Application for 21st Century Model Classroom
Who may apply: Any individual or group (grade level, department, team, etcetera) of school-based certified staff members P-12.
Outline the scope of the project: The purpose of the project is to establish model classrooms across several grades and disciplines. The model classrooms will provide us with a roadmap to best practice and instruction district-wide. We have approximately 1000 laptops and 225 interactive whiteboards to redistribute to Clarke County classrooms as well as limited funding to augment these basic requests.
Security issues: Applicants are responsible for providing security for any equipment they request. The security of any equipment received will be the responsibility of the teacher and the school.
Evaluation of applications: In order to make the process fair and equitable, we will be using the attached application. A group of judges will use the rubric to score applications. The judging rubric is on the last page of this document. Please read the rubric carefully before emailing your application.
What can you ask for:
1. The BASICS You do not have to ask for all of these items. For example, if you only want a whiteboard, feel free to write an application for just a whiteboard:
· Laptops from 1 to a full class set
· Seamless wireless access
· An interactive whiteboard http://www.smarttech.com/education/tips.asp
2. The EXTRAS Examples are listed of the type of equipment you may request above and beyond the basics listed above. This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are limited funds so do not think of this as a way to get a “bunch o’ stuff”. The process will be highly competitive. These should be items you absolutely cannot do your project without. It will be subject to funding availability and the viability of your project.
· Peripherals
o Video or still cameras
o iPods
o VR technology-http://www.panavue.com
o Digital microscopes
o Document cameras
o Probeware
o Handhelds
o Video conferencing http://www.tandberg.net/ind_focus/education/index.jsp
· Specific software related to your discipline, for instance, but not limited to
o Special Education – Solo
o Reading – Lexia (ES) Live Ink (ms/hs)
o Language- Rosetta Stone
· Online resource subscriptions or curriculum, for instance, but not limited to
o Jason continuation (for teachers already involved with the project)
o Criterion
· Others as you see fit
3. Your obligations
· Attend training to support your classroom-specific needs whenever it is scheduled which may be after-school, summer or weekends.
· Use technology regularly with your students for the full academic year
· Post lesson plans for district wide reference
· Allow observers in your classroom
· Keep your teacher website updated
· Share hardware and software resources with other teachers within your school
4. What you need to do to be considered:
1. Complete the formal application and
2. Provide 3 references, 1 each from
a. your principal,
b. an ETG rep or your building technology coordinator or another individual who knows of your use of technology in the classroom.
c. a student
3. Email application and references to by September 30, 2005 at 4:45 PM.
Important Dates:
Application distributed: May 18
Application due: Sep 30
Recipient notified: Oct 28
Receipt of equipment: beginning Dec5
Application for Model Classroom 2005-2006
Name: Jesse Thompson
Grade: Check all that apply
P 1 2 3 4 5
6X 7X 8X
9 10 11 12
Subject: Check all that apply
X Math Art
X Social Studies Music
X Science Drama
X Language Arts PE/Health
Foreign Language ROTC
ESOL Special Education
CTE X Gifted
Your vision of a 21st Century Classroom. My vision of a 21st Century Classroom is one that is not limited by the practices of the old, but that is up-to-date with our children's interests and needs. I teach 8th grade Georgia History in the mornings and spend the rest of my day collaborating with teachers in the building through the gifted Spectrum Program. Currently, in my classroom, we are working on ways to better incorporate technology. We try to use the laptop carts and lab when available. For our latest venture we are starting to set up a classroom blog. The blog will serve as a review tool and a way to communicate with parents, students, and the community about everything that is happening in our classroom. Additionally, we have been trying to assemble the needed supplies to make and record a classroom Podcast that will be written and recorded weekly by the students. Again, this is a great tool to review with the students and for community communication. By receiving the 21st Century Classroom we would be able to have access to all the equipment to make these goals a reality. Additionally, the blog and Podcast are great ways to show my students and the country that we are inline and plugged into the current trends in technology.
Additional computer resources like webpage, video, and photo editing software would allow my students to create very elaborate, in-depth projects about the major themes and units we cover in my Georgia History course. Last year my classes developed a searchable database of the Civil Rights Movement involving famous people, places and events. However, this project never reached its full scope due to some of the technological limitations at the time, mainly the amount of available resources. With a 21st Century Classroom constructing complex projects like this is a reality. Students would have access to endless primary documents/sources, something that is vital for the study of history, and countless academic references to explore (in-depth) all the units of Georgia History. When a student can go beyond the surface, when a student can see the connections of events, when a student can uncover the things the textbook left out that is when the information starts to impact their lives and stay with them.
In a 21st Century Classroom students that struggle with concepts have countless tools at their aid. Through the use of programs like Inspiration students and teachers can outline ideas with graphic organizers. If a students stumbles on a word they do not know they simply refer to their online dictionary, even click to hear it pronounced. Students can submit work electronically and the teacher can already begin making feedback while the student continues to work. The possibilities are endless.
Lastly, I am also the gifted coordinator for the school and this would be a great tool for the Spectrum Program. My classroom would turn into a resource classroom for all of the other students in the school. The computer room would be separate from any lab because a teacher would come attached with it. I would be there to work with any teacher to develop lessons and activities that take full advantage of the materials and technology. Then whole classes (or even smaller groups of students) could come to my room and we would have a collaborative lesson. In turn, this 21st Century Classroom would be open to all teachers and students in the school to take advantage of.
1. Please list exactly what hardware and software you are requesting. How you will use the requested technology with your students on a daily basis? The things I really need:
A classroom set of laptops,
wireless access
a boxlight
at least 2 microphones
an audio interface (to line in microphones)
audio recording/editing software (something like Soundforge would work)
CD-R/DVD+-R Capabilities (either in the laptops or an external unit)
Macromedia MX Software pack: Dreamweaver, Flash, etc
Adobe Photoshop
Video Camera
Video Editting Software (Windows Movie Maker will work, but higher end software would be nice like Adobe Priemer)
Computer Speaker system and at least 2 pair of quality headphones
the standard Windows XP bundled software included with teacher labtops: Mircosoft Office XP, Inspiration, Timeliner, etc
Whiteboard
The laptops and wireless internet will be used for the computer projects discussed in the vision, including blogs, databases, papers, powerpoints.
The audio and video equipment/software would be used for the creation of the Podcast and for video projects.
Other software programs to be used in lessons for graphic organizers, outlining information, presentations, papers, lessons, etc.
Whiteboard used as a delivery tool and the centeral hub of all media in the classroom.
2. How will you evaluate the success of your project? I will evaluate the success of this project many ways. True success will be seen in the quality of work the students produce. As the class continues to use the equipment their understanding and development of critical thinking will improve. Success will be seen in the climate of the class. A successful classroom is one where the students are eager to begin their assignments, they enjoy coming to class and they want to be a part of the learning environment. On paper, the success of the project can be seen with improved CRCT test scores, not only in my content area but in all areas,especially reading and language arts. Another way I can gage the project's success is through use and demand of the equipment and the continued return of teachers using it. If teachers are regularly requesting collaboration time and use of the room, it shows me they find my services benefital. If teachers are not requesting this time, then it will be my job to find ways to better use and share this techonolgy.
3. How will this project support the goals and/or action steps of your School Improvement Plan? How does this project impact student achievement? Improving reading and math scores are two major areas of our SIP. Through the use of web-based research projects we can build on improving students reading and writing skills. A computer allows for better individual based learning. Websites and programs can be adjusted to a student’s learning level and they can work at their own pace. It is also more interesting for the students and triggers motivation, making them more willingly to take part in lessons. By collaborating with math teachers, we can build lessons using math practice websites, math projects, CRCT practice, and the textbook website to improve math skills.
Another part of the SIP is to improve attendance. Children come to school when there is something exciting happening or something to look forward too. When there is the possibility to break away from the same-old day-to-day routine students get excited. They want to come to school; they want to be a part of the classroom because they feel there is something for them at school. It is something they want to do; it is something that reflects their interests and wants. In the end, test scores improve and attendance increases. Once the students are hooked in, most of them are not even aware they are learning and working harder than ever.
4. How does your vision align with the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S)? With the NETS*Teacher standards? Be specific and complete. See http://cnets.iste.org/students/
The NETS for Students states that simply having technology is not the answer, that it must be used effectivly and be used for learning, teaching and as well as educational managed. Activities must be student-centered, the assessment must be effective, educators must be skilled and knowledge concerning technology. All of these strageties help to transform the classroom from the traditional model to that a new, student-centered model that takes advantage of advances in technology to enhance teaching.
My vision follows on this same path. Simply having these computers and this equipment is not enough. The lessons must be impactful, this must have depth and they must allow students the freedom to explore concepts and ideas. The students need to see how all the pieces fit together. My vision and the focus of the NETS for Students provides the oppurtinity to see the connections between the different units taught in my classroom and all other content areas.
Since I plan on sharing these resources and collaborating with various teachers through my building, it pushes the possiblities wide open. With more than one person working toward this goal of the "new learning environment" I can use these resources more effectively.
5. How will you disseminate the results of your project? (grade/department, building, district, state, national) I will use my ability to go from grade to grade as gifted coordinator to disseminate the results of my project to the rest of the building. I will also use my position as Social Studies department chair to disseminate the results. The great thing about my position is that it easily allows me to work with all teachers in the building to share and collaborate ideas and lessons. Secondly, I will be able to share my ideas throughout the district through departmental meetings and Spectrum's monthly meetings. It is at these teams that I can disseminate my results, share ideas and gain insight from fellow Clarke County employees. As for the state and national level, this is where the internet plays a major role. With a classroom blog and podcast being updated and posted weekly, we are able to share our ideas and successes through the rest of the country. We will be plugged in with the rest of the world showcasing the exciting and inventive things we are doing at 1600 Tallassee Road. We will be a model of the 21st Century Classroom for all of Clarke County, Geogria and the USA.
6. How will you share the hardware resources with other members of your teaching staff? I will continue to share all projects ideas with my fellow teaching staff through collaboration and joint planning. Additionally, my role as the gifted coordinator allows me to work one-on-one with all the teachers in the building. For the second part of each day, I can open access to my classroom resources to all the other teachers and students in the building. I can collaborate and construct lessons plans together and even teach the lessons along side the content teacher. All of this ensures that the resources are being taken full advantage of. Everyone in the building will benefit. Lastly, I can share and brainstorm strategies and lessons with the other three middle school in Clarke County through the Spectrum monthly meetings of coordinators.
7. Have you attached 3 recommendations?X Yes No