internet access, and a monitor and VCR for receiving a daily student-produced news show.
All teachers have laptops and access to an information system for grading, attendance and more.
In addition, several computer labs are used for business, design and academic classes. Rye Lake s Program for Students with Multiple Disabilities provides classroom consultation by Physical and Occupational Therapists. Digital photography has helped with staff training activities, allowed the professionals to review the positioning of students in classroom equipment and made it easier to track student progress over time. Students, who are given much flexibility in planning how to use the technology, are evaluated by creative methods including online self-testing, presentations, and portfolios. The Visionlearning project is based on a Web-education research project that has had a significant impact on improving student interest and performance in the sciences.