Saugus Iron Works PBU

If you are interested in technology integration chances are that you know about the annual National Education Computing Conference (NECC). NECC is an extension of the International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) effort to provide a forum for sharing ideas on how best to integrate technology into schools. The George Lucas Educational Foundation joined forces with ISTE and HP to underwrite the cost of a professionally produced movie featuring the Ferryway School. We are proud that "Turning on Technology" shows the outcome of the hard work of over a dozen educators working to ensure that urban students have opportunities to use technology. The Ferryway School was featured during a NECC conference session entitled, NETS•S in Action in North American Classrooms. Watch the ten minute long movie on the Edutopia website or here as a streaming video download.

Labels: GLEF, ISTE, NECC 2008, SIW, technology integration

If you've been following the SIW PBU blog since its launch in the summer of 2005 you are familiar with the many successes we have had in promoting the unit as a model of technology integration. Now we are pleased to announce that The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), one of the preeminent non-profit educational organizations in the U.S. wants to highlight our work. In January 2008, the GLEF contacted Thomas DeVito (Ferryway School Principal), Paul Teixeira (E.L.L. Teacher), and Robert Simpson (Teacher Learning Center Director) after viewing two movies that were produced in-house to showcase our 2007 HP Leadership grant project. Ken Ellis, GLEF's senior producer, indicated that the high level of student learning associated with the implementation of both the SIW and Biome PBUs would make an excellent topic for the foundation to highlight in a film. The film will be professionally produced and published on the GLEF's Edutopia website.

Last year, we expanded our technology integration efforts to include the pilot-test and revision of a grade four unit named the Biome Breakthrough. The Biome PBU uses a student inquiry approach that allows elementary students to make observations about the world's biomes and to investigate the physical characteristics of animals. Students navigate a teacher-created interactive website recording observations on a set of unknown animals with the ultimate goal of helping them return to their home biome. Additional technologies include concept mapping software (Kidspiration), PowerPoint Presentations using a Student Response System (Qwizdom) and Microsoft Excel.

The GLEF project team will arrive at the Ferryway School on Monday, April 14 and filming will occur on 4/15 and 4/16. The movie's premiere will coincide with the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Antonio, TX from June 29-July 2, 2008.

Labels: Biome, GLEF, HP Leadership Grant, NECC 2008, SIW