Module One Notes

After welcomes and introductions, the workshop opened with an interactive activity. In groups of four, teachers shared their hopes for School2Home as well as their concerns.

These hopes were shared by the groups:

• Increase students' critical thinking through reflections
• Improve computer literacy for students
• Continue to increase engagement
• Preparation for students' futures
• All students, including special education students
• Looking forward to good lessons
• Increase technology use in the classroom
• Hope the training will address students with special needs
• Increased student collaboration
• Encourage student inquiry

As were these concerns:

• Concerns about student safety as they carry computers home
• Want 100% investment from teachers, parents and students
• Hope parent attendance at training sessions is high and parent investment in their students' learning
• Concerns about how students will use the technology

Henry Hipps of the Partnership for LA Schools welcomed everyone and added his hopes for the success of the project.

Presenter Micheline LeBlanc introduced Blogging. She talked about Julie and Julia; blogging is a way to put your thoughts into a form--online journal. Three types of tools: how could you use that in the classroom? Use to review at a later time. Suggesting that a participant will blog in the future--we will have a record of thoughts, concerns, activities. Hoping to get volunteers.... Video about blogging.

Presenters shared information about the School2Home program, including overall program goals - as well as the goals for the professional development. They also shared information about the National Education Technology Standards for Students, developed by ISTE. These are outlined on handouts in the packets.

Teachers viewed an Edutopia video about the One-to-One laptop program developed in the state of Maine. The video addressed the desire by teachers in Maine to make the computer more than a $2,000 pencil. Laptops have changed the way students are learning and teachers are teaching in Maine's middle schools. It addressed how to integrate the Internet into teaching and learning.

Teachers worked in groups on a Know/What Activity regarding 1:1 programs - sharing what they know, and what they want to know. The presenters will work on providing answers to things teachers want to know, through the professional development and in consultation with Stevensons' School2Home technology committee. There were many questions about how the distribution of the computers to students would take place.

TPACK and the various taxonomies. Participants viewed segments of a NECC video for an introduction to TPACK - Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge. They also looked at the revised Bloom's taxonomy - with a focus on what teachers want to engage their students. Teachers met in subject area groups to review TPACK strategies for their curriculum areas. The presenters also introduced a lesson planning tool that Stevenson Teachers will be able to use to plan an activity or lesson.

Teacher watched a segment of a video of Miss Toliver, a Harlem middle school math teacher.

Google Docs introduced: Teachers logged into their mymail accounts and wrote a reflection of how they see themselves as a one-to-one teacher.