85 Adopting Best Technology Grant Recipients for 2001-2002
Project Descriptions
The purpose of this grant program is to provide seed funding to districts to adopt "best technology classroom practices and programs" that will have an impact on the districts. These projects and programs are effective models of teaching that integrate technology into the local curriculum and align with the state's learning standards.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
|
Diane M. Lowndes
508-261-7500 |
Project Title: Technology Integration Into the Curriculum
Project Overview:
Mansfield Public Schools will be adopting the Design Team Model of technology training used in the Milton Public Schools and other districts across the state for five years. We will establish a technology vertical team to consist of representatives from grades K through 8. These team members will be the recipients of Study Group training from Fresh Pond Associates. This training will prepare the representatives to work with school-based vertical teams for the purpose of learning how to use technology as a strategy for delivering our standards-based curriculum. The ultimate goal is to integrate technology into the curriculum and to do so in a way that rapidly builds the capacity of the teaching staff.
|
|
Carol Suby
508-359-1421 |
Project Title: Adopting Universal Design for Learning
Project Overview:
Medfield is adopting the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) philosophy, which states, "a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities and disabilities in a wide variety of learning contexts." The philosophy of UDL is based upon a belief that through the use of high-tech and low-tech tools, curriculum can become more readily accessible to all students, regardless of learning style or readiness. Medfield's project encompasses a professional development plan -- available to Medfield teachers across grade levels, content areas, and specialties -- that will provide training in the UDL philosophy and tools.
|
|
Dr. Cynthia Fiducia
781-393-2200 |
Project Title: TEACH/21C
Project Overview:
Project TEACH/21C has been a two-year partnership with Tufts University, funded though the U.S. Department of Education's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) grant program. Through this partnership, the school districts of Everett, Malden, and Medford have created teams of teachers who work together to develop project-based units (PBUs) that use the Internet and that incorporate the tri-city student technology competencies and state and district curriculum standards and outcomes. These units are available online and, therefore, can be shared by teachers in the three school districts. These teacher teams also work with Tufts preservice teachers to discuss the manner in which technology supports greater student understanding of state and district curriculum requirements. While not all of the 1,375 teachers in the tri-city schools will become PBU developers, all are expected to become PBU implementers. This grant will allow each district to have its own PBU implementation team, whereby six teachers who have participated in the PBU development process over the past two years train their peers to implement the units over the course of the next academic year. Since PBU implementation requires new teacher skill sets, PBU implementation training is needed for widespread adoption across tri-city schools.
|
|
Lorraine Marchand
508-529-2130 |
Project Title: Water: A Community Resource
Project Overview:
The Nipmuc Regional Middle High School is going to be adopting the Ashland Project entitled Water: A Community Resource. This project will afford us the opportunity to create a project that integrates at least two grade levels (8th and 9th) as well as several curricula, including Technology, Science, Health, Language Arts, and Math. Our students will gather and interpret water data from samplings of local wells, streams, ponds, and lakes. Testing will be done for temperature, lead, sodium, trace minerals, and acidity. Students will gather the data and then analyze it using technology to apply math concepts. Students will base their conclusions on science and health concepts they have learned and then document their findings using concepts learned in language arts and technology classes. This project will also afford us the opportunity to reinforce communication, teamwork, and organizational skills while stressing the need for environmental responsibility. Planning is now under way for this project (including an anticipated meeting with the Ashland project contacts).
|
|
Michaela W. Colombo
978-681-1334 |
Project Title: Methuen - Project-Based Technology Integrated Learning (M-PBTIL)
Project Overview:
Methuen's Project-Based Technology Integrated Learning (M-PBTIL) will expand the Community Centered PBTIL project, a nationally recognized, federally supported program representing a collaboration of Methuen and Lowell Public Schools and University of Massachusetts Lowell. The purpose of the project is to integrate technology into bilingual and mainstream classes to help students develop the academic English necessary to meet state standards. The project is unique in that it uses educational technology to actively involve limited English proficient (LEP) students in purposeful, authentic activities based on high academic standards, integrating them with mainstream English-speaking students. Participating teachers and students have designed Web pages, contributed lessons and activities for online publication, and communicated via Web board and electronic postcards. Teachers receive ongoing support in curriculum design, development and technology integration. All projects are aligned with the state curriculum frameworks. Teachers' lesson plans, which are published electronically for the benefit of all interested educators, are linked to the appropriate frameworks. Examples of PBTIL projects are published at http://www.edutel.org/pbtil/
|
|
Dr. Susan B. Silvester
413-625-0192 |
Project Title: Beyond the Turns of the Centuries
Project Overview:
This project utilizes technology and a unique partnership between school libraries and a history museum to infuse primary documents and historic artifacts throughout the K-12 curriculum with the goal of supporting the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association world-class Web site American Centuries displays more than 1,000 objects and documents for classroom use. The site, www.memorialhall.mass.edu, was funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities grant and contains curriculum material, educational exhibits, and interactive student activities.
|
|
David Greenberg
413-625-0192 x13 |
Project Title: Calculated Learning: Introducing Technology into the High School Math Curriculum
Project Overview:
The math department at Mohawk Trail Regional High School proposes to develop units of practice that will supplement abstract mathematical theory with inquiry-based and concept-based curricula. We will focus on units that provide students with a mastery of techniques and an understanding of the underlying concepts of the integration between the algebra and geometry and the relative application of their uses. Aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and using the tools provided by VES/CLASP (Curriculum Alignment and Sharing Project) and resources from Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3), content will be developed using TI-83+ calculators and probes, standalone software such as The Geometer's Sketchpad, and interactive resources found on the Web. Once developed, tested and refined, these units will be uploaded to VES/CLASP Web site. Professional development workshops will be provided by Leslie Hazle Bussey, CLASP Project Director and Laura Christian, Senior Curriculum Specialist at Mass Networks.
|
|
Carol Woodbury
413-267-4150 |
Project Title: Project MEET: Integrating Technology Tools into Mathematics and Literacy to Improve Student Achievement
Project Overview:
The Monson Public Schools project focuses on mathematics and literacy for grades K-12. We chose to model our initiative after Project MEET. We know our teachers grow in their own learning when they work in a supportive environment. We know that training our teachers is the key to improved student achievement. Since the Project MEET model supports teacher mentoring through the role of Technology Professional Development Specialist (TPD), this fits the job-embedded professional development we believe is most meaningful to teachers. The TPD Specialist along with a system-wide team will receive opportunities for training. They will then work with colleagues to improve student achievement in mathematics and literacy through the integration of technology into those curriculum areas. Through leadership, knowledge of curriculum integration, standards-based education, and the Frameworks they will help teams of teachers develop written learning expectations for each grade level in the areas of mathematics and literacy.
|
|
Carol Heidenrich
978-692-4711 |
Project Title: Adopting Best Practices - VES - Virtual Education Space
Project Overview:
This VES project will enhance student achievement in grades 9 and 10 in English Language Arts and Mathematics with the focus on improving student achievement on the 10th grade MCAS testing. A team will be established to carry out these goals and will consist of the principal, technology director, director of curriculum, three math instructors and three English Language Arts instructors. The goal of this project is to provide staff access to the online tools, services and resources provided by the VES program so that the district can become actively involved as a technical district to share curricular and instructional materials with other districts. The district is committed to continually revising our curriculum to meet the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Nashoba instructors will be trained to use the CLASP (Curriculum Alignment and Sharing Project) program software as a curriculum-writing tool. With VES, instructors will have access to the most up-to-date standards and sample lesson plans. The program will enhance the District curriculum to provide for changes necessary to respond to the weaknesses demonstrated by test results on 8th and 10th grade MCAS exams, CAT 5 testing and Stanford 9 testing. The team will be provided with in-depth technology professional development to bring instructors to a level of proficiency that will enable them to fully utilize the VES program.
|
|
Ron Miller
508-647-6612 |
Project Title: Natick Virtual High School (VHS)
Project Overview:
Natick Virtual High School (VHS) will serve up to twenty Natick High School students in grades eleven and twelve. The project will provide one English teacher to teach an existing VHS course and one math teacher to create an online course for students in grades nine to twelve. Elizabeth R. Page and the staff of VHS, Inc. will provide the necessary administrative, technical and training services to support the participation of Natick High School in the VHS Program during the spring semester upon our teacher's successful graduation from VES's Netcourse Instructional Methodologies course. The site coordinator is a school guidance counselor and will be the primary point of contact with Natick High School. He will provide technical and administrative support to teachers and students, recruit and enroll Natick VHS students, and ensure that the necessary level of technology is available to support Natick VHS students and teachers. He will coordinate the online training for the teachers and himself, recruit and monitor the students, facilitate biweekly meetings with the Natick VHS teachers and monthly group meetings with the Natick VHS students, and implement VHS required procedures. He will conduct ongoing program assessment based on teacher and student evaluations, which will be used to plan the district budget and infrastructure needs in 2002-03.
|
|
John Gomes
508-997-4511 x 3455 |
Project Title: Virtual Clusters: A Technology Professional Development Model
Project Overview:
This project adopts the VES Cluster Leader Program from the VES Educational Collaborative. Mass Network founder and architect Kimberly Joyce will support and assist the district. This adoption project will expand the technology professional development capabilities throughout the district. Importantly, this adoption will equip teachers with the skills they need to create innovative technology-infused lessons that they can implement successfully in their classrooms to promote positive student outcomes. The training will focus on VES, (Curriculum Alignment and Sharing Project), and the Marco Polo Web resource for teachers. The Technology Training Team will train school-based technology squads, who will train the teachers at each of their schools, who will teach all students throughout the district.
|
|
Carol Holzberg
413-259-1303
Chris Wings
978-544-6926 |
Project Title: Writes of Passage: Integrating AlphaSmart Keyboards in Language Arts
Project Overview:
Swift River School is adopting the Lighthouse project, "KidSmart, WriteSmart, AlphaSmart," implemented by the Boston Public Schools. While the project focuses on third and fourth graders, AlphaSmart technology also will be integrated into the fifth and sixth grade curriculum on a pilot basis. The content will focus on the English Language Arts learning standards, particularly the language, composition, and literature strands for writing, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. This project tackles the problems of underdeveloped writing skills and the poor performance by fourth graders on the English Language Arts MCAS 2000. It outlines a workable strategy to improve the quality and quantity of student writing. Swift River teachers have documented that youngsters who use AlphaSmart keyboards demonstrate increased enthusiasm for writing while spending substantially more out-of-class time on writing. The grant will enable Swift River to seed one entire third-fourth grade classroom with twenty AlphaSmart keyboards and provide remaining third/fourth and fifth/sixth grade classrooms with four keyboards each. The keyboards will be used to enhance the language arts curriculum by increasing student access to electronic word processing. Classroom instruction will target composition, fiction/short stories, folktales/myths, poetry, and nonfiction research. All of the participating teachers will receive professional development incorporating model lessons for process writing.
|
|
Brenda Doucette
617-552-7607 |
Project Title: Dennis-Yarmouth AlphaSmart Lighthouse Project
Project Overview:
The Cabot Elementary School in Newton will adopt the Dennis/Yarmouth AlphaSmart Lighthouse model. The project will involve all three fifth grade classes, the three grade level teachers, the instructional technology specialist, the library/media specialist, and two special education teachers. We plan to use AlphaSmart Pro digital input devices to support the teaching of all core subjects (English/Language Arts, Mathematics, History and Social Sciences, and Science and Technology.) Our goal is to provide maximum access to technology to all students at all times.
|
|
Susan Hogan
508-643-2115 |
Project Title: THE RIGHT STUFF Providing a Digital Edge for Programming Students
Project Overview:
This grant will introduce a new curriculum designed to prepare students for certification in Microsoft Certified Solution Developer. Students will develop valuable skills that will serve in lifelong learning. The teacher will set up problems and monitor student exploration, guide student inquiry and promote critical thinking, analysis and synthesis throughout the learning process. The students will becomes the architects of their learning. Students will create meaning and understanding of the subject for themselves. Students will be expected to develop the skill of learning new technologies as they progress. We will adopt the model developed by Charles Shark, Barnstable HS, Computer Repair and Networking: The Business of Technology.
|
|
Marcia O'Neil
978-664-9557 |
Project Title: Building Cardio Fitness with Heart Rate Monitors
Project Overview:
This project will enhance the physical education program at the Middle School in grades 6-8 by providing technology to teach students how to self-monitor their fitness programs in order to achieve maximum benefits from diverse exercise programs. Modeled on the philosophy of each student striving to improve towards his/her own personal best, the heart monitors will be utilized throughout the year in physical education classes. This project addresses the Health Frameworks by targeting the following standards: participating in activities that promote physical fitness, decreasing sedentary lifestyles, and relieving mental and emotional tension, and explaining the benefits of making positive health decisions and progress toward wellness.
|
|
Thomas Tatro
508-987-6050 |
Project Title: Technology Study Groups
Project Overview:
Oxford Public Schools will continue a model employed since 1998. Technology Design Teams are charged with creating model lessons that use computer technology in ways that address the Curriculum Frameworks and professional development. As teachers master new technology skills they will work collaboratively to create, implement, and evaluate model learning activities that address their challenge and use their new skills. As a result of the project, each team member will have learned or refined a technological skill and created a model learning activity that targets a weakness in math instruction. Technology-rich lesson plans will be shared throughout the district.
|
Previous | Next
last updated: January 1, 2002
|
State Government · State Services 
