9a. Summarize the relevant research and describe how it supports the plan’s curricular and professional development goals
The Dixie School District developed its model for student learning, teaching, and technology management using research-based, reliable research and effective practices found in the goals, objectives, benchmarks and timelines presented or described in the previous sections of the plan are derived from proven strategies and methods for student learning, teaching and technology management and are based on relevant research and effective practices.
Through ongoing data collection and analysis, the Dixie School District will continuously monitor its attainment of the goals and objectives of the Educational Technology Plan, and will report results annually to the Superintendent, school board, and public. Throughout the plan, attention is paid to providing equitable access to all students in our community, including students in special populations.
Technology Planning
The District used this information to guide our technology planning. Find evidence of this in 3e.
The CEO Forum on Education and Technology (2001) studied the impact of technology over a five-year period to inform educational decision makers about effective uses of educational technology. The CEO Forum report recommends that schools develop strategic technology and educational plans that ensure alignment across the curriculum, learning standards and objectives. “Technology can have the greatest impact when integrated into the curriculum to achieve clear, measurable educational objectives.” The CEO Forum included 21st Century Skills as a “new set of skills necessary to prepare students for life and work in the digital age. These skills include digital literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication and high productivity abilities.” CEO Forum on Education and Technology, June 2001. The CEO Forum School Technology and Readiness Report: Key Building Blocks for Student Achievement in the 21st Century. Retrieved August 27, 2007 from http://www.ceoforum.org/downloads/report4.pdf
1. Service Learning Projects
Michigan Learn and Serve Study (Billig & Klute, 2003; Klute & Billig, 2002)
· Service-learning students in Grades 7-12 reported more cognitive engagement in English/language arts (e.g., paying more attention to schoolwork, putting forth effort) than non-participants.
· For students in Grades 2-5, students who participated in service-learning reported greater levels of behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement in school than their nonparticipating peers, showing statistically significant differences in the effort they expended, paying attention, completing homework on time, and sharing what they learned with others.
· Service-learning students in the 5th grade demonstrated significantly higher test scores on the state assessment than their nonparticipating peers in the areas of writing, total social studies, and three social studies strands: historical perspective, geographic perspective, and inquiry/decision making.
· The two aspects of service-learning that were most closely associated with positive results were linkage with curriculum and direct contact with those being served. (Meyer, Hofschire, & Billig, 2004)
· On the MEAP, 5th-grade service-learning students outperformed their non-participating counterparts on the overall science and social studies scores.
· For older students, significant differences were found for three of the nine student engagement variables.
· Aspects of program quality, such as teacher ratings of service-learning quality, student ratings of their service-learning experiences, and indicators of service-learning quality moderated the impact of service-learning.
This information was used to increase understanding of teachers and students to help dsign programs for gobal collaboration.
New England CO-SEED Sites (Klute, 2002)
· RMC Research evaluated a service-learning program focused on the environment in several New England schools.
· Participating students showed that sixth grade service-learning participants in New Hampshire demonstrated statistically significant gains in achievement scores on state assessments relative to their own performance in the past.
· Vermont 6th-grade and 2nd-grade students scored higher in reading and word analysis though the data were not statistically significant. No differences were found for students in other grade levels.
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2. Laptop Learning
The mobil labs were supported by this research and guided us in the implementation stages
Second-year study of the Laptop Program conducted by independent research firm ROCKMAN ET AL, San Francisco.
During the 1997-1998 school year, ROCKMAN ET AL tracked the experiences of teachers and students at selected pioneer schools during their second year of the Laptop Program. In these programs, participating students have full-time access to notebook computers both in school and at home. The second year study explores when and how the computers are used, their impact on teaching and learning, and participants' assessments of their experiences in the program. Findings point to significant learning and student and teacher accomplishments in skill development, applications of technology for schoolwork, and improved critical thinking.
Learning with technology: The impact of laptop use on student achievement. Gulek, J. C. & Demirtas, H. (2005). Learning with technology: The impact of laptop use on student achievement. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 3(2). Available from http://www.jtla.org
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A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning With Technology on Student Outcomes
In 2002, NCREL commissioned a meta-analysis by Hersh Waxman, Michael Connell, and Jon Gray to study the effects of teaching and learning with technology on student outcomes. That paper calculated 138 effect sizes using statistical data from 20 research studies representing a combined sample of approximately 4,400 students The result from the present study indicate that the overall effects are nearly twice as large as other recent meta-analyses conducted in the area of instructional technology. This finding suggests that the overall effects of technology on student outcomes may be greater than previously thought.
Evaluation of Michigan’s Freedom to Learn Program
Michigan’s one-to-one Freedom to Learn initiative, implemented in the fall of 2004, reported increased student achievement. The 2005 Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) shows improvement in students’ math and reading scores.
Laptop Learning: A Comparison of Teaching and Learning in Upper Elementary Classrooms Equipped With Shared Carts of Laptops and Permanent 1:1 Laptops
This research program explored how teaching and learning changes when 4th and 5th graders in Andover, Massachusetts were provided with their own laptop computer. Bell, Damien, INTASC Technology & Assessment Study Collaborative (2005)
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3. Professional Development/Teaching
This infromation was important to us and the District understands the importance of Professional Development. The Apple Instutite is an example of our committement to high quality staff development.
Teaching with Technology: Creating Student-Centered Classrooms (Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow [ACOT]) Judith Haymore Sandholtz, Cathy Ringstaff, David C. Dwyer, Apple Computer, Inc. (1997)
Findings from the first 10 years of the project include:
· As teachers became more comfortable and competent with the technology, they began working in teams and across disciplines.
· Classrooms became a mix of traditional and constructivist instruction.
· Students became more collaborative.
· Teachers altered their classrooms and daily schedules to permit students more time to work on projects.
· Teachers began to develop new forms of assessment that were performance- and portfolio based.
· Technology encouraged student-centered, cooperative learning.
· Technology often inspires teachers to use more complex tasks and materials in their instruction
· The influence of technology on teaching and learning occurs over an extended period of time.
Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technology.
Teachers are motivated to develop their own technology skills when professional development links technology applications to specific curriculum goals. A literature review by Roschelle et al., [2000] reports that "numerous literature surveys link student technology achievement to teachers' opportunities to develop their own computer skills" (p.90). A system of support and reinforcement that embeds the use of technology "in a broader education reform movement"(p.76) is critical to a school's capacity to change. Roschelle, et al. also identify the ways technology contributes to relations among teachers: By networking with mentors and other teachers electronically, teachers can overcome the isolation of the classroom, share insights and resources, support one another's efforts, and engage in collaborative projects with similarly motivated teachers (p.91).
Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., & Means, B. M. Children and Computer Technology, (2000). 10(2), 76–101. Retrieved April 9, 2002, from http://www.futureofchildren.org/pubs-info2825/pubs-info.htm?doc_id=69787
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A Critical View of Technology-Enhanced Learning and Instruction In the Digital Age. Kinshuk, Demetrios G. Sampson, Pedro Isaías, J. Michael Spector, Lynne Schrum Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Vol 40, Fall 2007.
Technology In The Schools: What the Research Shows (2006)
Technology does provide a small, but significant, increase in learning when implemented with fidelity. While this statistic is encouraging, the real value lies to research lies in the identification of those technology interventions that get sufficiently positive results to warrant the investment. Most educators are looking for the value proposition that will significantly advance learning, teaching, and school system efficiencies. Taking advantage of these leverage points requires serious review of specific research studies that specifically address the needs and challenges of specific schools and serious attention paid to leadership development, professional development for teachers, school culture, curricular redesign, and teacher preparation. Metiri Group – commissioned by Cisco System 2006 http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/TechnologyinSchoolsReport.pdf
Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement.
Research into which teaching strategies raise student outcomes allows teachers to operate at advanced levels of effectiveness (Marzano, 2003; Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, 2001).
EnGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age
Lemke, Cheryl, etal. (2003), North Central Regional Educational Laboratory: Retrieved from http://www.meteri.com on August 30, 2006.
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4. Students and Technology
The district has observed improvement of the quality of student writting. The teachers use google docs with students as a means to work as a group-This information allows students to independently organize, analyze, interpret, develop, and evaluate their own work.
The digital disconnect: The widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools.
A study of the attitudes of Internet-using public middle and high school students toward “use of the Internet for schoolwork and the broader learning that can take place online.” Levin, D, & Arafeh, S. (2002) American Institutes for Research for Pew Internet & American Life Project. Washington, DC. Retrieved January 3, 2003, from: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/
Why use technology?
Technology can foster an increase in the quantity and quality of students' thinking and writing. Productivity tools such as databases, spreadsheets, computer-assisted design, graphics programs and multimedia authoring programs (programs for creating computer-based presentations or lessons) allow students to independently organize, analyze, interpret, develop, and evaluate their own work. Several features of word processors seem to reduce the phobia often associated with writing and enable high school graduates to be proficient at accessing, evaluating, and communicating information. Educational technologies can, by design, provoke students to raise searching questions, enter debates, formulate opinions, engage in problem solving and critical thinking, and test their views of reality. Educational Leadership, 51(7), 11-15. Retrieved February 5, 2003, from http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/9404/peck.html
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