Minutes

Minutes Nov. 5, 2007**
 * Instructional Technology Curriculum Committee

Welcome and Introductions: Rita welcomed new and returning members of the committee. A distribution list of members was sent to each person last week. To add it to your contacts in Outlook, drag the list to your contacts folder.

Missing from this meeting were Brad Everett, Cindy Freeman, Jan Harding, Pat O’Neil, and Tracy Popko. There are currently no members from Cherokee or Shawnee.

Meeting dates for the rest of the school year are the first Monday of each month, except for January. That meeting will be held on January 14, instead of the first day back in school after vacation.

Minutes, agendas, and other documents will be published to the wiki site at http://mediatech.wikispaces.com/. No new members have asked to become members of the wiki; if there is time before the next meeting, Rita will issue an online invitation for all committee members to join the wiki.

Professional development, consisting of 15 to 30 minutes of instruction, will continue at each meeting. If you have an area of expertise that you would like to share with other committee members, please let Rita know so that she can put you on the agenda. The December meeting will feature MovieMaker, a program that can be found on everyone’s computer. Cynthia will demo the program for the committee. It is hoped that by doing these PD activities at our meetings, members can demonstrate programs at their own staff meetings, so teachers will know that the programs exist and are available. A cookbook of technology ideas, with short explanations or how to’s was proposed, so that staffs have something to rely on after a demonstration at a staff meeting. Bring your laptops to the next meeting so that you can use MovieMaker.

A review of last years accomplishments included the rewriting of the 8th grade technology test, inclusion of technology components in the new middle school enhancement classes, the start of creating a technology checklist for grades K-3 (based not only on current CV technology standards but also on K-3 academic curriculum standards and benchmarks), conducting the Office 2007 in-service, and partnership with other councils in creating technology experiences for staff and students.

The Technology Standards for CV can be found on the wiki site or on the CV site, http://www.cvs.k12.mi.us/tiz. A handout of the new ISTE standards, emphasizing the creative aspect of technology use, was distributed to all members. A suggestion to demystify the standards, by re-writing them into teacher speak, was made.

A discussion followed, which included suggestions for expanding the state 8th grade technology requirement to include a project, or possibly an electronic portfolio, demonstrating how a student used technology during middle school. Currently, there is a technology component included for grades 6 and 7 in the middle school, but the 8th grade class is not mandatory, so not all students have access to concepts included in that class (Internet safety, web site reliability).

The 8th Grade Technology Test was reviewed. Common questions (list was in a handout) were missed at each of the buildings. A review of the test is planned, to fix any ambiguous wording or missing standards. To be considered technology proficient, a student only needs to correctly answer 50% of the questions on the test. Paula, Lisa, Craig and Rita volunteered to meet to review and update the questions, and report back to the committee.

Creating a similar assessment in fifth grade was discussed. When the K-3 Technology Skills checklist is completed, a 4-5 group will use the same process to create a list for those grades. Clarification of what is taught at each level, creating a consistency across the district for each grade, with accompanying ideas or lessons, would be accomplished. (Examples of some lessons--http://www.cvs.k12.mi.us/tiz/curriculum.htm—can be found on the TIZ web site.) This list will be completed by the end of this school year. Creating a 5th grade assessment, based on these skills, could follow. Jill Stiger volunteered to coordinate the next meeting for the K-3 group members. Volunteers are needed for the 4-5 checklists.

A question was asked during the meeting about what our purpose is. The integration of technology, a tool, into our curriculum is necessary to prepare students for their futures. Our intent is not to increase the work required by teachers, but to show them how to use the technology (through formal and informal PD) they already have in each classroom in CV, integrating technology tools into the existing curriculum. A misconception of how this can be accomplished in an elementary school as opposed to a middle school was cleared up. There is not a technology teacher at either level. The middle school program includes a class that emphasizes technology modules, ranging from creating T shirts to studying the effect of wind in a wind tunnel. Not all middle school students take this class. It is one in a rotation of specials, along with other specials classes and enhancement classes. Programs like Microsoft Office, Inspiration, and others are not taught in this class.

Craig ended the meeting by demonstrating the new CV Learning System, an online system where teachers (and students) can register and learn online. To access this site, just type in “learning” in your Internet Explorer location (URL) field.

The next meeting will be on Monday, Dec. 3, in the Chippewa Valley High School library. Enter from the teacher’s parking lot on 19 Mile Rd. through the entrance with the big letter C over it. We will start at 4:00 p.m. Please bring ideas of how your staff is using technology in the classroom so that it can be posted on the wiki (or you can post it!).