Schools can approach technology in a number ofdifferent ways. Perhaps the most common is to install afew computers for student use in a computer lab or theschool library. Students then use these systems fordiscrete tasks, such as word processing or learningkeyboarding skills.

A more innovative way to use technology, however, isto integrate it with broader curricular goals andinstructional methodologies. That’s the approachtaken by Dunbar Primary School, Lufkin IndependentSchool District, Lufkin, Texas.

“We don’t want technology to be something thatstudents use for special occasions,” says DorindaWade, Principal, Dunbar. “We want it to be a routinepart of what our students do every day.”

It’s an inspiring vision, and with the help of the HPTechnology for Teaching grant, Dunbar has shown it’snot only possible; it can also have a remarkableimpact on students’ academic experience.

When technology inspiresSchool integrates HP technology, test scores improve

“HP’s commitment to technology in education not only enabled Dunbar to achieve itsinstructional goals and improve its academic standards. It has also let us develop amodel other schools can consult as they seek ways to integrate technology into theircurricula. We’ve ignited the spark of learning in our school. It’s exciting to know thatspark will soon catch on in other schools as well.”– Dorinda Wade, Principal, Dunbar Primary School

HP customer casestudy: DunbarPrimary Schoolleveraged HPtechnology to enhanceits independentinvestigationalapproach toproject-based,multidisciplinarylearning.

Industry: Education

Objective: Dunbar Primary School wanted to leverage technologyto enhance its application of the independentinvestigational model in its curricula.

Approach:HP Technology for Teaching Grant.

IT improvements: • Wireless technology lets students connect with

each other

• Digital photography permits engaging projects

• Students able to conduct online research

Academic benefits: • Assessment test scores have improved

• Attendance up

Starting with independent investigationDunbar Primary, a first and second grade school,is located in a small city about 11/2 hours north ofHouston. It has a unique mix of students. About 40percent are gifted and talented students who attendthe school by choice. The rest attend because they livenearby; of those students, a high percentage areconsidered at risk and come from economicallydisadvantaged backgrounds.

For Dunbar, this mix also presents opportunities. Whynot find ways to combine classroom activities,connecting students for project-based activities so theycan inspire and help each other?

“We don’t want technology to be something thatstudents use for special occasions. We want it to bea routine part of what our students do every day.”Dorinda Wade, Principal, Dunbar Primary School

The first Dunbar teachers to put that thinking intopractice were Sue Rolf and Jean Ann Keen. Rolf andKeen are responsible for some of the school’s giftedand talented students; they lead the campus’ onlymulti-age classroom. They came up with amultidisciplinary project to teach students at both agelevels about the structures of vertebrate animals. “Webased it on the independent investigational model,”Rolf says. This model incorporates seven steps: topicselection; goal setting; performing research;organizing data; goal evaluation; creating a project;and presenting the project.

The program began with a module on the architectureof inanimate objects. For the project portion of themodule, the students built a geodesic dome out of PVCpipe. “It filled the entire classroom,” Rolf says.

Next, the teachers extended the “connection” concept

to the greater community, arranging for professionalsfrom an area hospital to come into the classroom andperform a mock bone surgery on a life-size doll. Otherteachers in the school were now becoming interestedin the program, and Rolf and Keen began consideringways to connect their classrooms with others on thecampus.

About that time, Dunbar learned about the HPTechnology for Teaching grant program. “We alreadyhad computer stations in our library,” Wade says. “Butwe began considering what we might do with awireless network and mobile computers right in theclassroom.”

Then Dunbar won the first phase of the HP grant, andsuddenly the school had the technology to take its“connecting” concept to a whole new level.

Connecting five classroomsFirst, Dunbar expanded its vertebrate project to fourother classrooms. During this phase of the program,each class selected a type of vertebrate to study, suchas mammal or reptile, again applying the seven-stepinvestigational model.

This time, however, the children had additional accessto HP Tablet PCs and HP digital cameras in theirclassrooms. When they chose a final project, their ideawas to make claymation movies. “It was the most funI’ve ever had in the classroom,” Rolf says. “Thestudents made clay animals and used boxes to createbackdrops showing the animals’ habitat. Then theyused their HP digital cameras to create their movies.”The children took successive stills of their claycreations, moving them slightly for each image.“Because they’d researched their animals, they werescientifically correct. For example, they made a frilledlizard, and they knew how to make him raise his frilland open his mouth. They were very realistic.”

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Next, the five classrooms combined their individualmovies into one and held an Academy Awards-styleevent to present their creation to their parents andteachers. “They showed their movie on a big screen inour cafeteria,” Rolf says, adding that the students andteachers dressed up like movie stars for the event.

The students wrote scripts that incorporateddocumentary-style voice over narrations. Thesophistication of their work impressed Rolf. “It wasincredible to hear how good the script writing was.Because of the research they’d done, they really knewthe subject matter.”

Next, the five classrooms combined their individualmovies into one and held an Academy Awards-styleevent to present their creation to their parents andteachers. “They showed their movie on a big screen inour cafeteria,” Rolf says, adding that the students andteachers dressed up like movie stars for the event.

More connectionsBy then, the project had captured the attention of theentire campus. So when Dunbar won the secondphase of the HP grant, which provided the school withadditional Tablet PCs and digital projectors, the otherteachers at the school were quick to sign on. “All 18 ofour teachers are now involved,” Wade says.

Having the entire campus wired meant the schoolcould connect the students interdepartmentally. But theschool also began looking beyond its walls to connectwith the community and other schools across Texas.“We named this part of the project ‘Connect the

D.O.T.S. Across Texas,’” Rolf says, explaining thatD.O.T.S. is an acronym for Developing OurTechnology Skills. Each of the school’s 18 classes iscollaborating with another class somewhere in thestate to share information about regional ecology andgeology. “We’re using e-mail, web cameras, andstreaming video, as well as snail mail to share thingslike soil and rock samples.”

The second grant also provided the school withadditional resources to enhance its teachers’professional development which began with the firstyear grant through The International Society forTechnology in Education (ISTE).

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Primary application

• Elementary classroom education

Primary hardware

• HP Compaq tc1100 and tc4200 Tablet PCs

• Cart to house tablets

• HP ProCurve Networking Wireless AccessPoint 420

• HP Digital Projectors

• HP Digital Cameras

Customer solution at a glance

“We surveyed our teachers and discovered a widerange of technical skills. Some were very comfortablewith computers. Others used them to check email andthat was about it,” Wade says. So the school heldtraining sessions to familiarize teachers with the newHP Tablet PCs and other equipment. The trainingincorporated the ISTE National Education TechnologyStandards to help teachers’ understand how tointegrate technology into their curricula. Dunbar alsolooked for other ways to help its teachers, such asallocating time for them to gather and plan theirD.O.T.S. projects on staff development days, andpresenting “technology tidbits” during faculty meetings.

Improved scoresWith technology-integrated curricula now the norm atDunbar, the real winners are the students. Attendancehas gone up – students don’t want to miss school whenthey’re working on this type of project. And assessmenttest scores, Wade notes, have steadily improved sincethe school received its first HP grant. “Students aren’tjust sitting in a classroom listening to teachers andfilling out worksheets,” she says. “They are engagedand motivated. They’ve taken ownership of their ownlearning.”

Needless to say, Dunbar will never go back to its pastways of teaching. “We’ve proven the value of thisinstructional approach,” Wade says. “We’re excited,the kids are excited, their parents are excited. We’vetransformed our school, and we couldn’t be morepleased with the results.”

To learn more, visit www.hp.com© 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statementsaccompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

4AA1-2697ENW, June 2007