Integrating Digital Media

Anderson School District 3

Iva, SC
 

Introduction/Overview
Organizational Change
Budget & Finance
Professional Development
Technology Infrastructure
Outcomes
Evaluation
Contact Information
 

Introduction/Overview

Planning for the project started in July 2002, and the grant was awarded in November. Activities were initiated in January 2003 and continued through May 2004. Supported by local funding, project initiatives continue to impact all core academic areas. The primary emphasis of the project was on the integration of digital media (audio recording, photo capture and manipulation, and video editing) into instruction to improve student achievement by allowing teachers to address varied learning styles and modalities. Project participants held strongly to the belief that technical training of teachers must be supported and enhanced by the availability of equipment and ongoing, onsite training to ensure continuous transfer into the instructional environment.

Organizational Change

• School district representatives participated in two brainstorming sessions to identify common needs and concerns relative to technology integration. A brainstorming session was held with interested faculty from Clemson University. Agreement was reached to focus on digital media technology because research supported its positive impact on student achievement.
• Participants strongly agreed on the importance of providing adequate equipment for teacher/classroom use and the significance of quality professional development. Additionally, time was spent selecting a grade level focus. Two factors contributed to the decision to focus on grades 6–8: state expectations for the technical literacy of all 8th graders by 2008, and initiating the effort at five sites was manageable.
• At each site an employee’s job description was modified to establish an on-site technical leader position. Staff instruction, planned for and spontaneous, in the use of digital media continues at all sites. Several sites now offer Digital Media as a related arts option for students.
• Teachers are learning from students and fellow teachers. Students have demonstrated a high level of responsibility. Equipment is checked out for overnight or weekend use and there have been no problems with loss or destruction. Families are getting involved in educational projects because of their desire to understand the technology. Students of all ability levels are gaining technical literacy.

Budget & Finance

• Total grant funds: $431,482 (per district: $107,857.00).
• Salaries: $16,870.
• Benefits: $3,180.
• Purchased services: $133,148.
• Capital outlay: $280,464.
  
  Supplies and materials for each site were funded from various state and local funds.

Professional Development

Hands-on workshops were offered in each school throughout the academic year. Workshops were conducted by staff members and graduate student workers from the SC Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training. The content and scheduling of the workshops was customized for each of the partner schools, but the focus was consistently on equipping teachers with the skills they needed to effectively use technology in general, and multimedia in particular, in support of regular classroom instruction. In most schools, workshops were offered during teachers’ planning periods, which meant that the same workshop might be offered several times during a particular school day. In some schools, the teachers wanted longer sessions than planning periods could allow. This desire was met either through after-school sessions or through full-day training on inservice days. Because the range of prior experience, skill development, and enthusiasm for the project varied so greatly among the faculty members of each school, there was a continuing need to adjust the scope and pace of the training provided. Some teachers quickly embraced the new technology and became mentors to colleagues. Others were far more tentative and were reluctant to take a significant risk with technology in their classroom practices.

Technology Infrastructure

Network cabling was already in place in each partner school, but none was equipped with the multimedia hardware or software that the project required. Despite the fact that all four school districts used PCs exclusively, all decided to adopt Mac equipment for this project, because of the multimedia capabilities that all Macs have. Some schools opted for fixed labs, others chose sets of laptops that were available for use in any classroom. Laptop configurations also included wireless hubs for connecting the laptops to the Internet. In addition to computer hardware, schools also acquired sets of mini-DV camcorders, digital still cameras, and various software packages, including Inspiration and Photoshop Elements. The number of computers, cameras, and software programs that each school bought differed slightly, depending on their student population and the local plans for implementation. The goal in each school, however, was to ensure that any teacher who attempted to integrate multimedia technology into regular instruction would have the resources to allow small teams of students to successfully complete projects involving digital video, digital photography, or both. Physical support of the computers and other hardware was a joint effort between each school district’s network support staff and the staff from the Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training.

Outcomes

The project targeted integrating digital video, audio, and graphic technologies into curriculum and learning activities and had three major goals: (1) Ensure students and teachers had increased and effective access to technologies that support classroom instruction; (2) ensure teachers were given training and support to use technology effectively in support or instruction; and (3) ensure that technologies and training provided resulted in new and improved strategies for instruction in which technology was integrated effectively into teaching and learning to increase student achievement.

All goals were met with positive outcomes for improving instructional practices and promoting interest and involvement of students in learning activities. Teachers demonstrated rapid implementation and effective integration of the technologies into curriculum content and learning activities. Students responded with great interest and enthusiasm to using technologies in learning, and demonstrated active involvement in learning activities with improvements in behavior, engagement, and performance. Evidence for the effectiveness of teacher development activities was available from a number of information sources. Teacher surveys, in conjunction with qualitative findings from interviews with students and teachers and with onsite observations, provided evidence that project activities effectively produced changes in teachers’ uses of targeted technologies and in students’ involvement with the technologies in their learning activities. Teachers progressed to sophisticated uses of digital technologies involving students in multimedia production, information and concept organization, and other constructive activities. Increased usage rates of multimedia, video, and digital graphic technologies in student activities further indicated the effectiveness of the project in integrating these applications into the learning environment. Teachers and students demonstrated class assignments involving individual and group work using the project technologies. Projects involved computer-based manipulation and incorporation into multimedia learning products of mathematical materials such as geometric forms, pictorial and video material pertaining to historical or current events, visual content related to literature presented in multimedia electronic or printed productions, or real-life concerns of students transitioning from elementary to middle school. None of the learning projects were mere exercises in technology use, but all were focused on student learning of academic content or on the accomplishment of service-related goals. The technological tools advanced teachers’ abilities to design and implement multifaceted learning experiences involving multiple assignments of project tasks and student collaboration in producing collective products. Teachers reported that technology integration produced increased interest among students in learning activities. Students expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity for “creativity,” explicitly mentioning the fact that they could “use their imagination” and “be creative” in working on projects involving technologies. Students expressed a high level of interest in “developing computer skills for the future.” The opportunity to work on collaborative projects was also valued by students. Teachers reported that behavior tended to improve among project participant students with disciplinary or attendance problems. Teachers found that students would improve their behavior and attend regular classes more dependably if their participation in technology-related activities was contingent on good behavior.

Evaluation

Collaboration was a requisite for success. Without the partnership between the school districts and the SC Center of Excellence, the project would not have been possible or successful. School district/teacher collaboration was also a critical component. Twelve teacher participants “volunteered” to be the technical pioneers. Each pioneer accepted the “each one teach one” approach to involve peers after an initial 4 months of training. “In-house” training within the regularly scheduled workday and stipends for overtime hours also contributed to the project’s success. Extensive planning is critical. We would have liked to have a year to plan following the grant award, and a year to implement/evaluate/adjust prior to ensure ongoing, effective integration and management. The expectation for immediate, long-term effects on student achievement is not realistic within a 2-year period of time. Teacher skill and comfort must be established first.

Contact Information

Patricia E. Hoepfl
hoepflp@anderson3.k12.sc.us
864-348-2099, Ext. 21