Corcoran USD students walking together holding hands

Our Process

The district began the One2One student technology learning program in 2005 after deciding student access and opportunities to learn were a moral imperative. A combination of staff development, upgrades in infrastructure, research, trial and error on logistics and policy, budget and resource planning, teamwork, and a common vision has created the environment that is conducive to powerful 21st century learning.

The district partnered with the Kings County Office of Education (KCOE) in a project started in order to provide wireless high-speed Internet to the students in Kings County through WiMax devices. KCOE selected Corcoran Unified, already a technology leader in the valley, to be part of the pilot project. KCOE installed WiMax broadcasting equipment onto the district’s existing microwave tower. They have since been replaced with LTE devices, which are much more powerful.

The district, already having a blend of PCs, Macs, and ultra-portables, began to evaluate a platform best suited for both in-classroom instruction and a device that students could take home. In the summer of 2010, we purchased two Apple iPads to evaluate. Impressed with the tight integration and usability of the device, we distributed them among our staff for further evaluation of the pros and cons. In 2012, we decided it was time to pilot our One2One program and facilitate the “anytime, anywhere” learning environment already in place for the 6th graders at John Muir Middle School. The following year, the program expanded with iPads for each 6th, 7th, 11th, and 12th grader. Today, every kindergartner through 8th grader has an iPad, with 6th through 8th graders taking them home. Every 9th through 12th grader has a MacBook Air laptop, which they take home every day.

Corcoran Unified School District’s Technology Learning Program is an Apple Distinguished Program. We’ve come a long way; we’re succeeding today, and we know the future is brighter still.