Digital Resources Narrative:
This inventory describes current trends and technolgy used in global education and available at Toby Johnson Middle School.
Toby Johnson Middle School:
Most core classes at TJMS have a single computer intended for teacher use, but permissions can be attained to facilitate student presentations when necessary. A mobile cart of 30 laptop computers can be scheduled by teachers for student use. Additionally, the library, which serves the high school and the middle school, has two banks of 20 desktop computers for research and projects. Special education classrooms have between three and six computers available for student use. Three TJMS classrooms are dedicated to technology enrichment courses such as computer and media technology, and yearbook classes. These rooms hold 38, 34, and 32 computers, which are a mix of Macs and PCs. By the time students promote to high school, most have had training and been assessed for mastery in creating multimedia presentations, keyboarding, spreadsheets, MLA formatting, and data entry.
In my own one-computer classroom, technology is used daily. I project Power Point presentations, often embedded with video clips, using an LED projector. Modeling of tasks and analyzing student work is done with a document camera. Since video clips can often enhance instruction, I use You Tube, Teacher Tube, and School Tube to access relevant videos.
What could the future hold for TJMS? Students suggest that laptop computers or iPads be made available to all students. I would add that since iPads are significantly smaller than laptops, storage would not be the problem that it could be with traditional laptop carts. The decreasing cost of iPads makes them an interesting alternative to laptops as well. Students also believe lessons recorded for podcast would be helpful because they would be able to review the material multiple times when necessary. Teachers suggest that more classroom computers would facilitate research, differentiated lessons, opportunities for individualizing student learning plans, and classroom-to-classroom collaborations. More professional development opportunities should be made available for teachers and staff members who wish to optimally utilize technology in education.
TJMS Specific Digital Resources:
Tools, Software, Operating Systems, Equipment, and Uses:
Operating System: Windows 7
Equipment: In addition to classroom, library, and portable computers, most core classrooms have LED projectors, document cameras, and video streaming for schoolwide broadcasts. Teachers' computers use a Microsoft Office software suite which includes Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Websites and Social Networks:
Adobe Education Exchange: TJMS teachers have access to and exchange technology resources at this site.
California Learns: California Learns is an instructional resource portal for teachers and students. Some resources available at this site are tutorials, curriculum plans, 21st Century learning, staff development, media resources, and World Book
encyclopedias.
Cicero: This online K-12 digital resource consisting of lesson plans, primary sources, standards, rubrics, assessments, activities, videos, games, interactive maps, and more. CICERO is focused on United States History.
Elk Grove Unified School District: The district website could be one of the most undervalued resource sites for both the community at large and educators. It includes Teaching American History curriculum and news, and recognizes the need to evolve using 21st Century teaching and learning strategies. It also includes several links, blogs, and tools for using the internet safely.
eShare: Students share personal images with the yearbook staff through this site.
Facebook: The yearbook class and the 8th grade Washington D.C. travelers each have pages to communicate with
student and parent group members.
Herff Jones: Students use this site to design the yearbook.
Holt McDougal Online: Science and social science textbooks are supported at this online website. A digital version of the student textbook is available along with teacher support and language resources. Students may use this website to review book sections, take practice quizzes, and further explore content through activities and resources. Teacher use of this site at TJMS varies greatly.
School Loop
This public school social network site includes a gradebook, a document management system, email, and staff websites available to students and parents around the clock. Teachers use School Loop to create websites on which they post brief
biographies, photographs, team and classroom news, resources, documents, Power Points, gradebooks, and assignments. This all-in-one system allows for secure student-to-student and student-to-teacher discussions and provides an easy email access for all parties. All teachers use the gradebook and email. The degree to which other attributes are used by individual teachers varies.
Shutterfly
Shutterfly is an online photo storage service. They offer creative photographic products and services. I use this site to share photos and videos with the Washington D.C. traveler groups and professional development groups.
Assessing Student Technology Literacy
Computer technology classes test student technology literacy in several units including Keyboarding, Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Data, Multimedia Presentations, Computer Concepts, and Publishing. A series of assignments leads up to a culminating final student project demonstrating mastery.
Learning to Change - Changing to Learn
Consortium for School Networking(COSN) Video
Consortium for School Networking(COSN) Video
"I used to think that cyberspace was fifty years away. What I thought was fifty years
away, was only ten years away. And what I thought was ten years away... it was
already here. I just wasn't aware of it yet."
~ Bruce Sterling