Teachers

1. Overcoming resistance

• Phase technology in gradually over several prior years by choosing one or two innovations per school year.
• Begin with moving most announcements and communication to email
• Sign up for computer labs and library with Outlook calendars

2. Creating a culture of expanding technology

• Provide every teacher with a laptop. And fortunately for Central MS, every teacher also received an interactive white board, LCD projector, and most have a high functioning document camera.
• Provide ongoing staff development and technology training at convenient times. 
  In my work with the School2Home program, which addresses both the achievement gap and the digital divide through a comprehensive technology immersion program, I see the need for teachers to think in new ways about how they design learning activities for their students and use technology to strengthen parent involvement in education.  Teachers who are posting homework assignments online, using translation tools to exchange email with parents, and enabling students to publish their work online will help integrate parents into the school culture and keep them engaged throughout the school year.
  Bonnie Marks
  Lead Implementation Consultant for School2Home, a program of the California Emerging Technology Fund and The Children’s Partnership
• Require online attendance and gradebook. 
• Share the job of teaching cybersafety. 

3. Beginning and ongoing staff development

• Teacher training began with the excellent S2H teacher training staff, which included Bonnie Marks, Micheline LeBlanc, and Sara Armstrong. The Teacher link from the S2H Website is well organized for the three to four workshop days and has a wealth of materials that are available for educators. 
• Ongoing material is available from the CLRN Web site, with standards and Electronic Learning Resources

4. Developing lessons. Celebrating successes!

     Teachers jump right into trial lessons and classroom activities. How are we already on the road to a paperless school?

• PE Sport Reports: type and email
• Progress Reports: Blackboard
• Homework assignments (see samples below)
• Student book lists through Shelfari
• OARS Language Arts assessments

Sample lessons

• Mr. Derrick Sergeant's 7th grade Life Science classes dissect sheeps' eyeballs. Each collaborative learning group member has a different task to contribute to group success, and each will contribute to the group's activity sheet. This aligns with pages 542-544 of the Life Science digital textbook.

• Mrs. Pat House's Language Arts 7th graders performed an opening warmup that supports a class novel, The Cay: "That lesson was background information for reading the novel The Cay which takes place during WWII.  They wrote down their own knowledge on the circle maps and then added the knowledge of other students to the maps when we discussed the topic together.  I graded the task by looking at each computer screen as the students worked."

7th grade Language Arts digital textbook has audio story links:

• Mr. Shay Sun's Language Arts 8th graders make literature Thinking maps for an online task at a higher level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Here is a sample student packet:

        Here is a second netbook task where students use Circle Maps to brainstorm and          compare two stories:

• Mr.Peter Champany's 7th grade Life Science students use the digital textbook to do a microscope task at a lower level of Bloom's Taxonomy. 

DIRECTIONS: Open your science textbook in your netbooks to page 618. Use the "Parts of a Microscope" handout to write your answers based on the diagram found at this Web site: http://www.biologycorner.com/microquiz/  Do not do numbers 4, 10, and 14.

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• Mr. John Robertson's 8th grade Science class: "Speed Measures How Fast Position Changes"

     
          Students use digital textbooks on netbook or must use the print textbook.
Netbook directions to locate finished file and send it to Blackboard: Access textbook Table of Contents/Space Unit/scroll to Section 2 and see the attach file option/browse netbook and upload/Submit. Students who finish help others who have trouble.

The state of Maine shared "Strategies for a Digital Classroom"
A. How to begin class

• Unless told differently, computers go on the minute students enter class.

B. Most Important

• KEY: develop high-interest lessons 
• Build choices into project and product
• Monitor classroom
• Students understand expectations
• Take laptop away if off-task
• FOCUS: teaching, not the computer
• Have flexibility. Ease up a little---can’t police everythingTeach responsibility

C. How to Monitor Laptops

• Move around, check for on-task behaviors
• Watch their eyes
• Move seat
• Walk around with grade book
• Use a timer
• Set checkpoints of what to do by when
• Face students in one direction and teacher stands behind them
• Have students show their work to get full points for the day

Teachers' responses to Netbooks at Central MS:

Carol: Is technology making students smarter or lazier?  Do you really need to know how to write a complete sentence in this day of tweeting and texting?  Why do you need to know how to spell when the computer will do it for you?  Technology can be a great tool.  Hopefully the students will use it to enhance their learning instead of taking shortcuts.    
Bernie: While I see technology as an accelerator, which will allow a framework for access to a greater number of students. Teachers will still be the most important part of any educational system.    
Mike: What will technology do for education? It will allow many more students and parents to participate in the education process. This new technology will also bring the world to everyone, young and old, rich and poor to explore and gain  knowledge that was only available to a few.    
Monic: In order for our students and staff to be competitive we must acknowledge the changing industry of education and education is aligning itself with the waves of technology.    
Eric: Technology bridges the distance and time gap that affects traditional school.  Students will be able to collaborate on projects and homework afterschool, especially if they cannot meet in person.  This allows for academic thinking and peer collaboration 24/7, which is what the current workplace needs.    
Lynn: I love using technology, but most of the time I prefer a good face-to-face conversation with my students where I can also read their emotions.  The discussion board is good for outside class discussion and getting students to talk with each other.   
Jerry: While technology can be an accelerator in education, it will never take the place of a teacher in the classroom.  I also feel the the learning for some of us maybe steep, but once the apex is achieved, the conglomeration of student/teacher unity of oneness shall be achieve in great a exponential explosion of the power of knowledge.  
Pablo: The difference is that we must address it as educators, view every new piece of technology as a possibility and opportunity as opposed to a mandate or requirement.  In other words, not all technology is appropriate for learning.  Therefore, educators must decide when and what is appropriate.  Just like not using ANY technology is inappropriate. Remember that perception on the receiver is what drives our decisions.  What I mean is that because you and I are digital immigrants, this seems overwhelming.  But to the digital native, this is normal!  Therefore the question is not "should we do this?"  but rather "how do we transform our teaching to fit the needs of our students?"  Figuring out the last question is what's next. Your classroom now has no walls, and the learning time is not limited to the bells between 8:30 and 3:05.  Learning can now happen all the time.    
Tom: A number of researchers and popular writers have brought up the issue of whether or not uses of technology significantly alter our cognitive possibilities. Of course, similar concerns have been raised since the time of the introduction of writing. The amazing and well-documented memories of our forebears tended to disappear as reliance on external means (written records, etc.) became more dominant. I remember reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder series years ago and marveling at the examples of mental arithmetic that each child was expected to rattle off (if my memory serves correctly--no assurances, however!--pre-teenage students were thrown questions rapid-fire to mentally multiply 4 or 5 digit numbers. ) The larger point being here that we gain with technology but we also often lose. I suppose it is that awareness (and attempt to compensate) that is important for teachers of the net generation. More than anything else, I would guess the rote skills easily mimicked by technology (such as spelling) will become less and less paramount as our society slowly (or quickly) transforms itself and that the creative aspect of thinking will continue to be prized.    
Shay: I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to my own personal use of technology.  I didn't even own a computer until I was married, and then I needed help turning it on.  I remember feeling both excited and intimidated.  It was so foreign to me, and at times it did feel like a me vs. the stupid computer relationship.  Fortunately for me, the "wonder" component was highly encouraged, and today I feel that we can co-exist peacefully and productively.  Now I don't give a second thought to using technology regularly throughout my day when it's the best tool to meet my needs. My hope is that I can help the students see past any frustrations to the fun.
Gary: I enjoy using technology in the classroom and on my own time. My questions and/or observations are the following: are we trying to use technology as a "cure all" for many educational shortcomings...? Most of us did not have any of this technology when we were students, but (for the most part) we turned out ok , and we know a significant number of today's students will not graduate - so is it possible that we are following this technology path (with a vengeance) when we should possibly be putting more emphasis on basic principles that lead to success....? Technology never stops, meaning today’s students are missing out on tomorrows classroom technology (much like we did), does this mean they will be at a disadvantage....?  Is is possible to have too much emphasis on technology...?