A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Challenge Grants for Techonology In Education - FY95

Black Hills Special Services Cooperative

Sturgis, South Dakota

Technology in Education Challenge for Rural America (TEC-RAM)

South Dakota's "Technology in Education Challenge for Rural America" (TEC-RAM) consortium has organized a state-wide, community-focused education program to advance the effective use of technology in restructuring schools by: 1) introducing innovative educational technologies in a statewide redesign of K-12 curricula, instruction and assessment; and 2) capitalizing on new technologies to promote student achievement. The program will impact over 14,000 rural students in the first year, and over 35,000 throughout its duration. Designed to respond to the Improving America's Schools Act, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, this program integrates technology into a systemic educational reform effort that improves teaching and learning and leads to the attainment of challenging standards by all students. There are six critical elements of the program:

1) Restructuring

The initiative builds upon efforts by local school districts and communities to restructure school programs to conform with challenging state education standards and locally determined student outcomes. Through the integration of technology into this process, a broad cross-section of community leaders will participate in the articulation of a shared education mission.

2) Utilization

The project uses a collaborative approach for the design and evaluation of technology-enhanced curricula, instruction, and performance assessment. Teams of teachers, curriculum specialists, technology specialists and private software developers identify and implement interdisciplinary projects and strategies that engage students as active learners involved in authentic, community-based learning experiences Some of the technologies being utilized include CD-ROM and other "open architecture" applications for student-directed learning experiences; interactive, multimedia applications developed by private business partners; multimedia educational materials developed by student/teacher teams; and inquiry applications that utilize the Internet.

3) Professional Development

TEC-RAM collaboration teams work directly in classrooms to model, involve, and support teachers in the process of integrating technology into effective standards-based curriculum and instruction. The collaboration teams include pre-service teachers, so that a major portion of both in-service and pre-service educational technology training can take place in actual classroom settings.

4) Replication

The program is designed to encourage replication in other rural school districts in South Dakota. The initial six demonstration districts serve as models for an additional 12 replication districts that will participate in TEC-RAM through an RFP process.

5) Inclusiveness

The program design is fully inclusive of all students, reflecting an even geographic distribution across the state. One of the initial demonstration districts serves an Indian reservation, which is located in one of the 10 poorest counties in the nation.

6) Access

TEC-RAM emphasizes access to innovative, cost-effective technology and telecommunication resources that enhance teaching and learning. This requires the development of cost-effective, interactive, multi-media applications that extend experiential learning beyond the limits of the classroom and small rural communities. For schools located in isolated settings with limited communications access, TEC-RAM is implementing packet radio as an alternative to telecommunications via telephone line.

All partners in the TEC-RAM consortium contribute substantially to the human resource capability of the project. Based on their proven readiness, six local school districts have been selected as the initial TEC-RAM consortium demonstration sites. These districts contribute the time and expertise of administrative and specialist staff, along with the substantial, uncompensated time of direct educational staff. The Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, Technology and Innovations in Education (TIE) provides services through its Technology Demonstration and Training Center, the TIE Preview Center, and the TIE Curricula Center. TIE also provides access to South Dakota's Rural Development and Educational Network and several statewide programmatic resources. The South Dakota Department of Education and Cultural Affairsprovides access to South Dakota's Rural Development Telecommunications Network. Spring Creek Productions provides video production expertise for the development of products to support project activities and for video-related training activities at the local sites.

The TEC-RAM project brings together a broad range of school systems, communities, state agencies and private industry for the purpose of introducing innovative educational technologies into a rural school system.

PROJECT DIRECTOR:: Dr. Jim Parry
Director
Technology & Innovations Ed.
Black Hills Special Services Co-op
1925 Plaza Blvd.
Sturgis, SD 57702
Telephone:: 605-394-1876
Fax:: 605-394-5315
E-mail:: jparry@sdtie.sdserv.org

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