ProjectLearn Academy:  Integrating Technology

One hundred FUSD middle school teachers gathered in San Diego this week to participate in the ProjectLearn Academy.  Over the course of three days (March 9-11), participants explored a variety of ideas for using computers in the classroom to promote curriculum learning, gain experience with new technology tools, and develop confidence integrating these tools into the Language Arts curriculum.  The ProjectLearn Academy is funded by the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Grant.

The EETT Grant has been implemented at the middle schools with a 6-8 grade Language Arts focus during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years.  It is designed to enhance middle school student skills in accessing, interpreting, evaluating and reporting on information al text through regular electronic access to high-quality articles, video news stories, and web sites.  The grant focuses heavily on staff development to encourage routine teaching modeling of good research practices and the use of the Internet.

Each participating teacher has been provided with a wireless laptop, data projector and wireless keyboard/mouse to use in demonstrating web-based reference databases, demonstrating HOLT Language Arts online information analysis tools (a component of our district and State-adopted standards-based Language Arts program), and to model Big6 Information Literacy and Six-Traits writing process in interpreting informational text (per district curriculum guides).

An EETT Coach position has been created at each middle school by purchasing one period per day from a current teacher.  Each participating testing is currently in the process of completing a minimum of one advanced California Technology Assistance Project Online Integration course, attending 3 minimum day training sessions per year, and receiving ongoing coaching and support.  Teachers are also being trained to use Internet technologies to improve school-to-home communication.

Over 9000 students are being served in their regular Language Arts classes.  The grant's emphasis on supporting informational text skills, through electronic research and writing, aligns with state standards, adopted texts, and with district assessments showing mastery of these skills to be our students' most critical needs.  Students-to-multimedia computer ratios have been increased through the addition of over 500 computers to middle school Language Arts classrooms.

The EETT program is already showing dividends with our students.  One participating teachers said, "You should see my kids on the computers...  They only ask me about the really tough stuff now.  It is amazing to me how confident they are on the computers compared to my class last year.  We must be doing something right."