The World Wide Web provides rich resources for educators, but they are only useful if educators know what resources are there and how to find them. Participants in this workshop will explore the range of educational material available on the Internet and learn time-saving skills to effectively search the Internet for useful curricular resources. Participants will become familiar with popular search engines, subject directories and educational listservs, and will learn techniques to use each one appropriately and efficiently. The workshop will also examine the importance of critical evaluation of World Wide Web resources and consider how to develop evaluation skills in the classroom. Participants will leave the workshop with a collection of selected World Wide Web resources appropriate for their own classroom use.

Educators know there are valuable educational materials on the Web, but they need time and support to incorporate these materials into their curricula. Participants will explore popular formats for developing Web-enhanced lessons such as WebQuests, Internet Scavenger Hunts, Web-Based Scrapbooks, and Hotlists. This workshop will also explore popular Web-based tools such as TrackStar and Filamentality, which help teachers develop inquiry-based curricula using online resources. Participants will use these tools as they begin preliminary designs of Web-enhanced lessons for their own classrooms.

New technologies and the Internet provide tremendous opportunities for students to conduct in-depth original research and to utilize technology to prepare quality presentations of final research products. This workshop will explore age-appropriate technology tools and resources that support student research and presentation with a particular emphasis on collaborative inquiry and creative product development. Participants will explore electronic tools for concept mapping, using and citing electronic encyclopedias and other resources, and tools for data collection and multimedia presentation. This workshop will support teachers from a range of subject areas and grade levels, including teachers who are interested in helping their students develop science fair projects or interdisciplinary term products.

This workshop, co-developed by EDC and CAST (Center for Applied Special Technologies), provides an introduction to the concept of Universal Design for Learning™ (UDL), its neurological basis, and strategies for a UDL approach in instructional settings. The basic premise of universal design for learning is that a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and applicable to students, teachers, and parents with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts. The workshop is designed to acquaint participants with the basic premise of UDL, and to provide practical, hands on experience using software tools and digital media for learning support. It is designed for all those interested in educating diverse learners in general education classrooms: teachers, administrators, curriculum coordinators, technology specialists, and parents.

This workshop is designed to familiarize participants with the principles of Project-Based Learning (PBL). Throughout this six-week workshop, exemplary projects will be analyzed, critiqued, and evaluated for applicability to participants' classroom needs. Participants will gain hands on experience using software tools to support the planning and execution of projects, and develop collaborative, inquiry-based projects that support their curricular goals. Participants will learn to blend PBL and standards-based design strategies to create curriculum units that enhance student learning. Each participant will leave the online workshop with preliminary plans for a PBL project.

This workshop will enable participants to use Internet resources to design a "virtual field trip" for their students. Participants will become familiar with the strategies and resources that educators use to design these field trips, as well as tips and tricks to ensure their success. By the end of the workshop, participants will have designed effective and engaging virtual field trips for their students that are aligned to state and national standards.

Effective assessment is a key element for student achievement. Assessment is also an ongoing process, requiring multiple methods to assure that teachers gather accurate information that meets the needs of all students. In this workshop, participants will explore effective principles of classroom assessment and a range of assessment methods supported by technology. Participants will review formative and performance assessment, backwards design, and various methods including rubrics and electronic portfolios. By the end of the workshop, participants will design new assessments to use with their curriculum.

Handheld computers offer exciting new opportunities for educators and their students. Due to their low cost and versatility, handhelds are accessible to more classrooms than traditional computers. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to Palm OS handhelds and educational applications. This workshop will explore the use of handheld computers for personal productivity and classroom management, as well as for curricular use across grade-level and subject-area. Educators in this workshop will additionally consider the use of handhelds to meet individual learning needs of all students. Participants will complete the workshop with a collection of resources and a plan to integrate handhelds into personal and/or classroom use.

Note: Throughout the workshop, participants will install and test software applications, so access to both a Palm OS handheld and a computer with Palm Desktop software installed is strongly recommended.

Addressing the individual learning styles of students can be a challenge for teachers. The World Wide Web contains a vast number of resources to assist teachers in understanding and planning for the different avenues through which students learn best. Participants in this workshop will review a range of web sites providing information about learning theory related to learning styles and multiple intelligences, as well as resources to assist teachers in both identifying students' learning styles and intelligences and engaging students in activities which best suit those styles and intelligences. Participants will become familiar with teaching strategies and tools targeted for each learning style and intelligence and develop a preliminary lesson plan using those strategies and tools.

This workshop is designed to help teachers take an in-depth look at the power of digital portfolios as a tool to document student learning through exploring various formats and uses of digital portfolios in classrooms. Teachers will also be introduced to a wide variety of tools that can be used to create and assemble digital portfolios, and investigate criteria that may be used to select components that would be included in the portfolio. They will leave the workshop with detailed plans for implementing a digital portfolio project in their respective classrooms.

In this course, participants will develop a technology-enhanced lesson that addresses national and local literacy standards, and connects reading and writing with other curriculum areas. To support this development process, participants will examine a sample lesson plan that incorporates several ways technology can support reading and writing across the curriculum. Participants will experiment with technologies that can be used to develop vocabulary and facilitate each phase of the writing process, including concept-mapping, peer review, editing, and publishing student work. They will examine how the Internet can be used to foster reading-writing connections and to help students develop critical research skills. Participants will also be introduced to assistive technologies that can help students with special needs learn to read and write independently. Participants will also discuss assessment strategies for technology-enhanced literacy projects.

In this workshop, participants will explore how new technologies can support emerging literacy development in kindergarten through second grade. Participants will investigate tools and strategies that can help build phonemic awareness and facilitate the transition from invented spelling to English spelling. Participants will also explore strategies for integrating reading and writing with meaningful project-based activities, and experiment with software tools for publishing student work and creating class books. Participants will complete the workshop with a number of resources and ideas for immediate classroom use.

Participants in this workshop will discover the many ways in which new technologies can support classroom reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade. As they examine existing research on literacy technologies, participants will also review or familiarize themselves with the five areas of instruction discussed in the National Reading Panel's 2000 report on early reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. The workshop will put special emphasis on evidence-based uses of technology for reading instruction.

In this workshop, participants will explore new technologies that can be used in elementary math instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade. Participants will review NCTM and state standards and examine the ways in which tools like virtual manipulatives, calculators, spreadsheet programs, online data sources, and applets can support these goals. In particular, the workshop will address ways in which technology can support elementary algebra, geometry, and data analysis standards. Participants will leave the workshop with complete lesson plans for integrating at least one new technology into instruction in their own classrooms.

In this workshop, participants will explore the use of online data sources to enhance inquiry-based teaching and learning in the science curriculum. The National Weather Service and NASA are just two of the organizations now providing K–12 educators with both historical and real-time data from around the world. By using the Internet as a link to the data, students can participate in building meaningful models that will assist them in gaining a better grasp of both local and worldwide science issues. In many cases, students become part of a worldwide network of investigators by adding their local findings to a larger database.

There is a tremendous wealth of Web-based resources that support active learning and primary research in the Social Studies classroom. Participants will explore the range of available resources including newly accessible collections of original documents, vast reservoirs of secondary historical information, and online resources designed to support Social Studies teachers in curriculum development. Participants will consider effective research strategies and engage in critical analysis of web resources. Participants will complete the workshop having developed a collection of project ideas to serve their particular curricular goals and a community of Social Studies teachers to support their ongoing development.

This workshop will support teachers in their incorporation of new technologies into the writing curriculum. Participants will be introduced to powerful software and web-based tools that enhance the various stages of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and publishing. Participants will also explore a range of resources and exemplary projects that take advantage of these new technologies in the classroom. For example, participants will discover the potential of writing exchanges on electronic networks, view examples of such projects, and think together about how these tools could be incorporated into their specific curricula. Participants will complete the workshop with a collection of resources that serve their particular curricular goals.

Technology tools and web-based materials provide important ways for math educators to meet local and national standards that emphasize problem solving and making connections between mathematics, other disciplines and the real world. This workshop will explore a range of web-based resources and exemplary projects which utilize technology to support these goals. Participants will learn how to find sources of real data on the web and explore technology tools that help students model, analyze, visualize and make sense of these data. Participants will complete the workshop with a collection of resources and beginning project ideas that serve their curricular goals.

This workshop will prepare teachers to use virtual manipulatives to help their students get ready for algebra. Participants will explore the 17 Algebra Readiness indicators developed by the SREB (Southern Region Education Board) and ETS (the Educational Testing Service), including the five "process" indicators and the twelve "content and skills" indicators. Participants will learn how they can use virtual manipulatives and other technologies to help their students gain proficiency in order to be successful algebra students. Participants will complete a technology enhanced classroom project for their students that is aligned to NCTM and state standards.

When teachers integrate adolescent literature into the curriculum, students are given an opportunity to learn about themselves and the world during a critical time in their development. Recent research on reading development suggests a growing number of evidence-based practices that can help students with the complex process of reading to make meaning. In this workshop, participants will learn how to select literature for students of varied needs and how to improve students' reading comprehension through questioning techniques. They will also explore a wide range of literature response strategies and techniques for assessment. As a final product, participants will create a classroom lesson based on the strategies learned in this workshop.

In order to be successful in content area classes such as social studies, science, and mathematics, students must be able to read a variety of informational texts and produce written documents. This workshop will give teachers the tools they need to integrate literacy strategies into content learning to help raise student achievement. Participants will use the Literacy Matters web site as an anchor throughout this workshop for exploring instructional strategies. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to locate web-based tools, strategies, and lessons that foster literacy skills in all content areas. They will also have developed a preliminary lesson plan incorporating these tools and strategies.

Struggling readers and writers may have difficulty decoding text, comprehending, and conveying ideas through writing. This workshop focuses specifically on supporting the academic development of students who are competent decoders but who struggle to understand the meaning of what they read. We will explore the different types of comprehension difficulties students may face and will introduce a number of research-based strategies to improve comprehension skills. As a final project, participants will design and implement a lesson plan focused on improving students' reading comprehension.

In this workshop for middle school teachers of mathematics, participants will explore the nature of algebraic thinking and develop strategies for encouraging the development of algebraic thinking in their students. Through readings, video clips, and examination of student work, participants will learn to: 1) recognize and build on opportunities for algebraic thinking in a variety of mathematics contexts; 2) analyze their students' algebraic thinking; and 3) pose questions that encourage the development of algebraic thinking. Participants will also produce a lesson plan that incorporates the key concepts of the workshop.

The World Wide Web provides rich resources for educators, but they are only useful if educators know what resources are there and how to find them. Participants in this workshop will explore the range of educational material available on the Internet and learn time-saving skills to search the Web more effectively for useful curricular resources. Participants will become familiar with popular search engines and subject directories and will learn techniques to use each one appropriately and efficiently. The workshop will also examine the importance of critical evaluation of web resources and consider how to encourage the development of evaluation skills in the classroom. Participants will leave the workshop with a collection of web resources designed to promote the integration of technology within their school communities.

This workshop, co-developed by EDC and CAST (Center for Applied Special Technologies), provides an introduction to the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and strategies for implementing a UDL approach in instructional settings. Universal Design for Learning is a new approach to teaching and learning and the development of curriculum and assessment that draws on current brain research and new media technologies to respond to individual differences. UDL curricula, teaching practices, and policies are inherently flexible and therefore may reduce the demand on educators to develop and implement modifications and accommodations to meet individual differences within general education learning environments. The basic premise of UDL is that a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and applicable to students, teachers, and parents with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts.

This workshop is designed to acquaint participants with UDL principles, and provide practical, hands-on experience using software tools and digital media to support learning. Participants will explore how these tools can be incorporated into classroom practice, and begin preliminary steps to design an approach to integrate these concepts into their schools/districts.

Planning for curriculum integration of technology involves building models of teaching and learning that are consistent with good educational practice. A role of administrators is to engage staff in discussions about good uses of technology. When technology is used well, student learning is focused on deeper understandings and connections to the world. School districts are investing heavily in technology for their teachers and students, and are considering how technology can be used to maximize the learning conditions and experiences of their students. This five-week workshop presents what good curriculum integration of technology looks like (and what it does not look like). Participants will use the research and practice of PCIT to assess their own school/district and to develop plans for improving uses of technology that work with current school/district initiatives. By the end of the workshop, participants will have worked with like-minded peers to identify goals for their schools/districts. They will have created action plans that describe success, strategies to monitor and evaluate progress, and ways to communicate most effectively with the stakeholders in the community.

As the number of computers in schools and the number of children accessing the Internet from the classroom have grown exponentially over the past few years, so too have the challenges facing educators trying to ensure that children have a positive experience when they go online. This five-week workshop, co-developed by NEIRTEC (Northeast and the Islands Regional Technology in Education Consortium), the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), and SERC (Satellite Educational Resources Consortium), is an online course designed to help school and district administrators and leaders, technology coordinators, specialists, and others understand their specific options for protecting children when they access the Internet over a school-based or statewide educational network. The course also provides essential information to help school leaders and administrators to understand the requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act, a piece of legislation passed in December 2000 which mandates that schools and libraries receiving E-Rate discounts put Internet safety policies into effect that include filtering or blocking of online material considered harmful to minors. This course will enable educators to: 1) gain a better understanding of the issues related to Internet safety; 2) explore their own school/district’s current approaches to protecting students online; and 3) formulate strategies for refining these approaches in light of current legislation and tried practice.

It is imperative that educational leaders have the skills and knowledge necessary to respond to the multiple challenges of reduced budgets, increased accountability requirements, and growing concerns about the impact of technology investments in education. It is no longer sufficient to be knowledgeable about the installation of equipment, networks, software, and professional development models and resources; educators must also have the skills and resources necessary to make strategic decisions about calculating costs, allocating resources, and projecting multiyear budgets.
This workshop will provide appropriate, timely, targeted resources for technology budgeting; help districts and organizations grapple with issues of fiscal accountability; provide a framework outlining the major considerations when budgeting for technology integration; and help educators respond to school board and community concerns about investments in educational technology.

Research indicates that effective school improvement plans should be based on careful analysis of school data. This workshop provides an introduction to the process of using data to guide school reform. Workshop participants will review current data-driven decision-making theory; use technology to identify, gather, and analyze data for patterns and trends; examine the role of data in equity reform; and develop action plans in support of their school-based data.

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How does it work?

Each 6-week class is conducted online. There are 3 face-to-face meetings in which you receive a class overview and instruction in the use of Blackboard, give feedback, and share products. The class assignments are posted online each week on Blackboard. You submit your projects to the instructor via Blackboard. The instructors are certified online specialists who will communicate with you regularly, facilitate assignments, and assess your work.

How do I request a class?

Based upon teacher feedback and requests, Instructional Technology selects at least 4 classes per school year to offer district personnel. To request that a class be offered, simply call Nancy Hodges at 387-9759 and state your preference. The current year, 2006-2007, course offerings are listed online.