EPSDtechintplan2004

Recommendations

Info

I. Elementary Level Vision for Technology Have you ever walked into a classroom where you immediately sensed that good things are going on? It may have been a class discussion where children were interested and participating in a group project or a game. Or maybe it was a particularly charismatic teacher…doing something dramatic to capture the children’s imagination? Most likely it was many factors that contributed to making the class exciting…There has to be a synergy between the teacher, the students, and the resources. The Dynamic Classroom Revisited (2001) Ihor Charischak The early years are crucial for developing children’s language, their social skills, auditoryattention span and skills in problem solving, and reading. Many of these concepts develop through three-dimensional work, and technology should support early learning in developmentally appropriate ways. Marjorie Kostelnick in her article, Developmentally Appropriate Programs (DAP) (1993) suggests two types of learning that occur at the elementary level: Learning can be characterized as occurring in two directions, vertically and horizontally. Vertical learning is traditional hierarchical learning, that is, piling new facts or skills on top of previously learned ones to increase the number and complexity of facts and skills attained. Horizontal learning, however, is conceptually based. In this framework, experiences occur more or less simultaneously, and the role of the learner becomes that of making connections among these experiences, which leads to an understanding of the world through the development of increasingly elaborate concepts. Both vertical and horizontal learning are essential to human understanding, but horizontal learning, also known as “concept development,” tends to be neglected in traditional primary education. In addition, an intellectual bridge should be built, so students may traverse and experience both: Because children in the early years are establishing the conceptual base from which all future learning will proceed, their need for a solid, broad foundation is great. The breadth of the conceptual base children form, eventually influences their performance in school. A balance in the curriculum, with both kinds of learning addressed and valued, is a fundamental aspect of DAP. Such a balance results not in children learning LESS, but in children learning BETTER. Based on this vision, the needs of our elementary level learners that can be facilitated by technology are: • Learning in a more interactive manner by engaging children in exploring, thinking, inventing, problem-solving, and experiencing the world differently. • Shifting from teacher instruction to student construction through discovery, the creation of learning cultures and learning partnerships. Children are learning to reach out to a social and physical world. They are learning how to look carefully and delight in their discoveries. They are often eager to find out how things work in the natural world and ask many questions. They still look to adults to help them answer their many questions. The Everyday Classroom Tools (ECT) curriculum taps this natural curiosity and helps children seek patterns in their observations. The focus on learning from one’s experience is a natural developmental fit for this age group, in a sense, they haven’t forgotten what it means. The Keys to Inquiry (1998) Tina Grotzer EPSD Technology Integration Plan Page 19
Tang and Ginsberg in Developing Mathematical Reasoning in Grades K-12 (2001) discuss the differences in students’ learning styles that emerge quite early in their development. • Mastery Style: People in this category tend to work step by step. • Understanding Style: People in this category tend to search for patterns, categories, and reasons. • Interpersonal Style: People in this category tend to learn through conversation and personal relationship and association. • Self-Expressive Style: People in this category tend to visualize and create images and pursue multiple strategies. As students continue to widen their bridge and try to make sense of what they see, hear, read, and experience, it becomes evident that technology can assist students in becoming active learners. Students become the builders of their own educational experience as they use learning modalities that reinforce their comfort level as well as challenge them to think beyond the norm. II. Implementation and Evaluation of 2003-2004 Technology Development The survey of elementary school faculties indicated high frequency of use in this area: • Reinforcement of reading and language arts skills through the use of Compass has contributed to students becoming independent learners. Teachers who responded to the survey reported that Compass is easy to use, efficient, effective, correlates to the PA State Academic Standards, supplements the language arts and mathematics curricula, and aids in academic student progress. The availability of LCD projectors has enabled students to receive visual as well as verbal directions for new concepts, educational websites, and new software programs. The use of videostreaming has enhanced many social studies, language arts, and science lessons. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade have had the opportunity to share their work in digital format with others. Students have used many digital resources to showcase their learning, such as word processing, presentation software, webquests, various Internet websites, and video editing. III. Future Vision and Direction Technology cannot be treated as a single, independent variable by which student achievement is gauged. Judging the impact of a technology requires an understanding of how it is used in the classroom, what learning outcomes are valued, knowledge about the types of assessments used to evaluate improvements in student achievement, and an awareness of the complex nature of change in the school environment. The incidental learning (the ah ha moment) that takes place indicates the need to capture how technology has enabled that to happen. A teacher’s response to the 2003-2004 Technology Survey question, What did the students gain by using this technology? illustrates the point: “They (students) are more reflective in their thinking regarding content if they create a tech project than just a writing project.” We need to determine the circumstances under which technology supports a broad definition of student achievement at various grade levels whether it be assessing, collaborating, researching, or thinking. Rather than trying to describe the impact of all technologies, as if they were the same, we need to think about what kind of technologies are being used in the classrooms and for what purpose. EPSD Technology Integration Plan Page 20
Page 1 and 2: East Penn School District Technolog
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the
Page 5 and 6: EPSD Technology Integration Plan Pa
Page 7 and 8: Major Findings Table 1. Survey resp
Page 9 and 10: High School level • All students
Page 11 and 12: 3. Devise a technology framework to
Page 13 and 14: Mrs. Kathy Moore Librarian, Eyer Mi
Page 15 and 16: Summary of Teacher Survey Responses
Page 19 and 20: Future Vision and Direction Researc
Page 21: EPSD Technology Integration Plan Pa
Page 27 and 28: enhanced by team use of eBoards, pr
Page 31 and 32: III. Future Vision and Direction Ne
Page 33 and 34: Each school library received additi
Page 35 and 36: Computer Distribution Matrix and St
Page 37 and 38: Technology Budget Analysis The 2003
Page 41 and 42: High School Level Need Action Timel
Page 43 and 44: Appendix A EPSD Technology Integrat
Page 45 and 46: ISTE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOG
Page 49 and 50: Appendix C EPSD Technology Integrat
Page 51: Technology Use Survey February 2004

EPSDtechintplan2004

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?