Standards-Based, Technology-Rich Teaching in Wyoming

By Mark Hoffman

As an educational technologist and professional development trainer for the Wyoming Department of Education, I have worked to provide quality, sustained learning about technology-supported, standards-based educational systems to teachers throughout the state. Wyoming introduced the Standards-Based Schools Institute (WSBSI) almost five years ago to serve as the primary professional development resource for all Wyoming districts and schools.

Now in its fourth year, I think WSBSI has been highly successful because it is based on the sound premise that teachers in a standards-based, technology-enriched school environment will consistently plan classroom instruction and assessment linked to standards and documented student needs. These unit and lesson plans are often created to be delivered in instruction as ireal-worldi situations. The environment offers a breath of fresh air for teachers and students, and fosters an eagerness for knowledge.

By documenting a body of evidence of each studentis learning, our teachers are very successful at developing the kinds of classroom activities that provide learning opportunities for all students to construct knowledge and skills at their own pace using various modes of communication.

The WSBSI training program encourages teachers to reflect regularly on their own practice and collaborate with colleagues to improve each otheris instructional practice. They also communicate with students, colleagues, and parents about student performance relative to the standards and the evidence of student learning collected over time.

As an educational consultant for the WDE, it is my job to provide Wyoming educators with the information, skills, guidance, and resources they require to become successful technology-using, standards-based teachers.

Standards-Based Instruction, Learning, and Assessment

The Standards-Based Institutes kick off each new school year with a five-day summer course entitled Understanding Standards-Based Systems. Following the five-day intensive, a selection of targeted modules is available to participating districts during the course of the school year to focus on specific topics. Every module is offered twice to accommodate district schedules and, depending on the topic, may involve two to four days of training.

Teachers who participate in the full institute curriculum develop the broad range of skills required for standards-based, technology-rich instructional practice. The full curriculum trains educators to:

• Align curriculum with content and performance standards
• Develop learning activities that address appropriate standards and provide all students with opportunities to learn
• Design assessment tasks that evaluate student learning in relation to standards and engage students in demonstrating learning using multiple communication methods
• Collect and document evidence of student learning and teacher practice using appropriate documentation tools and scoring guides
• Explore the elements of collaborative learning in a technology-enriched environment
• Communicate expectations for and evidence of student learning and teacher practice to students, parents, and colleagues
• Employ management procedures that give students the needed structure to be responsible for their own learning in a classroom where technology is at the point of instruction
• Explore underlying theories of effective technology integration in student-centered classrooms
• Use assessment results to inform ongoing instructional and supervisory practices
• Plan and design classroom instruction, assessment, and record-keeping systems coordinated with school, district, and state assessment programs.

Teachers who participate in the institute value the opportunity for solitary reflection on their individual practices and for collaboration with their peers on inquiry teams. By working in their cohorts with teacher mentors and their trainers, teachers learn to develop unit plans grounded in standards-based instruction and assessment, and technology integration, and to evaluate the utility of their instructional unit in collaboration with other teachers.

Learning from their trainers and other technology-proficient colleagues, teachers identify technology-related activities that link to their existing curriculum topics or educational objectives. They then develop student activities that bring curriculum objectives and technology together for effective technology integration across content areas.

Teachers work together to critically examine student work and teacher strategies within teams. They support each other in implementing instruction, assessment, and record-keeping systems and participate in a professional network for problem solving and support.

Teachers who complete the institute freely share their knowledge, skills, reflections, and experiences with interested non-institute colleagues and help them to create teaching activities that enhance the learning process while meeting individual learner needs.

What makes the institute truly successful is the commitment of administrators in each district to building standards-based, technology-rich learning environments in their schools and districts. Participating in some of the institute modules, administrators become effective standards-based leaders.

During the 2003n2004 institute year, the weeklong intensive kick-off training was filmed and so were various training modules that occurred across the state. In the near future, the filmed series will be available online so that schools across the state can use them for ongoing professional development.

Statewide Access to Technology Tools

During the past five years, WDE has also developed and funded a Web site to aid educators in instructional design and delivery. The Wyoming Education Gateway (WEdGate) Web site contains a variety of resources that are free to all teachers in Wyoming. As a WEdGate coordinator, I provide training and support for the use and integration of the resources available within this Web site. The four main portals of the Web site are TaskStream, Lexile Frameworks and Total Reader, Curriculum Matrix, and Marco Polo. These technology tools, along with other resources available on the Web site, support standards-based instruction.

TaskStream is a set of Web-based tools that teachers use to design units and lessons, create rubrics, and compile and distribute shared curriculum resource collections. Three summers ago, I worked with TaskStream developers to customize their unit/lesson planning tool to include the components of the standards-based planning presented in the foundation module of WSBSI, Understanding Standards-Based Systems.

The online unit/lesson-building tool closely matches the paper tool we use during the five-day summer training module. By pointing and clicking, teachers can easily add the standards they are teaching to their units or lessons. They also generate reports to show which standards are being addressed in which units/lessons. Also, they can create igap and frequencyi reports to see where their units and lessons may be lacking or over-addressing particular standards. TaskStream offers a bank of resources that teachers can search for unit/lesson plans. Teachers also use TaskStream to locate approved educational Web sites to incorporate into their instructional design. TaskStreamis Rubric Wizard helps teachers to create rubrics and attach them to any unit or lesson.

Lexile Frameworks is a tool that assesses readers and text on the same scale. The difference between a readeris Lexile measure and a textis Lexile measure is used to forecast how well a reader will comprehend the text. The Lexile Framework is not an instructional program but is useful in managing instructional interventions and for differentiating instruction.

We use Lexile Frameworks with a product called Total Reader to better match students with appropriate reading-level books. By using these tools to choose classroom texts and other reading materials, teachers are better equipped to differentiate instruction in the classroom by addressing the needs of all students.

Lexile Frameworksi database includes a variety of books and textbooks that teachers use directly with students. Teachers can use the Lexile Analyzer to assess the level of a test they developed to ensure it correctly matches student ability level. And students can use this tool to score their own writing. Schools find this tool very helpful for improving reading and writing skills.

Marco Polo is a portal offering diverse resources, including unit plans and lesson plans linked to a variety of standards that integrate technology. It also links to online interactive tools that students use for manipulating the shapes of poems and 3D geometric designs. It offers resources for every curriculum area, many of which are interactive for students.

Curriculum Matrix is a database of unit plans, lesson plans, and assessmentsoall linked to Wyoming Standards. This ibanki of information has been created during the past five years by teachers in Wyoming as well as other states. Teachers search by subject or standard/benchmark and their results will match the Wyoming State Standards.

Technology Infusion Program

In addition to WSBSI training, throughout the summer I conduct weeklong technology infusion trainings. Using grant funding, each teacher in the program receives a laptop computer; each building in the district receives an eyeball camera, a digital camera, a scanner, an electronic whiteboard, and a projector.

For the entire week, teachers familiarize themselves with the laptops and learn how to use technology tools through hands-on experience. During these trainings, I model productivity tools such as those contained in Microsoft Office Suite. By the end of the week, participants are comfortable enough working on their own to create multimedia presentations. The teachers also learn Internet research and information literacy skills.

Teachers are also introduced to TaskStream and other WEdGate tools and encouraged to integrate technology into their standards-based unit plans during the trainings. By the end of the week, teachers are confident about their technology skills and eager to use technology in the classroom when they return in the fall. And, because the teachers themselves feel better prepared to use technology, they are ready and willing to let their students use the new technology tools, too.

Why Technology?

Why has the Wyoming Department of Education invested so much energy and so many resources into technology skills and integration training? Because WDE and educators across the state know that using technology to enhance teaching and learning in all subject areas improves studentsi chances of meeting standards.

In the course of my work, I have seen teachers use technology to make humdrum projects exciting, and exciting projects phenomenal. I have found that when teachers use technology to differentiate instruction, some students who are otherwise timid begin to soar. Placing these technology tools into the hands of students already approaching the finish line can propel them to levels of achievement beyond even their own expectations. I know that when a teacher offers the use of technology tools, some students who formerly did not want to come to class or even to school, become the first ones through the classroom door each morning.

But these kinds of enhancements will not happen if teachers are not familiar with technology or are afraid to use it. Without skills and integration training, teachers are not going to use technology in their classrooms. The more time we spend training teachers to use a wide variety of technology tools, the more likely students will be given the opportunity to use a wide variety of ways to express what they know and are able to do. We must not only provide the technology, but instill the confidence and skills necessary to capitalize on every opportunity it affords. z

Mary Hoffman began her career as a Kn12 vocal/instrumental music teacher but experiences with Wyomingis state-wide technology initiatives convinced her to pursue a masteris degree in educational technology. For WDE, she was a trainer for WyoBEST (Better Education through Standards and Technology) and WSBSI (Standards-Based Schools Institute), both statewide professional development initiatives. For Cutting Edge Educational Consulting, Mary trains teachers to create standards-based, technology-rich instructional practices. Contact Mary at maryhoffm@cutting-edge-consulting.com.

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