COMPUTER / TECHNOLOGY SKILLS FAQ

• Who is responsible for modeling and teaching computer/technology skills?
• What is the best way to use technology as part of my instructional day and make sure my students are proficient with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful?
• How can I encourage the use of technology in my classroom and at my school?
• Where can I find detailed information about Media and Technology Programs?
• Who do I contact with questions about Media Programs in my school/district?
• Who do I contact for comments and questions about the K-12 Computer/Technology Skills Standard Course of Study?
• How can I identify quality instructional resources?
• Where do I find search strategy tutorials and materials appropriate for K-12 students?
• Where do strategies, model lesson plans, activities, and webquests to help infuse Information Skills into content areas?
• Why should my school consider using flexible scheduling in the media center and computer lab?

Who is responsible for modeling and teaching computer/technology skills?

Computer/Technology knowledge and skills are required for all certified staff in North Carolina Public Schools. All teachers.

What is the best way to use technology as part of my instructional day and make sure my students are proficient with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful?

The Computer/Technology Skills Standard Course of Study is designed to integrate skills into all content area instruction - not to be taught in isolation. Research has shown that close alignment of technology in regular instruction in a practical manner with all areas of instruction creates better learning opportunities for students across the curriculum and positively impacts student achievement (Caret, 2003). Hands-on manipulation of data for example in science and social studies provides students opportunities to examine and analyze data and to determine what the data represents, making the learning authentic and personalized to the student. Technology tools and skills provide a means for students to delve and learn content in greater depth, gives students ownership of processes and learning, and makes possible the acquisition of skills and learning that transfer to other content areas, and to life. The Computer/Technology Skills Standard Course of Study is designed to integrate skills into all content area instruction - not to be taught in isolation. Research has shown that close alignment of technology in regular instruction in a practical manner with all areas of instruction creates better learning opportunities for students across the curriculum and positively impacts student achievement (Caret, 2003). Hands-on manipulation of data for example in science and social studies provides students opportunities to examine and analyze data and to determine what the data represents, making the learning authentic and personalized to the student. Technology tools and skills provide a means for students/teachers to delve and learn content in greater depth, gives students ownership of processes and learning, and makes possible the acquisition of skills and learning that transfer to other content areas, and to life. Computer labs provide one setting for students/teachers in small group(s)/class to learn, practice, and refine knowledge and skills--to research, analyze and
display data, solve problems, make decisions and to develop content area projects/products.

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How can I encourage the use of technology in my classroom and at my school?

These recommendations will help teachers improve use of technology as an integral part of teaching and learning:

• Create an environment and culture within the school/classroom where teachers and students are encouraged to explore and
  apply a variety of technology processes and skills in all aspects of the teaching and learning process. "Curriculum Cork Boards" are easily accessible Web visuals that link North Carolina educators to grade-level content, teaching resources, and assessment data. They open the door to a range of possibilities for media/technology integration, short-term preparation, collaborative long-range planning and clear communication. Curriculum Cork Boards provide snapshots of a child's academic day grades 5-8; they are not designed to substitute for the more sophisticated processes of curriculum mapping. Make sure you click on one of the numbers to see an actual "cork board." http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/TeacherHut/TableofContents/CorkBoard.html link North Carolina educators to grade-level content, teaching resources, and assessment data. Actively collaborate with technology/media coordinators to provide opportunities for students to learn about and apply technology as a tool for learning (e.g. research, investigations, organizing information, sharing data files, publishing student works).
• Model appropriate use of technology with students and with peers. One example of this might be to develop surveys as a class as a means of collecting information, charting the results of the information using spreadsheets, and sharing the data with a variety of audiences.
• Attend conferences, workshops, informal school sharing sessions, and other opportunities to learn about and apply technology across the curriculum.
  Join email listservs, discussion groups or newsgroups to stay informed about best practices and effective strategies for student learning.
• Utilize parents/community resources to share and assist with various uses of technology. These parent/community resources can also help students become aware of how technology impacts the workplace and life outside of school.
• When selecting appropriate instructional resources, the best source of information is EvaluTech: http://www.evalutech.sreb.org/search/index.asp. In 1997 EvaluTech grew out of a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Southern Regional Education Board to create an online, keyword-searchable database of reviews of instructional materials that had begun in 1965 to provide information for schools and library media specialists in North Carolina schools.

Where can I find detailed information about Media and Technology Programs?

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (2000).
Impact: Guidelines for Media and Technology Programs. http://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact.htm
Impact for Teachers http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/impact/
Impact for Administrators http://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact/admin/adminimpact.htm

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Who do I contact with questions about Media Programs in my school/district?

John Brim, Section Chief for Media Evaluation Services, jbrim@dpi.state.nc.us or call 919.807.3288

Who do I contact for comments and questions about the K-12 Computer/Technology Skills Standard Course of Study?

Neill Kimrey, nkimrey@dpi.state.nc.us, 919.807.3270 or Gerry Solomon, gsolomon@dpi.state.nc.us , 919.807.3286.

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How can I identify quality instructional resources?

Instructional Technology Division of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction http://www.evalutech.sreb.org/; http://www.ncwiseowl.org/

Where do I find search strategy tutorials and materials appropriate for K-12 students?

NC Wise OWL is an excellent place to begin. http://www.ncwiseowl.org/ as well as CD ROM encyclopedias

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Where do strategies, model lesson plans, activities, and webquests to help infuse Information Skills into content areas?

K-8 Instructional Strategies http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/tech

Copyright Information
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/copyright1.html

Why should my school consider using flexible scheduling in the media center and computer lab?

The advantages of flexible scheduling:

• Enables students to work on curricular, resource-based projects in the library media center and/or computer laboratory concurrent with their work in the classroom.
• Accessible to students and teachers at point of need.
• When media specialists and technology facilitators operate on a flexible schedule, they have more opportunity to plan and collaborate with teachers on cross-curricular instructional units.

According to a comprehensive study conducted by Colorado's Library Research Service, test scores increased in schools where library media specialists spend more time planning collaboratively with teachers and the library staffing was sufficient to allow for the active participation of library media specialists in curriculum development, student instruction, and teacher education (Lance, 2000). Providing flexible access and flexible hours makes the library media program's resources and services, more accessible to the learning community.¹

• Where computer labs are available at the point of need, teachers have greater opportunity to integrate technology skills instruction into the entire education program. According to a study by Becker and Riel (2000), teachers who engaged in collaborative planning and sharing of instructional activities with other teachers most frequently demonstrated effective use of computers in classrooms. To provide this access and to meet the diverse learning needs of all students, schools need full-time professional library media specialists, technology facilitators and adequate support staffing and resources.²

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