Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 begins its third year of Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) implementation with over 30% of classrooms configured for the 2009-2010 school year.
This fall, students in each of our four schools will experience classrooms and other learning environments enhanced with the latest interactive technologies. From interactive whiteboards (often referred to as “Smartboards” as facial tissue is often referred to as “Kleenex”) to student response systems (SRS) or “clickers,” interactive technology is being adopted across D102. What’s more, this adoption is being led by the teachers and the teaching and learning goals they have established – as opposed to a technology allocation plan.
Two years ago, the District began a pilot in sixteen learning environments with interactive technology solutions from five different manufacturers; Mimio, eBeam, Interwrite, SMART, and Promethean. It became clear that, in addition to the visual enhancement provided by LCD projectors, the interactive nature of these products enhanced instructional aspects and student interactions within the classroom. The addition of the clickers added a whole new dimension to the amount of feedback teachers were gathering instantly within each lesson.
“The responders are so fun because they keep me interested,” exclaimed a seventh grader during math class. “The new system is amazing,” remarks Aptakisic Junio High School Mathematics teacher Amy Liebach. “All students participate because peers wait for all to respond – and I can see what is clearly understood and what needs to be discussed further.” The responders give immediate feedback to the entire class through graphs and numbers without exposing publicly who contributed each response. Moreover, corrective instruction occurs at the moment the feedback is received rather than waiting for homework or quizzes to be scored and returned.
Earlier this year, Dr. Robert Marzano shared preliminary research findings indicating that significant student gains were attained through the use of interactive technology in classrooms when four primary conditions existed – teachers using these resources were already experienced teachers; teachers reported being comfortable using the interactive technology; teachers had used the technology for two years or more; and teachers used the technology about 75% of the time for classroom instruction. These findings support the model used to deploy this technology across District 102.
Teachers were selected for the initial pilot based on interest and prior participation in technology-rich learning activities with students. Once these “explorers” were able to share ideas and initial results with colleagues, a growing desire for expansion emerged. Through a competitive mini-grant process, “pioneers” or “early adopters” are invited to submit innovative proposals focused on student activity and engagement. These proposals also required the applicants to state their current level of proficiency with the requested technology and a professional development plan for continued growth and collaboration with peers. Once funded, these grant recipients were required to share at the team, building, district and/or Board level their successes and challenges during the grant period. From these innovators’ explorations, building leadership teams and District-level departments began plans to equip more teachers with tools that would expand learning opportunities for students. The important point to remember in this effort is that the technology alone will not transform the learning environment. Rather, transformation depends on how a teacher crafts the learning activities that would not otherwise have been possible without these interactive tools. In order for teachers to reach this point, opportunities for professional growth and collaboration are essential.
Our teachers are the innovators and leaders of this charge. They are using all available means, including carpooling to distant cities to meet and collaborate with like-minded colleagues, or pursuing advanced certification to become authorized trainers of trainers. They share “best practices” in staff meetings and across the District networks in order to bring everyone to a higher level. One group of teachers from different schools worked together to develop common units with the IWB technology. They not only shared these units with each other, they also served to support their own growth and development in their use of the new resources. One of our teachers reported recently, “It’s like having the universe in my hand, because there is no end to the universe, and there is no end to the possibilities I now have for my students.”
“When you have excellent teachers and all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place at the same time, it’s exciting,” reflects Dr. Theresa Dunkin, Superintendent. “This was a team effort and fueled by a strong working relationship between the Technology and Teaching and Learning departments who moved this forward. Everyone’s benefiting. The teachers are discovering new ways to apply teaching methods to reach students who are equally as excited about the hands-on lessons.”
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