Spring Cove School District

The Digital District (Phase 2)

Locale: Urban Fringe of Mid-Size City
Students: 2142
Teachers: 123
Grades served K-12
Membership by Race/Ethnicity:
Am. Ind./Alaskan:0
Asian: 11
Black: 9
Hispanic: 3
White: 2119

Spring Cove has made many improvements to its technology infrastructure with the installation of a broadband network throughout its five schools and the purchase of an administrative software system. The great challenge presented to MAR*TEC is the seamless integration of technology into the curriculum and everyday activity of teachers and students. Training began in the summer of 2001 with a two-week intensive course delivered by MAR*TEC staff to a cross section of 18 teachers from each of the schools. There they learned how to integrate productivity software and the Internet into their existing curricula and lesson plans, which in essence was a practical planning session for the next academic year. Teachers created several products that are currently being used as examples for their students to model in a variety of projects and subjects. According a report filed by Assistant Superintendent Hank Botteicher, after interviews with each participating teacher to gain feedback on the training:

To a person, all members of the I-Tech Team believe the course to be of great value to them both personally and professionally. Many positive statements were reflected to the quality performance and organization of Barry Mansfield and his style and techniques of delivery. It was further indicated that all participants would take the course knowing what they now know. Comments such as: "Course is a must for everyone." "I would recommend it to any teacher." "Time went so fast." "I can't believe how much I learned." These are indicative of the responses received. (Botteicher, H., 2002)

The progress of I-Tech Team, the name given to this group of 18, has been relatively strong considering the sometimes-radical shift a teacher has to take. This shift not only accounts for planning and implementing meaningful uses of technology in the classroom, but even more importantly, moving towards more engaged, student-centered, and higher-order learning approaches that technology can deliver will determine the degree to which a teacher will effectively implement that technology. Another factor to consider was the perceived lack of access the teachers reported in interviews in November 2001. Many claimed lack of equipment as an obstacle to implement their plans; however, some teachers were able to improvise and find creative ways to integrate the technology, whether it be going to a computer lab, the library, creative classroom management, or use of computers at home (75% of students have computers at home). Examples of this integration are numerous; here is a selection from Morrison's Cove Her ald that demonstrate just a few:

One area of particular interest to readers is technology use in the classroom. The next several COMMUNITY UPDATES will focus on how technology is currently being used in different classrooms within the Spring Cove School District.

They were called the I-Team Waterworld Survival Unit ... a group of eighth grade students at the Spring Cove Middle School ... and their job was to find the hidden envelopes at the J&B Tree Farm using the Global Positioning Satellite. The first envelope was hidden and the students were given the coordinates. This second envelope contained coordinates for the next envelope and so on until all 12 envelopes were found among the trees. The SCMS "explorers" discovered that the GPS system was accurate within 12 feet. It was also a very real life lesson in technology, and its uses in today's world.

In the past, sixth grade students at the Spring Cove Middle School would visit the library and hit the encyclopedias to research their 50 states project. This year the students went beyond using traditional resources. School librarian, Nancy Newlin, introduced the students in Mrs. Penny Maugle's, Mrs. Tracey Shingler's and Mrs. Julie Waite's language arts and social studies classes to the 50states.com website. Each student spent time on the computer at the 50states.com Internet site and found the information up to date and extremely helpful. The teachers discovered that the students were highly motivated and had a lot more fun researching the states using the web. In fact, a number of students took it upon themselves to seek out more information, more sources, and more sites using search engines.

First, second and third grade students at East Freedom Elementary School are using wireless laptop computers four days a week for 30 minutes a day to work at specific language arts skills in English, reading and writing. The computer program, Compass Learning, allows teachers to prescribe lessons to meet individual student needs. The program scores the students responses and provides additional practice until the student demonstrates a certain level of proficiency. This past summer the teachers connected the lessons to the state standards. According to second grade teacher, Melissa Angelo. "The students really like it. They get excited and motivated by it. It's a tool we use to help meet individual student needs" (Community Update, 2002).

During the 2002 summer, training by MAR*TEC will be doubled to 40 teachers. Twenty teachers will be trained in person and another 20 will be trained via video conferencing from Temple University.