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?
Executive Summary 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.
Our proposed sequence of program roll out. 2010/ 2011
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
Required semester seminar for freshman, meeting alternating days.
Inclusion of 21st century skills during new teacher orientation.
Immediate Costs 2010/2011 $3600 Teaching and Curriculum Development $190 Software Licenses $500 Alternative Assignment/One Day for Workshop Participants Space Needs 2010/2011 Computer Lab 4th period (Graphics Lab)
Skills/Concepts and Sequence of Teaching for Students The 18 week elective will be broken into five units, each taught by one of the workshop participants.
Information Skills: Information and source evaluation, Accesses information proficiently, Ethical Use of Information- Diane Cileno
Using Open Source Technologies to Discover and Disseminate Information Online-Google Apps –Chris Clinton
Information Creation- Website Creation- Karin Drowne
Technology Presentation: Prezi, Glogster, Movies - Stephanie
Information Dissemination and Collaboration- Wikis and Blogs - Abigail Buffum
Student Learning Goals: Students will demonstrate proficiency in selecting and evaluating information sources; Students will demonstrate proficiency in accessing and using information from a variety of sources; Students will demonstrate ethical use of information and intellectual property; Students will demonstrate proficiency in using online and desktop software programs that communicate information; Students will demonstrate proficiency in using online tools to share, communicate and collaborate; Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of open source tools to manage their online workload;; Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of software to create websites for information dissemination.
Conclusion 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.
Two front attack: 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 For students: One half semester; alternating day class for freshmen. One semester focusing on 5-6 concepts that the kids can really deeply understand and know - period 4 is our preferred period
Starting this January: We ask for $3600 for one class to teach specific skills and concepts 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 Grading will be based on the following:
95 if the kids are great, help other students and superior final product
85 if the kids are focused, ask questions, have a product at the end
75 if the kids are somewhat focused, goof around a bit, half-finished product
65 if the kids are not focused and cause a problem, no finished product
5 Concepts
Diane - Information Skills: website evaluation, navigation, search engines
Stephanie - Information dissemination and collaboration: Wikis and Blogs and Voice Thread
Requirements
Class should be held on period 4 because all of us have period 4 free
$3600 for teaching and curriculum development
$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)
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?
Executive Summary
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.
Our proposed sequence of program roll out.
2010/ 2011
2011/2012
2012/2013
Immediate Costs
2010/2011 $3600 Teaching and Curriculum Development
$190 Software Licenses
$500 Alternative Assignment/One Day for Workshop Participants
Space Needs
2010/2011 Computer Lab 4th period (Graphics Lab)
Skills/Concepts and Sequence of Teaching for Students
The 18 week elective will be broken into five units, each taught by one of the workshop participants.
Student Learning Goals:
Students will demonstrate proficiency in selecting and evaluating information sources;
Students will demonstrate proficiency in accessing and using information from a variety of sources;
Students will demonstrate ethical use of information and intellectual property;
Students will demonstrate proficiency in using online and desktop software programs that communicate information;
Students will demonstrate proficiency in using online tools to share, communicate and collaborate;
Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of open source tools to manage their online workload;;
Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of software to create websites for information dissemination.
Conclusion
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.
Two front attack:
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
For students: One half semester; alternating day class for freshmen.
One semester focusing on 5-6 concepts that the kids can really deeply understand and know - period 4 is our preferred period
Starting this January:
We ask for $3600 for one class to teach specific skills and concepts
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
Grading will be based on the following:
- 95 if the kids are great, help other students and superior final product
- 85 if the kids are focused, ask questions, have a product at the end
- 75 if the kids are somewhat focused, goof around a bit, half-finished product
- 65 if the kids are not focused and cause a problem, no finished product
5 Concepts- Diane - Information Skills: website evaluation, navigation, search engines
- Chris - Google Apps
- Karin - Website Creation
- Abigail - Presentation Technology: Prezi, Glogster, PowerPoint
- Stephanie - Information dissemination and collaboration: Wikis and Blogs and Voice Thread
Requirements