An apple for the teacher: Technology in the classroom
The pressure on schools to incorporate technology has snowballed over the last few years. Never before have they been asked to change so much in such a short amount of time. With intensifying demand from parents and government to prepare students for a high-tech future, many schools have had to go from a technical ground zero to a place where they can comfortably and knowledgeably integrate technology into their curricula.
Accomplishing that has not been an easy task. And, as with most significant challenges, some have succeeded while others have failed. Examining some of the keys to integrating technology successfully in schools may help those that are still playing catch-up.
Getting connected
Schools that have successfully implemented technology seem to have two things in common: They figure out what they need, and they look for opportunities that can help them get those things cheaply and easily. It is a long road to success, however.
Many schools hit obstacles just getting connected. Fortunately, several programs and grants have come to the rescue. Among the most significant, the E-rate program, administered through the Federal Communications Commission, offers schools large discounts on networking equipment and Internet services. According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Education released in February 2000, 95 percent of U.S. schools now have at least one Internet connection, and much of that progress is attributable to the nearly $3.6 billion E-rate has committed to schools over the past three years.
The U.S. Department of Education also has made some significant contributions to help schools join the Information Age. Its Technology Literacy Challenge Grant in particular has contributed close to $1 billion to help schools organize their technology efforts, train teachers to use technology effectively and support student achievement in core subjects and the arts.
In June, the Indiana Department of Education received money through the Challenge Grant for use in state middle schools, junior high schools and high schools. “The grants will make a big difference … in terms of technology being more integrated into school curricula and students being connected to the ‘information superhighway’ and being comfortable with technology,” says Dr. Sullen Reed, Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction. But those grants are not giveaways. Indiana’s winning Technology Literacy Challenge proposal had to show a well-developed plan for using technology in the schools, as well as demonstrate a commitment to working in partnership with other schools, community groups, government agencies and business leaders.
School officials also had to outline specific goals they wanted to accomplish, including giving teachers the training and support they need; supplying modern computers to all classrooms; connecting every classroom to the Internet; using effective and engaging software and online resources as an integral part of every school curriculum; and using instructional technology to help students meet state standards.
In addition to federal government efforts, individual corporations also have stepped in to help schools. Cisco, San Jose, Calif.; Microsoft, Redmond, Wash.; and Sun Microsystems, Palo Alto, Calif., are just a few of the corporations that have donated money, equipment and training to help schools get up to speed. Last month, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett Packard announced a partnership with Atlanta-based NetSchools that will provide students and teachers in 36 schools nationwide with laptops, Internet access from both school and home, and training.
A group of companies recently joined with a Bakersfield, Calif.-based organization called the Education Technology Alliance to collaborate with educational institutions to “fundamentally and systemically change the learning equation for all schools,” according to Executive Director Angel Sanchez. “The Alliance and our partners will collaborate to provide … school districts with the necessary resources, expertise and support to successfully integrate technology into curriculum and classrooms,” he says.
But some educators are not willing to wait for others to help them and are finding ways to integrate technology themselves. For example, Maine schools, realizing that their classrooms were lagging behind others in terms of technology implementation, recently The pressure on schools to incorporate technology has snowballed over the last few years. Never before have they been asked to change so much in such a short amount of time. With intensifying demand from parents and government to prepare students for a high-tech future, many schools have had to go from a technical ground zero to a place where they can comfortably and knowledgeably integrate technology into their curricula.
Accomplishing that has not been an easy task. And, as with most significant challenges, some have succeeded while others have failed. Examining some of the keys to integrating technology successfully in schools may help those that are still playing catch-up.
Train, train, train
As schools have installed computers and connected to the Internet, they simultaneously run into a new challenge: bridging computers and curriculum. While many colleges have integrated computer-based teaching into training future educators, teachers employed today have been somewhat neglected.
Recognizing the importance of continuing education for teachers, the Phoenix Union High School District, with the help of a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant, has developed the Global Connections Project – a professional development model that offers in-service and pre-service teachers three levels of technology training (teacher productivity, multimedia and curriculum integration/collaboration). Professional development opportunities are delivered through a variety of strategies including workshops, web-based tutorials and online academies. Teachers receive the necessary support, training and opportunities to partner with other teachers in the design and implementation of technology-driven learning.
Because they are located in an inner-city district, few of Phoenix’s teachers and students have access to computers at home, inhibiting their chances to learn technology. “The digital divide is real for us,” says Mary Jo Hilpert, program manager for Global Connections. “It’s an ongoing struggle to get teachers the technology training they need. … We are committed to having the tools for our students to get the necessary skills to be competitive.”
As part of the project, this summer, the city held a technology conference with educators from nine countries to share ideas about technology-based curriculum. The district also has trainers on site to assist teachers with additional training and lesson plans.
In many cases, corporations are jumping in to address the lack of IT knowledge among educators. Microsoft and Intel recently developed “Teach to the Future,” a three-year program designed to instruct teachers to use computers and incorporate technology into class lessons. Microsoft is donating $344 million in software, and Intel is investing $100 million in cash, equipment and various other resources to train nearly 400,000 teachers in the United States and abroad.
Putting it all together
As educators and administrators realize the dire need for professional development in technology-based education, they are more likely to get teachers up to speed – or at least to a point where they are able to keep up with their students who already use computers off campus. Once teachers have acquired the hardware and skills they need to use technology in the classroom, the next step is putting it all together – truly integrating technology and curriculum in a meaningful way.
Knox County, Tenn., is accomplishing that by tapping a private company. The school district recently purchased an open learning system from Knowledge Adventure, Torrance, Calif., to make technology integration easy and effective for its teachers and students. Nine elementary and middle schools in the district, serving approximately 7,000 students, now are using ClassWorks Gold, a system that manages software programs for use in teaching. Educators can use the program’s activities for teaching or integrate other software programs to manage grades and other information.
“It offers benefits that are very important to us, such as skill-by-skill management of leading educational software titles for teachers, project-based learning for students, and a wide selection of software that addresses students’ different learning styles,” says Jim Idol, Knox County School District supervisor of instructional technology. “The flexibility of the system will enable some of our teachers who are less comfortable with technology to introduce it to students and let them work at their own pace while the teachers gain confidence and advance their technology skills.”
Similarly, Chicago Public Schools is working with Saber Consulting, Chicago, to develop an Internet-based application for teachers to build curriculum around the state and city’s goal-tracking benchmarks. By putting all of their work online, teachers are able to share success stories and failures. At the same time, administrators can make sure that specific initiatives are being addressed in the classroom.
Outsourcing also assisted the Plano (Texas) Independent School District, which in April celebrated the groundbreaking of a new $16 million private, fiber-optic communications network that will link the district’s 66 schools and administrative buildings and provide students, teachers and administrators some of the most advanced technological capabilities available. Plano ISD and Southwestern Bell launched a five-year partnership through which the company is building a network that will support computer-integrated curriculums.
“Preparing our students for the 21st century must be the district’s first priority,” says Superintendent of Plano Schools Doug Otto. “No matter what career they choose, our students must become familiar with and competent at using technology. Technology adds immense value to our students’ education by enlivening the curriculum, providing access to experts through the Internet and video, and by using the very tools that students will need in the workplace.”
Other schools are integrating technology and curriculum with help from outside organizations. Last year, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) instituted a program called the Digital Classroom. It uses digitized documents – including original photographs, maps and sound recordings – to teach middle and high school students about history. NARA also features a searchable database.
Protecting assets
As in any company or government agency, keeping computers up and running in schools can pose a challenge. Computers are delicate machines that can easily suffer at the hands of a bored student. As a result, some schools are using handheld machines. Handheld computers require less maintenance than desktop units, are fairly simple to operate and have few moving parts, meaning they can handle student use and abuse better than the average PC.
California’s South Pasadena High School is currently testing Mobile Pro WinCE handheld devices from NEC, Santa Clara, Calif., in their classrooms. School technology coordinator Curtis Lee says the low maintenance factor was definitely important in the school’s decision to go with handhelds. “I was looking for technology that didn’t offer too much complexity but gave students and teachers most of what they needed,” he says. “There aren’t a lot of moving parts on these devices, which from a long-term upkeep stance makes a lot of sense.”
In addition to enhancing children’s educations, classroom technology is helping parents be more directly involved with their children’s schoolwork. According to a study by Learning Pays.com, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Yankelovich Partners, Norwalk, Conn., more than 78 percent of parents polled say that they would become more involved with their child’s education if they had greater access to teachers, curriculum and event schedules via the Internet. Additionally, teachers consistently report that their students learn more and become more involved in their education as a result of technology integration.
As technology has become more important in local governments, as well as everyday life, schools, too, are making every effort to integrate computers into the learning process. By partnering with private firms or developing their own programs, many schools have successfully “wired” their classrooms. At the same time, they have not neglected teachers, who also need to be educated to create a high-tech curriculum.
Justine Kavanaugh-Brown is editor-in-chief of California Computer News, Folsom, Calif.
