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April 1, 2003
Getting Real with Technology
By Linda Balfour & Anne Zajac
Are you a teacher who would like to use technology with your students but are not sure where to start? Are you a staff developer or administrator trying to encourage teachers to incorporate technology into the curriculum? Of course students need to take ownership of their learning, and technology can help them in this pursuit. We are instructional technology staff developers who have created a process, called TMPI (Train, Map, Plan, Implement), which makes this possible.
Having worked in the field of teaching and staff development for many years, we have come to recognize the many real and imagined problems teachers encounter. First, they need to become familiar with the application programs that are available in their school. Second, the teachers need to plan for the incorporation of technology in their lessons. Third, they may need to adjust their classroom management techniques. In considering all these issues, the process we've developed helps a teacher transition from a personal user to a proactive user of the "other learning tools."
We encourage cooperative learning groups that create an environment whereby multiple activities can take place. The creation of multiple assessments is at the crux of project development and the successful use of technology in the classroom.
TMPI is an innovative four-step plan that meets these needs.
Step 1: Train
The first step to success is to Train. We invite approximately fifteen teachers into our computer lab for three days. There are two staff developers who conduct the workshop. We found this to be a good ratio of teachers to trainers, for it allows one staff developer to model the process and carry the training forward while the other gives extra help where needed.
In the training sessions the staff developers model a standards-based curriculum unit which the teachers will cooperatively complete. The teachers learn the application programs that are available in their classrooms. In our district we teach AppleWorks, HyperStudio, KidPix, and Microsoft Office. Additionally, we use Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia CD and the Internet as research tools. In our workshop we focus upon a curriculum unit on the solar system. Each group, made up of three teachers, selects a planet to research. Each teacher within the group researches specific questions. As the teachers gather their information they create a slide show in AppleWorks and a multimedia presentation in PowerPoint. As they learn each application they develop different aspects of the project. As they work together they quickly realize the advantages of shared responsibility. Each person contributes to his/her group's overall knowledge about the planet. It is pointed out that even though they are learning a variety of applications in the training sessions, they would use only one, or perhaps two, in their classroom. By becoming familiar with several they can choose wisely which would work best for their class project.
Step 2: Map
The next step to success is to Map or plan out the curriculum unit. In our model we use three mapping worksheets: Organizational Map, Questions for Groups, and Project Outline. These three mapping worksheets let the students (and the teachers, at this point) know what is expected of them.
Organizational Map:
This is the first worksheet that the teachers (and later their students) will use (see Figure 1). It consists of three parts: the Essential Question, Assessments, and Skills. What do you want the students (or, in this case, teachers) to learn and teach to others? Why is it important to know this information? This is the essential question or force that drives all the assessments and skills. Another way of approaching the essential question is to have the students decide what problem they want to solve, applied learning. What assessments or tasks will the students complete to evaluate learning, and what skills do the students need to produce the assessments?
There should be several assessments that can be worked on simultaneously. This is essential if there are only a few computers to be used in the classroom. For example, these may consist of a slide show, a map or diagram, a news article summary, a skit, a debate, or journal entries. Another wonderful assessment is a group-generated quiz based on the presentation, which can be graded by the presenting group and passed on to the teacher.
There are several advantages to multiple assessments. The obvious is that students are always involved. Also, through their explorations there is ample opportunity to access Gardner's Multiple Intelligences: linguistic, logical, spatial, kinesthetic, rhythmic, interpersonal and intra-personal.
Questions for Groups:
On the second worksheet are the questions for each group (see Figure 2, Part I and Part II), which is a subtopic of the unit; in this case, a planet in the solar system. Each student is responsible for answering several questions. The questions can be provided by the teacher or elicited from the students. In order for the subtopic to be addressed properly every student must contribute to the whole. The various components from each group complete the unit.
The Project Outline:
This worksheet (see Figure 3) goes into greater detail on the requirements for each assessment and each group member knows exactly what is expected. Research, writing, storyboard planning, hands-on activities are detailed with specifics and due dates (see attached). There is virtually no point at which the student has nothing to do. During the workshop we continually refer teachers back to the Mapping Worksheets on the solar system as they complete each assessment and prepare for the next one.
Teachers get both Information and templates on a CD so that they are available as needed. The teachers also have our Tech Can Do website address so that they can view or download project maps developed by other teachers, as well as organizational materials and tip-sheets.
Step 3: Plan
The subsequent step to success is to Plan. The teacher creates the maps and reviews them with the librarian to ensure that materials are available (e.g., books, magazines, original documents, appropriate Internet sites, "experts" for interviews, CDs). Library dates are scheduled.
Before the project begins we check out the technology. Sometimes we set up a computer schedule for the groups. We also set up class or group folders on the computers to help organize the students' work.
We place the students into cooperative groups of four. It is helpful to have two male and two female members, and a mixture of ability levels and ethnicities. It is important to conduct socialization exercises before starting the project so that the students are comfortable with working with each other. We teach and encourage cooperative learning strategies. Students naturally want to "want to question, discuss, argue, and share. The great strength of cooperative learning is that it channels this natural intelligence toward positive academic and social outcomes" (Dr. Spencer Kagan. Cooperative Learning, 1999).
Step 4: Implement
The final step is to Implement all these plans. Now that all the preparation has been done it is time to introduce the students to the project. We give each group is given a set of the mapping worksheets. We go over all the information and answer questions. The worksheets and the students' work should be kept in a folder in the classroom so that other students in the group can easily access it. This way a project will not be held up by someone's absence.
The students take notes as they research and put the information into their own words. They keep their audience in mind (e.g. their class, other classes, administrators, PTA, school website, community) as they prepare the project. The teacher facilitates the students' understanding, answers questions that arise, leads students to question further and perhaps follow new pursuits.
A good way to check that students are using their own words when using the Internet is to have them create a scratch paper. They copy and paste the information they want into a word processing document. Then skip a couple of lines and change the font for their own writing. In this way the teacher can see the original work and the student's writing. The Web address can be saved to the document by clicking on the bulls-eye in front of the address.
A student-centered project requires that the information or the problem be shared with others. Studies have shown that students retain the most information (90%) when they have been required to teach others what they have learned (National Training Laboratories - Bethel, Maine). When students take ownership of their work and keep in mind that they are preparing for a larger audience, they tend to put more effort and time into what they do. For them, it becomes applied learning.
Summary
Does this work? We have used the TMPI model with many teachers and have found favorable results. The students have a more thorough understanding of their subject or applied learning opportunity. School and learning become more fun which naturally helps eliminate boredom and discipline problems. Many teachers report that their students are highly motivated to do good work knowing that students within and outside the class will see their work. Best of all, teachers are motivated to continue using technology in the classroom and take it to the next level.
We would like to hear from others who would like to try this process or have tried it. Email us as shown below, and be sure to visit Tech Can Do.
Email: Linda Balfour and Anne Zajac
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