The Voices in History professional development program aims to improve student achievement in English Language Arts by training teachers to integrate technology into the social studies curriculum using project-based learning. Twenty New York City public schools and eight non-public schools will participate in workshops and online sessions focused on using tools like blogging, online environments, graphic novels, and digital movie making to develop lessons aligned with social studies and ELA standards. The goal is for 80% of targeted English language learners to achieve one year of growth on the NYS ELA exam over the three-year program.

1. Title IID NEW YORK CITY
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCAT ION
Voices In History Joel I. Klein, Chancellor
Professional Development Program The Office of Educational Technology
in Project-Based Learning
and Technology Integration into the Classroom
This program is designed to blend project based learning
and technology into the classroom to empower students to
use innovative tools to demonstrate their understanding of
social studies and history while increasing student achieve-
ment in English Language Arts.
Title IID “Enhancing Education
Through Technology” EETT Grant
All Participants Will Attend
2 hour Orientation on 9/21 or 9/22 from 4 pm—6 pm “Voices In History”
4 days of Project Based Learning workshops on Program
9/28 & 9/29 and 11/2 & 11/3
Participants will choose to attend 2010 - 2011
Face-to-Face or Online technology integration workshops.
Blogging for 24:7 Communication
September 2010– June 2011
Online Environments for Education
Graphic Novels for Writing Instruction Queens Office of
Digital Movie Making
Educational Technology
82-01 Rockaway Boulevard
Ozone Park, NY 11416
Face-to-Face Sessions Contact:
Saturday sessions from 9am—3pm.
Training Rate will be paid. Winnie Bracco
10/30/10 — Blogging for 24:7 Communication Technology Innovation Manager
11/6/10 — Online Environments for Education
12/4/10 — Graphic Novels
Wbracco@schools.nyc.gov
01/29/11 — Digital Movie Making I
03/19/11 — Digital Movie Making II
05/21/11 — Digital Movie Making III
06/11/11 — Share Fair / Festival
Diane Kay
Online Sessions Community Superintendent CSD 25
Limited size and pre-approval required.
Dr. Philip Composto
October — Blogging in Your Classroom Community Superintendent CSD 30
November — Online Environments for Education
December — Graphic Novels
January — Digital Movie Making I
March — Digital Movie Making II
May — Finalizing and Publishing Student Projects
http://www.oitqueens.com
June — Share Fair / Festival
http://oitqblogs.com

2. VOICES IN HISTORY
Voices in History (VIH) - is an intensive profes- Goal
sional development program that focuses on improv-
The ultimate goal of the VIH Program is to improve
ing student achievement in ELA by integrating tech- academic performance in ELA by enhancing teachers’
nology into the Social Studies curriculum. VIH serves abilities to effectively infuse technology into their
the goals of the Enhancing Education Through Tech- Social Studies instruction. Throughout the three-year
nology theme, ―Technology Infusion into Instruction cycle, participants and school Inquiry Teams will
through Professional Development,‖ by empowering identify and target English Language Learners for
educators to engage students in interdisciplinary pro- whom traditional instruction has failed. Teachers will receive professional development using multi-
jects that develop writing, critical thinking, and prob- develop strategies to address the specific needs of media tools to create lessons and videos that
lem solving skills. The VIH program aims to train these students in order to fill instructional gaps and are aligned to the NYS Social Studies and Eng-
carefully monitor the results of each strategy. For lish Language Arts standards. In addition, the
teachers to use technology as both an instructional
each consecutive year of the program, it is proposed lessons will align to the National Educational
tool for the Social Studies curriculum and Technology Standards for teachers and stu-
that 80% of target students will achieve at least one
as a way to reinforce fundamental ELA year of growth on their scale score of the NYS ELA dents and the Professional Teaching Standards
skills. exam. develop and strengthen their collaboration
with other Social Studies teachers while inte-
Twenty New York City public and eight non- grating technology into instruction to advance
public schools within Community School Districts 25 ELA skills
and 30 will be participating. These schools have been incorporate the project-based learning process
identified as SINI, SRAP or Corrective Action. within their content area and use technology
to enhance research and writing skills
Dist 25 Technology Infusion Utilize a blog and wikispace as a professional
IS185, IS189, IS237, John Bowne HS, and Flushing HS learning community.
Dist 30 Students will conduct research by reading literature, create non-fiction graphic novels, slide shows
IS10, PS76, PS92, PS111, PS112, PS127, PS151, IS126, IS141, historical fiction, biographies and use primary sources based on history and multimedia videos based
IS145, IS204, IS230, William Cullen Bryant HS, Long Island around selected topics. Through the use of technol- on social studies .
City HS and Newcomers HS ogy students will incorporate their non-fiction writing
Non-Public Schools
collaborate within ARIS Connect and use a
into multimedia presentations using graphics, audio variety of virtual community tools, such as
St. Mel, St. Kevin School, Muslim Center Elementary
files and video. Culminating projects will be collected email, blogs, wikis, the web portal and synchro-
School, Shevach HS, El –Ber Islamic School, St. Francis of
Assisi School, Queens Lutheran School, in e-portfolios with student reflections of the project- nous communications
based learning process and their understand- and more.
ing of the specific content.
Support
Teachers and school leaders will receive on-going
professional development — face-to-face and online
and in-school mentoring support. Workshops will
take place throughout the year to allow for teacher
experimentation and online collaboration using re-
cently learned content between sessions.