Introduction to the Web Site

What's on this Web site?

classrooms@work/tools@hand presents real classrooms and their technology-rich learning projects. It offers classroom models of technology integration for teacher professional development. The Web site features four classrooms at work:

The resource-rich Web site provides all the materials created and used by the teachers and students: materials you can print, adapt for your purposes, or use as a starting point for your own project.

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How is it organized and navigated?

The site map gives you a "bird's eye view" of content and organization. Once you choose a classroom, you can learn background information about the community, the school, and the teacher before exploring the learning project. Each project is organized into five sections:

  1. Learning that Works—complete project overview and learning goals
  2. Working Together—student groupwork, calendar, and management
  3. Using Workspaces—technology arrangement, scheduling computer use
  4. Assessing Learning—reflection, assessments, scored student work
  5. Supporting Success—collegial teams, school leadership, content standards

Each section has associated navigational buttons and color coding. The buttons, shown below, are at the bottom of the main pages.

Button Example Button Example Button Example Button Example Button Example

Navigation from secondary pages uses the "back" button of your browser or other small labeled buttons, also at the bottom of the page.

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What's required to use the site?

For optimal viewing of the videos on this Web site we recommend
a high speed Internet connection (T-1 or broadband).
(Note: The complete Web site is also available on a CD. See below to order.)

We recommended two plug-ins:
Adobe Acrobat Reader—for printing PDF documents
Quicktime—for viewing video clips and panoramas
(Note: Use the above links for downloading and installing these plug-ins)

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What about printing Web site materials?

This Web site is intended for use and adaptation by teachers. To insure that printing retains important formatting, most of the teacher-designed materials are also provided in Portable Document Format (PDF) linked at the Adobe Acrobat icon at the bottom of the page. These require the Adobe Acrobat reader plug-in to open and print the file.

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What are the classrooms@work videos for?

Classroom projects feature "field trips" that show teachers and students at work on the project. The Animal Research Report includes online video segments right on the Web site. The three other projects offer 15-minute videotapes that serve as a "table of contents" to the resource-rich Web site. Each videotape is close-captioned. closed captioned

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Where can I get the videos or a CD?

classrooms@work videos and CDs are ordered online. They are available at no cost to educators in the NETC service region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Outside the region each video or the CD can be purchased for $15.

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About the project

Purpose: classrooms@work/tools@hand supports effective integration of technology into classrooms with stand-alone professional development products for teachers.

Description:The project creates companion video and multimedia tools that provide comprehensive views of classrooms that work using technology. CD and Web-based multimedia provide electronic access to everything teachers and students in the project classrooms use and produce. To interest a teacher in further exploration of the extensive multimedia materials, short videos feature highlights of the classrooms at work. The multimedia material stands alone but is enhanced by videos, tying classroom processes and materials together just as an actual visit to a classroom would.

Four classroom projects are available online, one at primary, elementary, middle, and secondary. The classrooms@work Web site is also distributed on CD. The CD and videos are distributed free to schools throughout the five-state NETC service region.

Audience: These products will best meet the needs of K-12 classroom teachers who are using technology in their classrooms and are able to recognize the technology integration challenges that are addressed in these products, primarily instructional organization and management issues. They have a working knowledge of computer technology and applications such as e-mail, the Internet, spreadsheets, databases, and CD-ROMs. Other audiences include staff developers, preservice faculty, and school leaders.

Goals: Teachers using the classrooms@workproducts will:

Philosophy: Because effective technology integration is highly contextual and involves complex factors and processes as unique and varied as individual classrooms, ideal professional development would provide direct experiences in classrooms at work using technology. classrooms@work acknowledges that teachers learn best from peers who work in similar contexts and are wrestling with the challenges of technology integration. Two connecting perspectives about technology integration also guide the project.

Approach:The project selects and contracts with classroom teachers whose classroom practice focuses on students, engaging them in extended project-based learning, and grouping them in appropriate ways to accomplish tasks and develop group assessment skills. The project finds teachers who are reflective and articulate about their classroom practice. They must be able to provide comprehensive documentation of classroom work for an extended project or unit and support project staff in obtaining extensive video and photographic documentation.

Project content: There is minimal "editorial" rework of the classroom materials, keeping intact the integrity and authenticity of each classroom situation. Teachers are well-versed in adapting the work of their peers, especially when they have sufficient information about the classroom contexts. The project shares classroom-ready materials such as detailed descriptions of project activities, student task instructions, scoring guides, and timelines. Teacher narratives describe effective management and organizational strategies. Student work samples at several stages bring greater authenticity to stated project goals and assessment. Teacher reflections present anecdotes, describe challenges and suggest strategies to meet them. More about the content

Design and content: The instructional design merges content elements with rich media technologies to create a more engaging and interactive experience. Meaningful use of animation, video and actual images bring classrooms to life. The multimedia incorporate features that structure the professional development experience. For example, there is an intentional sequence through pages controlled by limiting links and layers of branching.

Product uses: classrooms@work materials support professional development in several ways from individual self-study to large group workshops. The Web site is not a cybercourse with discrete segments for learning, receiving assignments, and online submissions but includes features that can be used to document individual sessions. Face-to-face workshops can take advantage of the modular content in classrooms@work, where for example, a group can explore assessment or project learning across all classrooms.

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