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Fund Code 165
Model Technology Integration Grant Descriptions 2003-04
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Shelley Fachini
413-743-0876 |
Project Title: A+Plus: Alternative Assessment + Planning for Learners Using Software
Curriculum Area: Mathematics, English Language Arts
Grade Level: PreK-12
Project Overview:
A+PLUS is a hands-on Pre-K through grade 12 teacher training project focusing on using alternative assessment and practice software with typical learners and learners with cognitive and language delays. Stages software will be used to assess students. The results can be used for MCAS portfolio compilation, software selection, instructional planning, and supporting a common developmental philosophy and vocabulary for describing student levels. Teachers taking part in this training will receive 30 PDPs after completing a final project.
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Anne Thompson
508-580-7568
Dennis Geniuch |
Project Title: Enhancing Elementary Literacy Skills with the Use of AlphaSmarts
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 1-3
Project Overview:
The introduction of AlphaSmarts, used in conjunction with the Collins Writing Program and the Scott Foresman Reading program, will address the Joseph H. Downey Elementary School's Improvement Plan goal for Writing Across the Curriculum. The AlphaSmarts will enable students to type, edit, and electronically store text, as well as to practice keyboarding, extended composition, writing on demand, and informal writing. Our goal is to maximize student proficiency and enthusiasm for writing without having to provide a computer station for each student. Because the use of AlphaSmarts will eliminate the need for students to wait their turn for a computer, there will be increased time on task. We anticipate that this project will enhance student learning, improve student performance on literacy assessments, and support whole class instruction. Students are expected to demonstrate performance gain on a scaled writing checklist and become more versatile writers as teachers will utilize the AlphaSmarts in the classroom for writing, revision, and research.
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Susan Pease
413 592-3501 |
Project Title: E.R.M. (Engineering & Robotics for Middle School)
Curriculum Area: Science and Technology/Engineering, Mathematics
Grade Level: 8
Project Overview:
Through the use of technology at Fairview Veterans Memorial Middle School, students plan, design, program, and test robotic machines to analyze and solve problems. For example, students are asked to design a motorized robot to assist the elderly around the home. In cooperative groups, students plan, design, and build a robot to solve this challenge. From there, they use a software program that is based on the programming languages BASIC, Fortran or C to program and control the RCX microprocessor, which controls the robot.
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Shirley Kung
508-424-3413
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Project Title: Improving Student Achievement in Math Using Analyses, Practice Modules, and Real-Life Applications
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 5
Project Overview:
To address a notable increase in warning/failing Mathematics MCAS scores from grade 4 (18%) to grade 6 (33%), four Framingham elementary schools and the nearby St. Bridget School will promote technology-rich exemplary projects already developed by Framingham educators. These projects will help to identify student weaknesses, provide reinforcement with engaging practice modules, and then involve students in interesting and meaningful applications of math in other curriculum areas. Our goal is to improve math achievement among all fifth graders in our district's diverse population. A consultant from MESPA will make suggestions for inclusion students. As a bonus outcome, we hope to inspire educators to author additional assessment and reinforcement modules using HyperStudio software as well as Excel, Word, and AppleWorks. The first math integration unit relates to Massachusetts Frameworks: Number Sense and Operations, Learning Standards 6.N.1 to 6.N.16, including place value, decimals, fractions, percents, and graphing. Through the year, educators will identify other strands where the achievement gap is wide and promote exemplary projects to address them.
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Joanne Reiss
978-281-9804
Tammy Morgan |
Project Title: Preparing for All Learners
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 9-10, Middle School, and Elementary
Project Overview:
P.A.L., "Planning for All Learners, is a comprehensive professional development program that aims to improve student achievement by providing teachers with the information and tools needed to plan lessons using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. This project is a continuation of the work the district has begun with the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST). Throughout the pilot year, high school language art teachers working with CAST have learned to address the diverse needs of all students through lesson planning, barrier analysis, and the use of technology to enhance student learning. This grant will allow us to expand this project by training additional teachers at the high school level, middle school level and elementary school level. Teachers will be introduced to ways to make curriculum materials accessible so that all students will have access to and make progress in the general education curriculum. Planning lessons using UDL principles addresses teachers' need to support students in recognizing information, developing learning strategies, and taking an active role in the learning process.
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Joyce Mehaffey
413-772-1370
Mary Leyden
413-648-9356 |
Project Title: Becoming Scientists
Curriculum Area: Science and Technology/Engineering, Mathematics, and English Language Arts
Grade Level: 4-6
Project Overview:
This project is a model for successful integration of data collection, organization, and analysis in alignment with the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks. Classroom teachers are trained in the operation of handheld computers and science probes and will integrate this technology into the curriculum. Data investigation activities will be incorporated to provide students with authentic experiences for the use of technology in collecting and analyzing data. Students will be introduced to the inquiry skills appropriate for their grade level. Student teams will be created and will conduct research utilizing the technology to increase understanding of topics in physics and biology.
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Ellen Schuck
978-567-6100 |
Project Title: Probing Deeper into the Technology-Enhanced Middle School Science Classroom
Curriculum Area: Science and Technology/Engineering
Grade Level: 6-8
Project Overview:
The middle school science and mathematics envisioned in state and national standards are investigative, exploratory disciplines. Technology offers students an opportunity not only to understand the concepts but also to engage in experimentation, problem solving and communication as scientists and mathematicians. Our middle school science program is based on a carefully crafted matrix of nationally recognized standards-based mathematics and science curricula infused with computer-based technology. Rather than read or hear about experiments performed by others, our students actively participate in investigations that utilize current technology to gather, represent and analyze data. Computer simulations allow our students to extend these experiences. Students in our middle school classrooms have been engaged in using computer technology for Internet research, exploring simulations related to unit concepts, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting their findings. Two of our middle school science teachers (one in grade 6 and one in grade 8) have been developing scientific probe-based curricula and integrating computer-based data collection and analysis skills into the curriculum. This grant will allow Hudson Public Schools to extend the use of probeware into all middle school classrooms. We will also work with middle school science classroom teachers at B. F. Brown Middle School in Fitchburg Public and St. Michael Elementary School in Hudson to incorporate this technology-based curriculum into their science programs.
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Peter Dionne
781-925-4400
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Project Title: WebQuests: Integrating the Power of the Web with Student Learning
Curriculum Area: Multidisciplinary
Grade Level: 2-6
Project Overview:
This project introduces teachers in Hull and Pembroke to WebQuest projects (Internet assignments designed to instill in students the capacity to navigate the Internet with a clear task in mind, retrieve data from multiple sources, and increase critical thinking skills). The project will teach teachers how to create and integrate WebQuests into their curricula. Teachers will identify areas of their curriculum that will benefit from a WebQuest assignment and align the content to state standards. Teachers will post their WebQuests on VES (Virtual Education Space) and town web sites to provide access to all interested teachers.
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Christine Burke
978-356-3137 x197 |
Project Title: The Calorie Project
Curriculum Area: Health
Grade Level: 8-12
Project Overview:
The Calorie Project offers students the experience to learn about caloric expenditure (fitness/activities) and caloric intake (nutrition/diet) through a series of interactive spreadsheet projects and PowerPoint presentations, which are accessible online. Students take information that is provided by their textbooks, the Internet, and their instructors to learn about their own personal habits. This personal data and other learning activities are transformed into a personal portfolio for authentic assessment purposes at the end of the unit.
The Ipswich Public Schools will be hosting a thirteen-week workshop series designed to help teachers develop and individualize their curriculum. Curriculum design will be modeled after the Calorie Project, which is applicable to the math and science curriculum frameworks. The workshop series will teach the various technology skills that are needed to create technology-enhanced math and science curricula. Participants will learn how to create interactive spreadsheets, develop interactive PowerPoint presentations, evaluate web sites, and post their class assignments online. Participants will be given time to adapt the curriculum to fit their classroom frameworks.
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Margarita Laboy
978-937-7667
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Project Title: Literacy and Technology Continuation Grant
Curriculum Area: Reading/Language Arts
Grade Level: K-1
Project Overview:
This grant will continue the success achieved in kindergarten through the implementation of the Waterford Early Reading Program. The focus of this project is to extend a successful technology-based curriculum to the first grade in order to provide curriculum continuity for children completing kindergarten and moving to first grade. The benefits of this continuation are twofold for students. First, students will increase their proficiency in technology through the daily use of computers. Second, students' phonological awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills will increase through the use of curriculum-based software. All first grade staff involved in this project will successfully learn to integrate technology as a literacy center into their reading and language arts curriculum. All kindergarten staff will function as facilitators, disseminating their expertise from their implementation of the Waterford Early Reading Program two years ago. As a result our success with this project, the Pawtucketville Memorial School will serve as a model technology integration site to help elementary school teachers in the Lowell and Lawrence Public Schools in their efforts to implement the Waterford Early Reading Program.
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Patricia Makie
978-937-7657
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Project Title: IntelliSchool and Activity Sharing
Curriculum Area: Language Arts and Mathematics
Grade Level: PreK-4
Project Overview:
During a series of after-school training sessions, special educators, mainstream teachers, and related service providers will learn to develop standards-based learning activities. Teachers will learn to adapt existing materials to support the diverse learning needs of their students using the integrated software tools found in the IntelliTools Classroom Pac. The universally designed tools include IntelliTalk II, a talking word processor and authoring tool; IntelliMathics, a problem solving and authoring tool; and IntelliPics Studio, a tool for creating multimedia reports, presentations and activities. Participants will also gain an understanding of the principles of universal design and adaptive access for diverse learners. Following the training sessions, participants will use sample learning activities and technology tools in their classrooms and continue to develop activities, with the support of peer coaches, using a study group approach. In addition, participants will learn to post activities on a newly developed activity exchange web site to facilitate sharing and technology integration across the district.
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Linda Friel
978-681-1389
Maggie Moynihan
978-681-1389 |
Project Title: Information Literacy Through Content Research
Curriculum Area: Multidisciplinary
Grade Level: Grade 9-12
Project Overview:
Subject teachers and library media specialists meet and jointly plan and present units that incorporate the teaching of content, the teaching of research and information literacy skills, and the integration of technology. As a result of these efforts, students make strides towards becoming effective users of ideas and information, learning and understanding subject area content, becoming technologically literate, and showing improved academic achievement. Additionally, teachers are learning to teach content and information literacy skills collaboratively and are integrating the use of technology into the curricula of the school. |
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Bette Robblee
508-460-3565
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Project Title: Mastering Intelligence Embracing Success Math (MIES Math)
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 4-5
Project Overview:
The Mastering Intelligence Embracing Success Math (MIES Math) program allows fourth and fifth grade students to work individually at varying levels of proficiency to refine their math skills using a networked version of SuccessMaker courseware. Developed in conjunction with Intel and Fidelity, MIES Math helps enhance students' math understanding by offering interactive practice and assessment activities. Using a small mobile computer lab, the students will work at their own pace with areas of difficulty introduced when they are developmentally appropriate. Computer-generated worksheets target specific learning needs of individuals or groups. Additional components of the program promote skills in applying math, making connections to social studies and science, and allowing for collaborative problem solving over extended periods of time. Not only does this program support those students needing remedial support in mathematics but also it provides enrichment activities for our students with advanced capabilities. The program provides support and enrichment for all the math strands in the frameworks. Each student's individual program is based on an initial assessment and followed up throughout the year with additional assessments to track the student's individual progress.
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Liz Wernig
508-634-1590
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Project Title: Show Me the Math!
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 5-7
Project Overview:
The goal of this project is to utilize, develop, and incorporate standards-based materials to assist teachers in Mendon, Upton, and Milford in learning to incorporate technology into their math teaching. Our goal is to help students acquire a positive "mathitude" while achieving proficiency in mathematics. We will use virtual manipulatives, Java applets, software, and hardware (handheld), enabling our students to visualize relationships, increase problem-solving strategies, and explore the use of technology as an integrative and supportive tool for learning math.
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Liz Wernig
508-634-1590
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Project Title: Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Curriculum Area: Multidisciplinary
Grade Level: 5-6
Project Overview:
The goal for this technology-infused project is to ensure that our students and teachers have access to online experiences and technological tools that will expand students' learning beyond the walls of the classroom. The primary objective of the project is to provide online "backpack" adventures-taking our participants on web journeys that provide virtual field trips, web-conferencing activities, and online global projects. Students and teachers will increase their knowledge of technology as they also learn about the world we live in, past and present. They will discover new ideas, learn cooperatively, and develop real-world problem-solving skills. Through this project, teachers will have the opportunity to utilize video technology to enhance their instructional strategies, prompt discussion, inspire writing, and connect students with their core subject matter as they develop technology competencies. The overall outcome of this project will be the development of technology-literate citizens who can function effectively in the twenty-first century.
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John Gomes
508-997-4511 |
Project Title: Improving Mathematics Performance through Online Learning
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 6-9
Project Overview:
New Bedford Public Schools will expand its program of online mathematics instruction to include all teachers and students in grades 6-9. Building on the success of a pilot program with eighth grade students, New Bedford will provide a technology-enriched mathematics learning experience across all its middle schools and provide continued supports to students entering grade 9. In conjunction with its technology partner, MassLearns.com, the district will provide every student and teacher with a continuum of online mathematics learning resources, including a curriculum-aligned library of online content, interactive assessment items, online portfolios of student work, and web-based authoring tools. Teachers will participate in workshop-style professional development, receive peer technology integration supports, and engage in multiple forms of online learning. The program will enable teachers to provide effective differentiated mathematics instruction across the curriculum and dramatically enhance technology skills for both teachers and students.
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James Montepare
413-662-3232
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Project Title: ASSIST (Achieving Student Success through IntelliTools Software and Training)
Curriculum Area: Multidisciplinary
Grade Level: K-12
Project Overview:
IntelliTools will provide students in regular and special education comprehensive access to learning. The IntelliTools hardware and software will enable teachers to create, modify, and extend learning activities in language arts, math, science, and social studies. Used in the regular education classroom, IntelliTools will allow students with diverse learning needs to participate in the learning of all subjects side by side with their peers.
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David Hart
413-545-3278
Paul Oh
413-545-0156 |
Project Title: Uncovering the Quabbin
Curriculum Area: History
Grade Level: 3, 5, and 6
Project Overview:
This project helps students develop technology and historical research skills while they learn about the history of both the Quabbin Reservoir and of their local towns. In our project we propose to teach students to become historians. Instead of relying on textbooks and encyclopedias, students will work with primary source materials like government documents, maps, photographs, diaries, and oral histories to understand and practice the process through which historians uncover the past. Based on students' findings, each class will create a web site that showcases their knowledge and teaches others about the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir and its impact on local communities. This project is supported by public schools in Amherst, Pelham, Petersham, and New Salem, as well as by the Center for Computer-Based Instructional Technology (CCBIT) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Uncovering the Quabbin grows out of two previous projects: Opening Windows on the Past, in which Amherst Public Schools and CCBIT partnered during the 2000-2002 academic years to work with 12 classes (http://www.arps.org/amhersthistory/index.html), and Living History Online, which did the same type of work in public schools in Amherst, Hatfield, and Springfield.
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Beth Dichter
413-498-5842
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Project Title: A Dash of "Inspiration" - Integrating Technology into the Research Process
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 5
Project Overview:
This project is a nine-week unit geared to fifth graders. Based on the topic area chosen by the teacher, each student will select a specific area of research. Students are required to use books, magazines, and Internet resources to learn about their topics. As students take notes they begin the organizational process, which will be developed into a concept map created using the software program Inspiration. The concept map leads to an outline, forming the base of students' research papers. In addition to their research papers, students also create slide shows in Microsoft PowerPoint and brochures in Microsoft Publisher. These activities provide multiple opportunities for students to revise their writing for different media. At the conclusion of the project, students present their slide shows to their classmates and answer questions about them. The goals of the project are to increase students' technology literacy; to expand their understanding of the research process through the infusion of technology; to meet the needs of all learners by incorporating materials and final projects that include digital, on-line, auditory, pictorial, and print resources. This research project meets the grades 5-6 learning standards in the Composition Strand as a guide for writing and provides appropriate documentation in a consistent format.
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Gary Maestas
508-830-4300
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Project Title: Project DIVE (Differentiated Instruction in Virtual Education)
Curriculum Area: Multidisciplinary
Grade Level: 8-12
Project Overview:
The purpose of this grant is to supplement a current Plymouth program and disseminate it to other districts by providing high quality, sustained professional development and content support for using technology to differentiate instruction. Initially, the project will train teachers in Plymouth and East Bridgewater in Virtual High School (VHS) implementation for at-risk, alternative education, bilingual, ESL and other special needs high school students. These students will be taking VHS courses for curriculum enhancement, remediation, and credit recovery. VHS also will be piloted at middle schools for use with academically advanced and gifted eighth grade students. Trained teachers will work with students, implementing exemplary curriculum projects requiring the proficient performance outlined in the standards of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in technology and the content areas. These teachers will then serve as resident experts and models for others being trained in using technology as a tool for differentiating instruction for all learners in the regular classroom. Project implementation will integrate a variety of other initiatives and resources currently used in participating schools, including VES (Virtual Education Space), TERC, CLASP (Curriculum Library Alignment and Sharing Project), ACTNow (Academy for Computer Training) and Project MEET (Massachusetts Empowering Education with Technology). This ongoing staff development will provide opportunities for teachers to use new methodology and content support, improve technology skills, increase competence and confidence in technology integration, while simultaneously promoting technology literacy and student achievement in the content areas for all learners.
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Alyse Olivieri
617-984-8646
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Project Title: Discovering the Triangle Inequality
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 7-8
Project Overview:
Discovering the Triangle Inequality is a seventh and eighth grade math project in which students will explore the relationships of lengths of a triangle's side. The purpose of this investigation, which uses different size straws or Cuisenaire Rods, is to allow students to discover an inequality connection in geometry called The Triangle Inequality. In this project students build triangles, record data in a spreadsheet, analyze the data, and discover the Triangle Inequality. The Massachusetts Curriculum Framework standards that this project incorporates are from the Patterns, Relations, and Algebra Strand, the Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability Strand, and the Geometry and Measurement Strand.
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Kim Denney
413-967-4271 x20
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Project Title: Reach for the S.T.A.R.S (Supportive Technology Accelerates Reading Success!)
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 6-8
Project Overview:
Research shows that students with low literacy skills are at risk for failure. The Ware Public School District is a high-need district with a variety of challenges. The community ranks tenth from the bottom in median income, only 14% of its adults have a college degree, and only 75% of its adults have a high school diploma. Our goal is to support all students as they develop the skills they need to succeed in life. The ability to read and write effectively is critical. Currently 86% of our fifth graders have Individual Student Success Plans because they failed to meet state benchmarks for literacy. According to recent Iowa testing, nearly 60% of our students read two or more years below grade level by the end of seventh grade. Reach for the S.T.A.R.S will use technology in the form of the READ 180 program by Scholastic to accelerate reading success for our struggling middle school children. We will fully implement Read 180 in our three special education rooms (grade 6, 7 and 8). In addition, we will implement it in our alternative program, a multi-age center for students who are unable to learn in a larger setting. Finally, we will ensure that the regular education classroom teachers participate in the professional development and implementation of the program both to ensure continuity between special education and regular education and to evaluate possible district-wide implementation of Read 180. The results of our implementation will be shared statewide through conferences, site visits, and publications. We are committed to contributing data from our small, rural district to the body of research on the effectiveness of technology-based reading intervention programs for the older student.
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Laurene Belisle
413-572-6467
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Project Title: Project MEET: Abner Gibbs Style
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts, Mathematics
Grade Level: 4
Project Overview:
Abner Gibbs Elementary School will adopt the Project MEET (Massachusetts Empowering Educators with Technology) model, which has been successfully implemented in four schools in the district. A team of teachers representing various grade levels and Special Education will be formed to identify technology training needs at Abner Gibbs School. This team will be trained by the members of the original Project MEET team from Highland Elementary and other district staff. The training will focus on the process of technology-curriculum integration currently employed by the Westfield Public Schools. The task will be to first provide technology skills training where needed to assist the teachers in meeting the student technology objectives in the Westfield Public Schools' curriculum. The team members will then develop technology-infused project-based lessons and units that explicitly connect the state standards, the district grade level objectives, and the use of technology to deliver the curriculum, focusing on Language Arts and Mathematics, the two areas that are in need of remediation.
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Laurene Belisle
413-572-6467
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Project Title: The Patchwork Quilt
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts, Mathematics
Grade Level: 4
Project Overview:
The Patchwork Quilt at Highland Elementary School integrates several curriculum standards from both the English Language Arts and Mathematics frameworks. The project was developed by a creative and talented team of educators, made up of a classroom teacher, the ESL staff, a Title I teacher, the Instructional Technology specialist, and a bilingual teacher. Based on the project's success last year, it will be adopted by the remaining all of the fourth grade classrooms in the district. Using the book The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy for inspiration, our fourth grade students created their own "quilt of memories." By bringing in pictures of family and special friends and using the software Inspiration, students generated a graphic organizer for each picture. These graphic organizers provided a framework for the students to create a well-structured paragraph for each picture. The students delved into measurement by designing a small bed for the quilt, then used a spreadsheet to help find the perimeter, area, and volume of both the bed and quilt pieces. The project was presented during the district's Community Tech Night at Westfield's North Middle School in March of this year and was enthusiastically received by parents, students, and staff. The entire project incorporated several learning standards and succeeded in bridging some of the diverse backgrounds of our second language learners with other classmates. The students came away with a better understanding of how technology can be used within the classroom and in the real world. Writing skills were strengthened; measurement became real; and tapping into the resources of our Title I, ESL, and Bilingual teachers addressed various learning styles.
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M.Patricia Andersen
508-799-3500
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Project Title: Building Bridges: Connecting Knowledge, Communication, and Friends
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts, Writing, and Technology
Grade Level: 3-6
Project Overview:
Connecting Knowledge, Communication, and Friends is a project designed to provide students in grades 3 through 6 with the tools and training needed to become effective communicators of their knowledge. Through this project, the students will become proficient in the writing process and competent in using technology to organize, publish, and save their knowledge. Students will also learn to effectively collaborate and share their skills with their friends from their school, recruited schools, and their community. Students and teachers will participate in the Collins Writing Program. New teachers at Norrback Avenue and Burncoat Elementary Schools, as well as teachers in the recruited schools, will be trained by the writing program consultant and will receive support from teachers already trained in the process. Technology workshops will also be offered, with a focus on the following applications: Microsoft Word, Kidspiration, HyperStudio, and PowerPoint. In addition to the applications workshops, teachers will learn about Internet search engines, acceptable use policies (AUPs), child online safety, and how to create electronic portfolios. Visits to recruited schools will be scheduled to provide students with opportunities to share their work and skills with their new friends. Students will select their "best work sample" and present it to their friends, families, and the community at a special author's night. Students' work will also be posted on the school web page. The event will be recorded and broadcast on Cable Channel 11 and the Norrback Morning news.
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Joseph DiGregorio
508-799-3572
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Project Title: A+TECH=TEA+CH (a balanced equation for excellence in education)
Curriculum Area: Mathematics
Grade Level: 4 and 6
Project Overview:
This project is aligned with the Mathematics Frameworks and focuses on teaching concepts in small-group, inclusionary settings to at-risk students. The math program uses interactive web sites to provide a concrete introduction of content material followed by reinforcement and extended instruction. . This approach is designed to increase the students' proficiency and accuracy in mathematical reasoning skills. Test-taking strategies from certain web sites will serve the two-fold purpose of evaluating students' progress and preparing them for the MCAS. Our anticipated outcome is to increase our Annual Yearly Progress rate in the MCAS math test, which our school recently scored the "Needs Improvement" level.
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Patricia Wood
508-799-3482
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Project Title: U.P. for Disk-cussion (Unlimited Potential for Discussion)
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: K-6
Project Overview:
U.P. for Disk-cussion is a standards-technology-based alternative assessment project. Through a series of professional development activities and on-site assistance, this project will support teachers in developing primary pieces of evidence that demonstrate varied approaches to instruction and learning. These standards-based pieces of evidence will demonstrate a student's knowledge of the key concepts and skills outlined in the learning standards of the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework and provide concrete evidence of the student's progress. As result of participating in U.P. for Disk-cussion, teachers will use the evidence pieces to inform instruction, influence practice, and set goals. Students will be better able to understand what areas they should be developing. They will also be able to reflect on what they consider to be their best accomplishments, thus increasing the quality of their work. In addition, the primary pieces of evidence will also be used to inform parents of the students' progress.
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Deborah Sinkis
508-799-8235
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Project Title: Focus on Families: Strengthening Literacy through Technology and Family Collaboration
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 5-6
Project Overview:
In the "Book Buddies" project, younger students are paired with older students as "Book Buddies." Each team of "Book Buddies" collaborates and produces a book or multimedia presentation. Given rubrics, students address the various components that are required for their project, such as background research, text composition, illustrations and final copy. The following technologies are utilized in this project: the existing networked classroom computers, the networked computers in the school computer lab, along with networked software such as Microsoft Works for word processing and Kid Pix for graphics and presentations. Newer technologies are also utilized both as a tool for teaching and learning. These include the SMART Board hardware and software along with a video projector, digital camera, and digital video camera. An important focus of this project is parent involvement. Parents will come to school to participate in "Family Literacy/Technology Fun Nights" at which they will work collaboratively with their children to produce a book or multimedia presentation using the latest technology tools.
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last updated: November 25, 2003
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