Uses multimedia to expand beyond the barriers of a normal classroom.
Our students work on laptop computers twice a week to conduct research, participate in web quests and view websites appropriate to our units. In a recent geology unit, students visited a web site on rocks and minerals then completed a web quest as they navigated the site.
Integrates graphics, sound, video, etc…
in presentations and communications.
As students complete multimedia presentations, they are given rubrics which specify certain requirements such as graphics, sounds, and animations. They work together and learn from one another to fulfill the requirements. For an economics unit last year, students were given an assignment in which they were required to work with a partner to create a Power Point presentation that explained economic concepts taught in an earlier lesson.
Maintains communication with students, parents, and colleagues.
Communication is essential and we use technology to keep in contact. All classrooms in the district have voice mail and teacher e-mail addresses are published on the district's website as well as in an annual directory.
We use Microsoft Publisher for our class newsletter, which is sent home once a week and includes a paragraph typed by students of the week. Our class website is part of a district site, is kept up-to-date and includes our e-mail addresses.
Students are encouraged to visit the website often, to answer questions of the week, and to e-mail parents and classmates, when appropriate. Recently, one student e-mailed the superintendent a position letter concerning a new sport he wanted to begin in the district.
Makes recommendations for application evaluation and purchasing.
I am co-chair of our district’s Curriculum Council. We evaluate and support implementation of curricular materials. We work closely with the district’s Technology Director to select applications that best fit the curriculum benchmarks. We review current research, pilot new software, and work with the District School Improvement Team to make curricular decisions for the district. Our last monthly meeting addressed ideas for using technology to improve student standardized test scores and I presented the computer program NCS Mentor which we use to help students prepare for writing assessments.