From the November VAMLEgram

EXAMPLE OF TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION
By: Ned Kirsch, principal, Essex Middle School, Essex Junction, VT

Addressing the needs of the 21st century learner is the primary focus of technology integration at Essex Middle School (EMS). This year our building has become a wireless environment that supports laptops throughout the school. The infrastructure and hardware are crucially important; however, how the technology is used is where the rubber meets the road.

A major focus of this year’s school action plan is the incorporation of Web 2.0 tools into our teaching and learning. When this idea was put into action, there was some trepidation about how such tools could and would be used. Over the summer and early fall, school and district technology integrationists worked with EMS staff to introduce ideas and online resources. The teachers took away suggestions and ideas on new ways of introducing and facilitating learning. What they learned has firmly taken hold in our school.

So many tools are now commonplace in classrooms, but by far the most used tools are wikis, Moodle, blogs, Animoto, and photo stories. Wikis are used not only in the classroom but also as a tool for administrative communication. Each one of our building committees maintains a wiki that allows for staff to view resources and meeting minutes. Wikis also enable committee members to stay in frequent contact without having to find the time to sit down and meet. Blogs are used beyond the classroom too. Our guidance counselor communicates with parents regarding transition issues and our school and a Washington, DC, trip coordinator keeps the school community up-to-date on our trip plans. Classroom teachers use Moodle to coordinate online learning and use photo stories and Animotos to demonstrate learning for assessment.

These Web 2.0 tools are only the tip of the iceberg. Interacting, designing, and creating content on the Web not only meets students in their current realities, it allows for our school staff to grow professionally in meeting the needs of all students at Essex Middle School.

[Kate's Notes: Other sites written about in this VAMLEgram included a great lit-heavy and student-centric list from the National Association of Secondary School Principals' Middle Level Task Force: wordle.net, wikispaces.com, epals.com, and whyville.com. Check them out now so that you're prepared to comment when I review them later on!]