The following success stories and state initiatives give you a peek into what is being done around the country to address the needs and challenges of today’s education system. Click on the links to access the full story.
Making Connections
Louisiana Department of Education
Baton Rouge, LA
Making Connections is a standards-based, technology-rich curriculum project of the Louisiana Department of Education’s Louisiana Center for Educational Technology. Through the creation of an electronic resource center, Louisiana's teachers access “a one stop shop” for instructional materials that enhance teaching, learning, and technology opportunities in the state’s K–12 schools. Read more about Making Connections.
Pilot PDA Program
Dallas Independent School District
Dallas, TX
Dr. Cheri Halderman, Director of Instructional Technology, decided that the Dallas Independent School District should evaluate the use of handheld technology, particularly personal digital assistants (PDAs), in classrooms. The purpose was to find out how effective this new technology could be in improving student achievement. Read more about Dallas' Pilot PDA program.
ECS East Program
Zane and Winship Middle Schools, Eureka City Schools Unified District
Eureka, CA
Eureka City Schools (ECS) Unified District has the qualities and infrastructure necessary for expanding an excellent Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) program. The innovative program combines technology and service learning to advance project-based activities that connect students to their community and to academic content standards. Read more about ECS East Program.
Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL)
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
Santa Cruz, CA
In 1998, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education was selected to create the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL). TICAL maintains a Web portal that features hundreds of resources that have been reviewed and recommended by practicing administrators to assist with digital school leadership. TICAL is organized around and links resources of specific areas of interest. Read more about the Technology Information Center for Administrative Learning.
Enabling Homebound Students to Achieve
Springfield Public Schools
Springfield, MA
The Enabling Homebound Students to Achieve program was designed to afford homebound students the opportunity to succeed academically in a nontraditional, nonthreatening, supportive environment. As a result of this project, homebound students will have access to the same high-quality, rigorous, standards-based curriculum that other in-school students have. Moreover, the curriculum will be taught, monitored, and assessed online by content area specialists. Read more about Enabling Homebound Students to Achieve.
Palm Handheld Computers
San Antonio Independent School District
San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Independent School District has 1,400 Palm handheld computers. At a cost of $250–$350 each, they are deployed in classrooms servicing 3- to 4-year-old children, as well as grades K–3. In addition to handhelds being used for student assessment, assistant principals use handhelds as personal data assistants. Read more about Palm Handheld Computers.
Tech Team
Marion School District One
Marion, SC
Tech Team introduces girls to a range of technologies, including video production and interviewing skills, Web page creation, and Flash animation projects. Throughout the program, Tech Team members are able to explore career opportunities in technology-related fields. The girls also maintain online journals and can communicate with each other and with the ETV staff by means of a message board on the Tech Team Web page. Read more about Tech Team.
Freedom to Learn
Michigan Virtual University and Ferris State University
Lansing, MI
Freedom to Learn engages Michigan students in learning activities through the use of one-to-one wireless computing technology to (a) increase student achievement in core academic subjects and (b) bridge the digital divide through greater access to educational opportunities statewide. Read more about Freedom to Learn.
Handheld Computer Technology
Eugene 4J School District
Eugene, OR
Through the use of Title IID Enhancing Education Through Technology funds, Eugene and South Lane School Districts are collaborating with three other Oregon districts to integrate handheld computer technology into K–12 classrooms. By increasing access to technology through the use of handheld computers, teachers are learning technology integration skills and strategies to improve student academic achievement in core content areas, improve technology literacy skills, and increase the effectiveness of integrating technology into curriculum and instruction. Read more about Handheld Computer Technology.
Camp E-Tech
Florence County School District Three
Lake City, SC
Camp E-Tech is a 3-day experiential learning camp designed to take children out of their natural environment and put them in a community living atmosphere where they can learn about the environment, technology, and team building. This experience will help students to extend their learning beyond their rural schools and communities; to collect, organize, store, manipulate, and interpret data electronically; and to communicate information from investigations visually in graphs, charts, and maps. Overall, the program is designed to help students improve their state standardized test scores. Read more about Camp E-Tech.
Ohio’s eLearning–Online Professional Development
Ohio SchoolNet Commission/Ohio Department of Education
Columbus, OH
The goal of the Ohio’s eLearning–Online Professional Development program is to provide high-quality online professional development for educators throughout the state of Ohio. One of the objectives is to design and develop online courses that align with a high-quality professional development framework, so Ohio educators can learn and have access to information at any time and from any place. Read more about Ohio's eLearning—Online Professional Development.
PDAs for Assessment and Data-Driven Decisionmaking
Chicago Public Schools District #299
Chicago, IL
During the 2004–2005 school year, the Chicago Public Schools' Office of Technology Services eLearning and Office of Literacy began collaborating to administer early literacy screening and diagnostic assessments using personal digital assistants (PDAs) and a Web-based data management tool. The goal is to streamline assessments so teachers can make data-driven decisions to improve instruction and enhance student achievement. Read more about PDAs for Assessment and Data-Driven Decisionmaking.
Integrating Digital Media
Anderson School District 3
Iva, SC
The primary emphasis of the project is to integrate digital media (audio recording, photo capture and manipulation and video editing) into instruction to improve student achievement by allowing teachers to address various 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. Read more about Integrating Digital Media.
AchieveIT Project
Tucson Unified School District
Tucson, AZ
Achievement Improved through Technology (AchieveIT) seeks to improve student math achievement by integrating technology into the classroom. Third- and 8th-grade students, at targeted schools, who are not meeting the state standards in math, are tutored twice per week with technology-rich lessons. Read more about the AchieveIT Project.
School Support Services Program
South Side Middle School
Anderson, IN
South Side Middle School in Indiana needed a way to reach and motivate students who were in danger of being suspended from school. Through our School Support Services Program (SSSP), we sought to keep these students in school and work on their behavioral issues without losing focus of core academic skills. We found an online program, Kid’s College, that combined sports with standards-based math and language arts activities. Read more about the School Support Services Program. |
