Initiatives and projects
The Educational Technology department focuses on providing professional development and instructional support with the goal of helping to empower students with 21st century skills. Educational Technology staff provide a wide range of services from working with teachers who are integrating technology into their classroom, to providing assistance with building and district level technology planning and implementation, to providing direction, support, and training with district-wide resources and innovative projects designed to meet educational goals. Coordination with the Curriculum and Instructional Support Department, Division Directors, Library Services, as well as the Information Technology Department is integral to all aspects of our work. Educational Technology is our District's front line in creating and supportive a dynamic, technology-rich environment designed to prepare students for success in the work environments of today and of the future.
The Anchorage School District is one of nineteen school districts statewide participating in a four-year project that brings digital learning to more than 50 Alaska schools. The 1:1 laptop project at Wendler is possible because of a partnership between the Alaska Association of School Boards and the Anchorage School Board. The Alaska Association of School Boards provided two-thirds of the funding for this project. Apple’s 1:1 laptop learning initiative has been implemented in dozens of states nationwide with promising results.
ASD implemented the Digital Citizen project this year. Approximately 1,250 Netbooks have now been deployed in two elementary schools, three middle schools, and all comprehensive high schools with participants identified by division directors and the language arts and social studies curriculum coordinators.
A project is at the heart of the Enhancing Education through Technology (E2T2) Federal Grant Program. The TTL project is designed to empower change at the classroom level and is based on a systemic design approach to be implemented at a district level in coordination with ASD's Six Year Plan.
The Technology Integration Educator (TIE) Program, which was launched in the spring of 2007, involves a cadre of ASD secondary teachers who are trained to provide guidance and instructional support for technology-enhanced curriculum programs such as Fast ForWord, Achieve 3000, APEX, and other programs prioritized by division directors and the curriculum departments.
The purpose of this grant is to build upon our extensive experience in the world of technology infused learning while expanding the scope and reach of teachers skilled in true 21st century teaching, learning, and assessment practices. This grant runs from February 2, 2009 to December 31, 2009. ASD’s partner in this effort is the Sitka School District (SSD).
1:1 Laptop Project
At Wendler Middle School, three teams encompassing 15 teachers and approximately 360 students are currently participating in the 1:1 laptop project. Since the launch of the project in December of 2006, anecdotal evidence has been generally positive, but there is now more definitive data available. The Assessment and Evaluation Department recently completed a formal data analysis of student Climate and Connectedness surveys as well as SBA scores and attendance data from the 2007-2008 academic year.
For the Climate and Connectedness data, the Assessment and Evaluation Department analyzed three Wendler groups: 1:1 laptop participants, those not participating in the 1:1 laptop project, and overall at Wendler including both groups. The higher scores in school leadership, caring adults, community involvement and overall connectedness indicates that those participating in the 1:1 project seem to have a greater connectedness to school than those not involved in the project. However, it is also worth noting that overall as a group, they do not see their school as safe as those not participating.
In addition to the survey data, the Assessment and Evaluation department analyzed SBA and attendance data to determine if 1:1 participants differed in any significant way from other students with similar demographic backgrounds. For both seventh and eighth grade students, the Laptop group achieved higher gains in the percent of students scoring proficient in reading and writing subtests than the Comparison group. There was no significant difference in math scores or attendance rates, however.
Wendler Middle School continues to teach our district critical lessons about successful 1:1 projects. Time for teacher collaboration, ongoing professional development, and additional technical support are all necessary ingredients for success.
Relevant links:
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers
National Educational Technology Standards for Students
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Digital Citizen
ASD implemented the Digital Citizen project this year. Approximately 1,250 Netbooks have now been deployed in two elementary schools, three middle schools, and all comprehensive high schools with participants identified by division directors and the language arts and social studies curriculum coordinators. At the high school level, the Digital Citizen project provided an opportunity for ninth grade teachers who wanted to team their language arts and social studies classes to collaborate using web-based resources targeted to improve literacy. Two web-based programs, Achieve 3000 and MyAccess, provide individualized instruction for students’ specific literacy levels. Achieve 3000 delivers current event articles each day at twelve different reading levels and provides practice with a number of literacy skills. MyAccess provides immediate feedback on student essays and allows students to revise their writing multiple times to encourage high quality writing.
In preparation for the launch of the project, technical planning and professional development were the primary focus. Before the Netbooks arrived, in-house training experts provided instruction on Achieve 3000 and MyAccess to all 75 teachers involved in the project. Once the Netbooks arrived, teams of trainers from the Educational Technology Department partnered with school-based personnel to provide professional development at each site, training each teacher how to handle the equipment and utilize portable storage devices (pen drives) to re-image the Netbooks in case of problems. The unique, Linux-based collection of programs (image) and pen drive restore process was created by staff in the Information Technology (IT) Department, who have been partners in the project since its inception. In addition, IT has been instrumental in working to ensure at least basic wireless connectivity at each site.
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Technology Teacher Leaders (TTL)
The TTL program is in its 7th year, and provides a supported community of K-12 teachers who become leaders in the area of technology integration and who leverage their skills, knowledge, and understanding to help schools improve student learning. Through a comprehensive staff development model, TTLs develop skills that powerfully impact their own classrooms as well as share awareness with other teachers within their school regarding the role technology can play in increasing student learning. The TTL7 project year will include nine K-12 teachers coming from one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school.
Each TTL team member will receive professional development tools designed to assist in the technology integration process. The TTL professional development tools include a digital camera, a multimedia projector with a document camera, and a Macintosh laptop with a variety of software designed to foster creative thinking and communication. In addition to the professional development tools, each TTL school will receive for each TTL an interactive whiteboard and a classroom set of clickers, which engage students in the learning process.
(Link to archive information coming soon)
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Technology Integration Educator (TIE)
The Technology Integration Educator (TIE) Program, which was launched in the spring of 2007, involves a select cadre of ASD secondary and Elem.entary teachers who are trained to provide guidance and instructional support for technology-enhanced curriculum programs such as Fast ForWord, Achieve3000, APEX, and other programs prioritized by division directors and the curriculum departments.
The middle and high school divisions’ Six-Year Plans and the District Improvement Plans include a number of technology-based programs used for remediation, acceleration, and alternative learning opportunities for students. Professional development is a critical component for successful implementation of these programs, and for the past three school years (2006-2009), the secondary divisions have begun to develop a Train-the-Trainers model with certain key programs.
The TIE program is modeled after the highly successful Technology Teacher Leader (TTL) program, but it is tailored to meet the specific need of providing training for prioritized technology-infused programs. Like the TTL program, the TIE program is funded through E2T2 funds.
Since the primary goal of the targeted programs is to increase the academic achievement of students from all No Child Left Behind (NCLB) groups, the mission of the TIE program will directly support E2T2 goals. More details »
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WAVE VI
The purpose of this grant is to build upon our extensive experience in the world of technology infused learning while expanding the scope and reach of teachers skilled in true 21st century teaching, learning, and assessment practices. This grant runs from February 2, 2009 to December 31, 2009. ASD’s partner in this effort is the Sitka School District (SSD). Together we will examine classroom practices in the areas of technology integration, technology standards, and assessment of technology literacy skills. Professional development coupled with technological tools will further develop skills, knowledge, and pedagogical expertise so that the assessments developed can serve as models that are available to be shared and applied throughout the district, and also shared with DEED. This grant builds upon a previous E2T2 grant where we worked in partnership with the Cordova School District during the 2007-2008 school year.
Ten ASD classroom-based teachers and four SSD classroom-based teachers, along with one ASD Secondary Technology Coordinator and a Librarian from SSD, will be involved with this grant. ASD’s Elementary and Secondary Coordinators of Educational Technology serve as the grant’s Project Coordinators. Each of the teachers involved will receive professional development combined with technological tools necessary to implement technology literacy and 21st century skill assessments with their students. The technology literacy assessment focuses on students at the eighth grade level; however upper elementary students are also included in the grant to identify necessary skills prior to an eighth grade assessment.
Grant participants will gain knowledge and strategies to assist them in understanding Standards in Practice (International Society for Technology in Education’s National Educational Technology Standards for Students, Alaska Content Standards, and ASD/SSD standards), Assessment (Alaska Computerized Formative Assessment, WIN for WorkKeys, and Technology Literacy and 21st Century Skills), and Technology Integration (Instructional Tools, Engagement Tools, and Learning Tools). Additionally, participants will attend the Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE) conference as well as participate in credit courses offered through the ASD Summer Academy.
The grant ensures that each classroom-based teacher will receive five laptops for students to use if they do not already have access to these resources, as well as a multi-media projector with a document camera, and an interactive whiteboard with a classroom-set of student response devices (aka “clickers”).
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1:1 Laptop