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ACTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACTON-BOXBOROUGH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS Research and Development Program Executive Summary Report

Evidence obtained through the Technology Literacy Assessment administered at the Middle School, and from the 2009 senior survey indicated that a significant percentage of students are graduating ABRHS without the 21st century information and technology skills they will need in college and the workplace. Although there are individual projects using technology in some disciplines, and some grade level assignments in which students could learn information and technology skills, there is no formal curriculum or understanding as to who will teach these skills.

An interdisciplinary group of teachers met for a workshop during the summer of 2010 to answer the following essential questions: 1.) What are the information and technology skills and concepts that students should know, understand, and be able to apply which they are not consistently learning in other areas of the curriculum? (This excludes traditional research skills such as note-taking, bibliographic citation, thesis statements and organization/expository writing).  2.) Keeping in mind existing student schedules and ABRHS learning expectations what is a realistic method of ensuring that students could have direct classroom/teacher learning time in which these concepts and skills could be learned?

 Teachers who are interested in incorporating technology into their classes often find that they must take time out of their academic studies to teach students the technology skills. We think it is important to minimize disruption to academic content learning by giving students a basic set of technology concepts and skills that teachers can build upon.  Participants believe that a combination of student education and teacher knowledge would be the best way to ensure that students are exposed to and master 21st century information and technology concepts and skills. We propose the creation of an elective designed to give students basic 21st century skills.
 * Executive Summary **

 2010/ 2011
 * Our proposed sequence of program roll out. **
 * Inclusion of elective in Program of Studies for 2011/2012;Pilot freshman elective, one section, to be team taught by workshop participants
 * Participants present at department meetings to make teachers aware of the technology students will be learning.
 * Participants present at a new teacher meeting.

 2011/2012
 * Offer two sections per semester with a maximum student load of 50 per semester.
 * Offer a full professional day for teachers training them in the five areas of 21st century skills.

 2012/2013
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Required semester seminar for freshman, meeting alternating days.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Inclusion of 21st century skills during new teacher orientation.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 2010/2011 $3600 Teaching and Curriculum Development <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> $190 Software Licenses <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> $500 Alternative Assignment/One Day for Workshop Participants <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Space Needs <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 2010/2011 Computer Lab 4th period (Graphics Lab)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Immediate Costs **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The 18 week elective will be broken into five units, each taught by one of the workshop participants.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Skills/Concepts and Sequence of Teaching for Students **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Information Skills: Information and source evaluation, Accesses information proficiently, Ethical Use of Information- Diane Cileno
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Using Open Source Technologies to Discover and Disseminate Information Online-Google Apps –Chris Clinton
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Information Creation- Website Creation- Karin Drowne
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Technology Presentation: Prezi, Glogster, Movies - Stephanie
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Information Dissemination and Collaboration- Wikis and Blogs - Abigail Buffum

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Student Learning Goals: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate proficiency in selecting and evaluating information sources; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate proficiency in accessing and using information from a variety of sources; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate ethical use of information and intellectual property; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate proficiency in using online and desktop software programs that communicate information; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate proficiency in using online tools to share, communicate and collaborate; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of open source tools to manage their online workload;; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of software to create websites for information dissemination.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Conclusion <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The technology and information skills being proposed as required learning for upcoming freshman classes are endemic to the 21st century learner. In addition, we create a shared set of vocabulary, experiences and expectations for faculty to build upon that will enhance their curriculum and engage students in 21st century learning.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Two front attack: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> For teachers: One full professional development day for teachers >3 years OR one full professional development day for all teachers focusing on 4-5 concepts <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> For students: One half semester; alternating day class for freshmen. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> One semester focusing on 5-6 concepts that the kids can really deeply understand and know - period 4 is our preferred period

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Starting this January: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> We ask for $3600 for one class to teach specific skills and concepts <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The class will be held period 4 every day and focus on 5 concepts with 3.5 weeks of teaching per concept - NO HOMEWORK - via Moodle <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Grading will be based on the following:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">5 Concepts <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Requirements
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">95 if the kids are great, help other students and superior final product
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">85 if the kids are focused, ask questions, have a product at the end
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">75 if the kids are somewhat focused, goof around a bit, half-finished product
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">65 if the kids are not focused and cause a problem, no finished product
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Diane - Information Skills: website evaluation, navigation, search engines
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Chris - Google Apps
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Karin - Website Creation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Abigail - Presentation Technology: Prezi, Glogster, PowerPoint
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Stephanie - Information dissemination and collaboration: Wikis and Blogs and Voice Thread
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Class should be held on period 4 because all of us have period 4 free
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">$3600 for teaching and curriculum development
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">$190 for software licenses ($60 for software license for Glogster; $20 for software license for Edublog; $60 for Voice Thread license; $50 for wikispaces license)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Graphics lab should be made available for us