Team+3+-+Curriculum

USD 325 has taken necessary steps to insure that the resources are in place to maintain tools and access while providing the necessary support and professional development so that together we can accomplish our district’s mission, our technology vision, meet school improvement goals, and achieve our measurable objectives that are aligned to 21st Century Teaching and Learning: NETS and P21 Framework, local School Improvement goals, 3Rs (Rigor, Relevance and Relationships) and 4Cs : (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity).
 * __ Curriculum Integration Goals and Objectives: __**


 * What evidence would you see that technology at USD 325 is integrated into a wide array of tasks designed to address school improvement goals in reading, writing, math, social studies and communications skills across the curriculum? **

Primary students in MTSS groups read books together and then record video book reviews that end with discovery questions. Their reviews are shared with classmates, or with parents via email, website, at parent conferences or at special events.

Elementary students read biographies and then scan teacher created QR codes to access more information about the author, subject, or events in their books.

Third graders access websites associated with reading textbooks to take pre-and post-test reading comprehension assessments and follow up with extension activities linked to the reading selections in their textbooks. Through access to recommended websites they discover a wide array of online information or current events related to the characters, authors or key ideas from the reading selections. They locate more books written by a particular author or about a particular character or idea that they might enjoy reading. Then it is off to the library media center to check that book out or a quick swipe and tap to download to their mobile device.

Fourth grade students go online to check schedules of activities and athletics, birthdays and current events or topics of interest. They conduct informal polls, gather images, video presentations and publish a weekly highlights video to their teacher’s web page. Other groups of fourth graders use word processing skills to compose word problems and exchange them with classmates to practice the solution processes.

Middle school students use online access to Renaissance Learning STAR reading tests to assess individual comprehension skills and establish a reading level range. They use their reading range to select appropriate books form the library media center. Students select books based on their personal interests. They read, discuss, and use a variety of software and web tools to share reviews of favorites.

Seventh and eighth graders investigate engineering concepts and apply them to designing and building bridges. Using special peripheral devices they test the strength of their construction, record, chart and compare the data, and then report their conclusions predicting which designs might work best in different physical applications.

Freshmen choose from an array of software to design multimedia presentations about a significant person or event in their life. They gather and select information, images, sounds or music and combine the elements into a presentation that communicates why and how that person or event impacted their lives. They plan a special class period or event to share their presentations.

Sophomores take an online interest inventory; research careers based on the results of the inventory, and design a spreadsheet that compares average entry-level salaries for selected career fields as well as cost of training and education required to enter that field and then compile a presentation to their classmates on their career(s) of choice.

Students in web development and video classes shoot, edit, convert, and transfer files over the network and schedule broadcasts on the school TV channel. They create articles, slide shows and QuickTime movies uploading them to a hosted server for publication on the district website. They edit video footage from sporting events into highlight clips for individual athletes and export them to iDVD so students can use them in scholarship interviews with coaches at post- secondary schools.

Publications students use their 1-to-1 laptops, Adobe Creative Suite and iPhoto to author, edit and publish the award winning high school newspaper and yearbook. They create QR codes to include in publications so readers can access additional media related to articles and events. They convert the newspaper to PDF for publication to the high school website, and create presentations for regional and state conferences on topics from freedom of press and the high school journalist to processing digital images for color production in small high school yearbooks.

Students in high school computer applications classes access Atomic Learning through their Kan-Ed Empowered Desktop Portal to view tutorials on specific software applications. They use FileMaker Pro to design a database that catalogs, tracks, and prints covers for personal CD collections, or one that creates individual baseball style player cards for local youth soccer teams using imported digital images of each player with information and stats on the flip side. They use iPhoto and PhotoShop Elements to create calendars for family or friends. They take photos on their cell phones, transfer them to the computer via Bluetooth and incorporate them into sample 30-second commercials for area businesses using iMovie and QuickTime.

At USD 325 technology curriculum standards and benchmarks have been established as progressive goals in a scope and sequence introduced and reinforced at different grade levels with proficiency expected by the end of the senior year:

** Evaluating Curriculum Integration **
 * 1) Basic operations and concepts
 * Identify and solve routine hardware and software problems that occur during every day use.
 * Demonstrate ability to organize, locate, retrieve and exchange files on a computer, CD, DVD, external drive or the network.
 * Use the touch system for keyboarding with speed and accuracy.
 * Use multiple devices for multimedia input and output.
 * 1) Digital Citizenship
 * Work collaboratively with others when using technology in the classroom and on a network.
 * Demonstrate positive social and ethical behaviors when using technology.
 * Discuss common uses of technology in daily life with advantages and disadvantages those uses provide.
 * Discuss, practice, and model appropriate social, legal and ethical behaviors when using information technology and demonstrate an understanding of the consequences of misuse.
 * 1) Productivity
 * Use technology tools to support personal productivity, and facilitate learning throughout the curriculum.
 * Use presentation software to incorporate video, graphics, sounds and animation.
 * Use a word processing program to write, edit, and format common personal and business documents.
 * Design and use spreadsheets, databases and charts to complete common tasks
 * Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
 * Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum.
 * Use graphic software to draw and edit images from new and saved files.
 * Cut and paste objects and text within and between documents.
 * Save, retrieve, and print a document to and from an external device.
 * Access the Internet, add, use, sort bookmarks, and send/receive email.
 * Create a simple web page with text and graphics.
 * 1) Communication
 * Select and use available and appropriate multimedia and communications technology to:
 * Access remote information and communicate with peers, experts and others.
 * Participate in collaborative problem solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
 * Design, develop, publish and present products that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts.
 * 1) Research, Problem-solving and Decision-making
 * Select available and appropriate technology resources to:
 * Locate information related to selected topics.
 * Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, and bias of electronic information.
 * Illustrate thoughts, ideas, and stories.
 * Solve problems.
 * Direct independent learning.

Curriculum integration at USD 325 is carefully and thoughtfully evaluated. The district plans to collect data on a regular basis to monitor the levels of technology integration in our classrooms and to determine the impact of that integration on student learning.

Continued progress toward this goal and its objectives will be evaluated in the light of our 3 year commitment to learning that is characterized by the 3 Rs (Rigor, Relevance and Relationships) as well as the 4 Cs (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity). Local Quia surveys are designed to evaluate on these key characteristics. (See survey questions on page 12)

The district measures student technology literacy by the end of 8th grade based on: The district will measure the effective use of technology in teaching/learning through these quantitative assessments:
 * Pre-post test at the beginning and end of 8th grade technology coursework:(Skills include keyboarding; digital citizenship and ethics; use of word processing; database; and graphics applications; and gathering, organizing, and evaluating information retrieved electronically.)
 * Quia survey for students, staff, parents and community completed annually
 * LoTi Assessment for staff completed annually

The district will measure the impact technology has on student academic achievement by student performance on these quantitative assessments:
 * Teacher Assessment of student performance on pre- and post-tests during content are courses and by grades on project or challenged based assignments and technology curriculum benchmarks throughout each grading term
 * Formative and summative computerized assessments (AR, BAIP, KCA, AIMSweb, PALS)
 * Quia surveys completed annually

Building administrators continuously monitor technology use and integration by staff and students via Principal/Administrator walk-throughs, informal classroom observations and formal teacher evaluations. Use of Google forms accessed on iPads make this data collection easier and we hope more accessible to the entire leadership team.

Teachers continuously monitor and adjust instruction to gauge and increase student engagement and choice as they interact with and use technology to complete assignments and projects in all curriculum content areas. Other means of data collection will include:
 * // Conversations with Cyndi // - Qualitative evaluation of learning with technology implemented this fall as 2 day onsite visit and stakeholder conversations with groups of Administrators, staff and students district wide facilitated by Cyndi Danner-Kuhn
 * Formal and informal sharing and reflections on pilot project implementations such as digital cameras in classrooms, mobile learning labs, mounted vs. mobile projectors, Airliner slates, interactive whiteboards, document cameras, professional learning networks, and two current iPad user group projects
 * Results Based Staff Development Evaluations as part of MyLearningPlan implementation
 * Parent Teacher Conference data and evaluations
 * Weekly Administrators meetings and scheduled staff meeting issues and successes
 * Special events – Q & As at community events, meetings, student/staff presentations
 * Productivity and work flow needs of all staff