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

Waukegan Community Unit School District 60

Waukegan, Illinois

Technology and Learning Collaborative

The Technology and Learning Collaborative (TLC) is a dynamic consortium of educational institutions, private businesses, and government agencies that has developed a multi-faceted program to modernize and improve the educational process in the Waukegan Public Schools. Waukegan schools experience many of the problems common to inner city systems: high truancy rates, widespread poverty, high mobility rates, and low academic achievement. The TLC consortium is addressing these problems by implementing a community-wide math and science education program based on innovative uses of new technologies. This is a replicable program that has strong school-home, school-community and school-work components. It provides for extensive professional development training, and addresses targets of the Goals 2000 Act. More than 7,000 students in grades 4-12 receive direct benefits from the program. Project goals are:

1) Improving Student Achievement in Math and Science

With the use of new technologies and an emphasis on project-based learning activities, students improve their achievement through: 1) Active engagement in constructing and communicating principles of math and science; 2) Participation in meaningful scientific investigations; 3) Investigation and understanding of basic math and science concepts; 4) Investigating and understanding connections between subject disciplines; and 5) Relating scientific and mathematical knowledge to themselves and their lives by working on real-life problems and issues.

2) Promoting Engaged Learning

Making the transition to "engaged learning" (learning while doing and learning from doing) requires rethinking the way traditional material is taught. To accomplish this, teachers in Waukegan schools practice peer coaching through classroom visits and conferencing with lead teachers. Lead teachers develop project-based, collaborative learning units that integrate math, science and technology. They receive training in engaged learning methods from Apple Computers, Inc., the North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL), and other consortium partners, and they learn how to utilize technology to facilitate engaged learning.

3) Promoting the Use of Educational Technologies

The consortium is establishing model classrooms to be duplicated throughout the Waukegan schools. Each classroom contains a teacher workstation with multimedia capability; an overhead TV monitor; five student workstations with multimedia capabilities; a laptop; a printer; a compact video camera; a color scanner; a digital camera; and an Internet connection. The project provides teachers and students training in the use of these technologies.

4) Improving Workplace Readiness and Workplace Skills

In a program to reach beyond the walls of the classroom, the Technology and Learning Collaborative is establishing Technology Learning Community Centers (TLCC's) that provide students, parents and other adults access to a wide range of educational technologies and information. The TLCC's are located at four easily accessible sites within the community, and they offer computers, printers, connectivity to the Internet and other resources for public use. In addition, the Waukegan Public Library is developing and maintaining an on-line community bulletin board that provides assistance to individuals seeking information on education, community services and job opportunities.

This project is producing several products and processes that are being disseminated to school systems throughout the country. Examples include project-based, collaborative learning units for math and science; classroom case studies in video, print and electronic forms; a professional networking model; and a model Technology Learning Community Center (TLCC) for lifelong learning. These products are distributed nationally and globally with the assistance of Apple Computer, Northwestern University, the North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

The TLC is receiving substantial support from businesses and government agencies in the Waukegan community. Abbott Laboratories is helping to produce workplace readiness videos. The College of Lake County, the Waukegan Park District, and the YMCA are providing space, staff and programming for three Technology and Learning Community Centers. Barat College is providing faculty and student mentors for science projects. The ISBE is developing guides for use by other school systems. Legat Architects and U.S. Cable are donating program planning services for infrastructure design. North Central Regional Education Lab is conducting a series of training workshops for teachers. The Northeastern Illinois Assistive Technology Consortium and the Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) are offering extensive support for children with disabilities. Northwestern University is using Waukegan as a test site for its Collaborative Learning through Visualization (CoVis) project in earth science, and the Waukegan Schools Foundation is providing educational technology equipment.

PROJECT DIRECTOR:: Elaine Armani
Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Waukegan C U School District 60
1201 N. Sheridan Road
Waukegan, IL 60085-2099
Telephone:: (847) 360-5440
Fax:: (847) 360-5628
E-mail:: armani708@aol.com

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[Capital School District]

[Anderson Community School Corporation]