My planned approach is to provide formal face to face training and follow up with online support and one-on-one support and just in time training. The face to face training is primarily done through our Tier Training
based on OII's Four Directions for Life Long Learning. As teachers begin working to develop online lessons and curriculum, the OII work is aligned with our own assessment
efforts, the five evolutionary stages of web lessons as detailed by Tom March, and the Web Quest models of Bernie Dodge.
Tom March provides examples of five stages of web lesson evolution. By becoming familiar with these stages in conjunction with the Four Directions for Life Long Learning, participants can determine where on the evolutionary
spectrum they fall and can begin to create transformational web based lessons based on their comfort and skill level. This combination of theories allows diverse groups of people to be trained effectively as each
individual finds their comfort level and begins from there. Once on the road, the successive steps in the journey are easily seen and transversed. Where We Came From: School Setting Southern Regional is a rural, 7-12
regional district in Manahawkin, NJ. We receive our 3000+ students from five elementary sending districts. Some students come to us in the 7th grade and others in the 9th. The independent nature curriculum of the sending
district, the difference in demographics, and the timing of entry into our system provides a ensures a diverse population that presents some unique challenges both academically and socially. The administration realized
early on that staff development was a key ingredient to success. In the early 1980's they established Summer Institutes. The institutes were open all school districts, free to Southern teachers and offered at a greatly reduced
rate to members of our sending districts. As additional incentive to encourage staff participation, completion of courses provided credit that could be applied to advances on the salary guide. Beginning to Form a Vision
Southern has had technology in place for almost two decades. When I came here in 1983 I found that the school administrative functions were on an HP 3000 minicomputer and that the middle school and high school each had a computer
lab. Very few teachers had access to computers for themselves or their students, yet they took Summer Institute classes. Those few with access, took the courses to learn a useful skill. Those without access may have taken them
for credit, some out of curiosity , and some out of a love for learning. Regardless of the reasons, hindsight has shown that they were key ingredients in establishing individual early visions of what technology can do for
education. Sense, Stomacher and other systems thinkers will attest to the importance of establishing a district wide vision based on personal visions. Without great forethought or planning in this area, vision was
building. Focus on the Students In the mid 80's Southern made a major effort to educate staff to become more sensitive to diverse learning styles. Over the next three years, national level consultants were brought in
to conduct Fall, Spring, and Summer Institutes, and to work with administration and curriculum specialists to develop curriculum to meet all styles of learning. By early 90's teachers began to see students engaged in a
new types of learning and an annual multidisciplinary unit was conducted at our middle school. From November through February the school would conduct lessons that cut across the curriculum and focused on a particular topic. One
year it was Ancient Egypt, another year it was the Rain forest, and another year it was The Future: 2012. Each February, the project would end with programs, activities, presentations and displays, all open to the public.
Walking the Talk: Letting Learners Lead By 1988 the lessons of the previous years made it clear that two things needed to take place at Southern. First, and foremost was the need to restructure our curriculum to make it
more student centered. Secondly, it was determined that technology would play an important role in the process. Leading the way was an administration that was willing to facilitate the process and allow the teachers to be the
driving force to create the new structure from the bottom up, rather than the top down. They were no longer acting as the sage on the stage. They were the guide on the side. The administration had empowered the staff to lead the
way to change, and was facilitating the process through providing opportunities for individual and group professional growth. Fall, Spring and Summer Institute courses were now a mixture of outside consultants and
in-house experts. The courses began to focus on assessment, student centered curriculum and technology use. After more than two years of study and planning, the middle school moved to a team teaching approach. At the same time,
a group of teachers were being trained in alternative assessment techniques. A major commitment was made toward assessment when we became one of the ten schools involved in the New Jersey Consortium on Assessment, a flagship
project of The Center on Learning, Assessment, and School Structure (CLASS). Some of current assessment instruments from Southern can be seen at the Southern Regional web site.
Technology as a Transformational Tool Technology was being used primarily as a productivity tool. We were doing things we could do without the technology. That wasn't enough. With the availability of Internet, in 1995
and 1996 the emphasis changed. We began to realize that computers should be tools for all students in all classes and that they should be used to do things that couldn't be done without their presence.] By 1994 it
became evident that technology would become an integral part of our school system. Yet, up to this point, technology was primarily taught as a separate subject. There were classes in keyboarding, word processing, data base, and
spreadsheets. There were programming and CAD courses, but most computer use was in lab settings. Technology was being used primarily as a productivity tool. We were doing things we could do without the technology.
That wasn't enough. With the availability of Internet, in 1995 and 1996 the emphasis changed. We began to realize that computers should be tools for all students in all classes and that they should be used to do things that
couldn't be done without their presence Two initiatives led the way to this change. The first was the introduction of a 56K Internet connection and an Internet elective for students. The second was a major move to put
computers in the classroom, beginning with each of our eight science labs. Each lab was equipped with twelve computers connected to the Internet. During the spring and summer of 1995 science teachers and I prepared to
use computers within the context of our courses. Ten science teachers and two mentors were enrolled in two different outside initiatives. The first was CoSn (Consortium for School Networking), and the second was the Online Internet Institute (OII). Having been charged with writing curriculum for the Internet course and training teachers, I focused on activities surrounding OII and mentored a group of teachers interested in
creating a web site to use as a training and curriculum tool. By a fortunate coincidence I had spent a half-dozen years running computer bulletin boards and teaching multimedia production. Little did I realize at the time that it
was on the job training for Internet and web publishing. OII provided me with the opportunity to experience the power of online collaboration. During that eight-week period hundreds of messages were exchanged and the
site took shape. By the time it was over, we had a product that was far greater than the sum of it's parts. It was a body of knowledge that represented the efforts of twelve people collaborating in a way never before possible.
The barriers of time and distance were broken. The original site can still be seen at the SRSD site. . Over the years it has grown from its original 300K size to well over 130MB. Though my original goal was the creation of a web site, the more I reflected on what we had accomplished, the more I realized the importance of the process we had experienced. As I examined the site, I decided that this material would not be the emphasis of my new Internet course, nor the basis for teacher training that I was going to undertake. Instead, the emphasis for both my students and our teachers would be on the process that was undertaken to construct the site. I wanted them to be able to create useful educational products as a result of collaboration.
HTML, FTP, Telnet, and email were all important tools to learn, but the emphasis had to be on the collaborative process, communication, and the construction of knowledge. An updated version of the original web site stood as a reference for students and teachers involved in my course and training, but the real thrust of the course was the creation of products that represented the outcome of study or learning. Doing What Works When we first approached the Board with my offer to retire, one of the questions
they asked was when the training would take place. I indicated the training would take place whenever and wherever it was needed. It didn't matter whether it was prep periods, after school, release time, professional development
days, Saturdays, or evenings, I would be available and make the necessary arrangements. (Yogi would have been proud.) The next question was a logical one. How could the Board be sure that teachers would take advantage
of all of those opportunities? My reply was based on what I know of teachers. I told them that teachers wanted to learn about how to implement technology effectively and learn best when they are learning about things that they can
apply directly to their job. I told them I was confident they would ask for help and would be eager to take advantage of it knowing they would have ongoing support for things they were going to be able to use. The
answer to the Board's questions came in my first report about the first two months of this year. I was hired to begin on September 1, but began the online community building process by starting informal discussions with about three
dozen staff members via a summer mailing list. The first formal face to face classes didn't begin until November. Much of my time was spent setting up our intranet and creating online tutorials and learning tools for activities
that would take place during the year. During that same time, simply as a result of teacher requests, walking the halls, and visiting the teachers room, I had met with dozens of teachers, helping them with things like e-mail,
creating technology based lessons, creating web pages for their classes, planning projects, and setting up online conferencing. Every single contact made with teachers during those first two months was during their prep time,
lunchtime, after school, or in the evening via email. This type of one-on-one, just in time training or training on demand is unique in many ways. First there is no way that you could provide this type of individual
attention unless there is an on-staff person. Second, the value of 30 minutes of one-on-one training when it is going to be applied in the classroom is greater than a three hour training session for a large group of people who
won't be able to apply it immediately. From Training to Application This brings us to the current school year. Supported by the Technology Readiness report, the
district is moving ahead. Money was set aside to provide teachers who had completed Tier Training with classroom computers and I was hired to work with the cadre and other staff.
Almost immediately thereafter, we became the recipients of a NJ Comps for Kids grant. It allowed us to purchase and additional 128 computers for an additional 16 classrooms. Under the grant, teachers would receive three days of training from EIRC.
Administration has made it possible for teachers to participate in a wide range on technology initiatives. Some teachers are involved in the Stevens Institute K-12 initiative.
Another group is participating in Concord Consortium's INTEC program. Still another group is participating in an online course from ASCD on multiple intelligences.
All of these initiatives receive additional supported through our Intranet and mailing lists, both internal and external, as well as face to face support from me. The Intranet and online community is an important
part of the mix. It allows us to communicate without constraints of the classroom walls and the clock and provides a way for teachers to collaborate with their colleagues within the district. Our intranet is
accessible only to our staff and students. There are many advantages to using a closed web based communication system. Probably the major advantage is it allows us to make the most of fair use copyright laws. By using an
Intranet, we can post material and conduct lessons that would be violations of copyright if they were posted to the public web site. There are many other reasons for using an intranet, but that's a topic for another article.]
The Final Pieces It may be true that the only thing that works is what works, but unless there is a way to measure where we are and where we are going, there is no way to prove that things are working. The impact on student
achievement is certainly a gauge of success, and while measuring those results are beyond outside my responsibilities and a little premature, measuring the growth in professional development is not. Mike Schmoker, in
his book Results, tells us the key to getting successful results it to choose small measurable goals, track them, evaluate your success, adjust your approach, set new goals and continue the process. As a means of
establishing a baseline our staff participated in a self-assessment study. The primary instrument used as an adaptation of the Bellingham School District's adaptation of the Mankato Scale. The scale provides a quantitative (though
not necessarily scientific) picture of a wide range of skills and preparedness for change. It allows us to see where we are, determine areas of emphasis, set goals, and track our progress toward those goals. At the
end of each school year, staff with take the survey again, along with a clarifying questionnaire. Growth will be charted and data will be used to modify staff development efforts for the following year. . It is the tracking of
results that brings the process full circle. Only through assessment and evaluation can we determine what actually worked and how we can make things work better in the future. If it's true that the only thing that works is what
works, we want to find out what that is and do more of it. I haven't figured out an objective way to calculate the cost effectiveness of this type of support, but it's obvious that if release time had to be provided to
teachers for this type of training, the cost would be prohibitive. It is also obvious by their reactions that it is having a positive effect on their efforts. The knowledge that they will have support when they hit
roadblocks or head out into new territory has empowered people to take risks. This has been reinforced by people who contact me with questions concerning projects they are undertaking after face to face training. Often they are
questions that I can answer in five minutes, but had they not been answered they might have resulted in hours of frustration and the abandonment of the project. In other cases it might mean spending another prep period, but in
every case the teachers are grateful for the support. As I sit back and think about the effectiveness of providing ongoing support, there are three comments that come to mind immediately. The first was from one of our
teachers who had in the past been frustrated by a lack of support. After one of those five-minute sessions that prevented two hours of frustration he said, "I've died and gone to heaven." The second came from one of our
top science teachers who participated in a 6-hour Saturday session. Already proficient with technology, assessment, and student centered classes I wondered whether the session would meet her need. Her simple words, "This
workshop was really useful" said almost as much as another Saturday session attendee who said, "I hope you realize this is the first Christmas parade I haven't been in in eleven years." The effectiveness
of online support is also well documented. While working in my office or while working at my computer at home, I have software running that checks my e-mail every three minutes. An animated agent announces every message and subject
line as it arrives. Because of this immediate notice, there have been numerous evenings when I will exchange 4-5 e-mails with a teachers who has just sent me a message from their home computer. One incident in
particular illustrates both the teachers' willingness to devote time and effort outside of their day and the effectiveness of this type of support. I received a question from a teacher who wanted to know if it was possible for him
to set up a chat room so he could provide online support to his students as they studied for exams. I replied that I could set up a complete web based conference area for him along with chat and that he would be able to manage all
the features, control the message base and users. I told him I could set it up from home and that I would meet with him the following day to go over the manual and procedures. I also gave him the URL I would set up for him. The next day, shortly before I was going to meet with him, I checked the URL to make sure everything was functioning properly. Much to my surprise, I saw that he had already logged in and used the Help features to
create two conferences for his students. When I arrived at his class he told me he had already made arrangements with two of his students to begin testing the system that night. Do teachers appreciate doing whatever
works? Are they willing to do whatever works? You bet they are! Communications to the author may be addressed to: Art Wolinsky
Southern Regional HS
600 N. Main St.
Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Voice - 609-597-9481 xt 413
Fax - 609.978.5357
Email: awolinsky@adelphia.net |
