The document outlines a technology professional development plan for teachers at River Rouge High School. It discusses implementing project-based learning to teach 21st century skills using technology like wikis and blogs. The plan's goals are for teachers to meet state standards for creativity, communication, and research using digital tools to engage students and improve instruction.

1. Technology Professional Development Plan Deanne Surles Successfully implementing technology into classroom instruction

2. Background The River Rouge School District is located in southeast Michigan near Detroit. Over the last several years the city of River Rouge and its school district has experienced severe decline in population due to a loss of jobs and decreased home values partly due to the slowing economy. As a result, there has been a decrease in revenue to support school funding.

3. Goal for Technology Implementation Though most teachers have embraced the use of technology in their classes at River Rouge High School, limited technology resources have caused some teachers frustration when facilitating new uses of implementation in their classrooms.

4. Michigan Educational Technology Standards The following are standards I would like my staff to meet within the year. 9-12 Creativity and Innovation (CI) By the time students leave the 12 th grade they should know how to create a webpage and use a variety of media and formats. 9-12 Communication and Collaboration (CC) Students should be able to plan and collaborate with other students using webinars, videoconferencing, interactive websites, and discussion boards among other things. 9-12 Research and Information Literacy (RI) Students will be able to evaluate online sources and use research strategies to assess information located on a webpage. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/9-12_150927_7.pdf

5. Time for change Last year, the district superintendent of schools initiated a new turn around model for improving teaching and learning known as project based learning.

6. What is Process Based Learning? “ An instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation.” Teaches students 21 st Century skills and content Source: http://pbl-online.org

7. Purpose of Student Projects Learn by doing Make real world connections Envision the end of a unit from the beginning Work collaboratively with others Demonstrate strong work ethic Take ownership of learning Use critical thinking skills Use Technology

8. 21 st Century Skills Teachers have to discover additional ways to encourage 21 st century skills in the classroom so that students can compete in a global society. Two of the most important skills include: Using digital technology Using communication tools

9. Try a Wiki What is a wiki? A wiki is an online community of individuals who can share and update material on their own web browser. It's a great resource for teachers because they are fast and easy to create and require few personal technology tools. The best part is – most wikis are free!

10. Creating a Wiki There are numerous sites available online for creating wikis. Students may create wikis to demonstrate mastery of a particular skill or simply as a method to learn more about a particular subject matter. Wikis are so easy that I've created my own. http://techiteachers.wikispaces.com http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cX6qnlOlU

11. In addition to wikis, blogs are also an easy and mostly free digital communication tool for teachers. There are really good blog sites including: www.blogger.com www.bloggermanila.com www.blogspot.com Blogging

12. Google In addition to being a great search engine, Google allows users to create their own blogs through blogspot.com. Consider joining mine. http://21centuryeducator.blogspot.com/

13. Final Thoughts There are numerous technology tools that exist today to assist teachers in engaging students and improving instruction. Blogs and wikis are just examples of two that provide a wealth of opportunities in any classroom. Projects, course readings, literacy tasks, math problems, even essays can be completed using one if the two tools. Just get in there and have fun! It will be well worth the effort.