What Happened to New Tech?

Our teachers spent many hours researching the New Tech Network as a possibility for North Marion.  However, we found that our timelines did not coincide well.  For North Marion teachers wanting to be "on the ground and running" by August, this meant that we would have to try to implement many of our ideas on our own.  We give much credit, however, to Jon Reinhard and the New Tech Network for the impetus they gave us to take trips together as a faculty to see New Tech Schools in action.  These trips provided three things for our teachers:  1) An opportunity to bond as professionals which began the process of further developing our dream, 2)  The idea that a school culture component is a desirable element to our plan, and 3) Opportunities to interact with other educators who are excited about change in their schools. 

And so our project goes on as a grass roots movement rather than as a part of a more formalized, non-profit organization.  We are still excited about our opportunities, but needing time to explore our options rather than committing to one certain direction.

by Joetta Schneider

More pics of Danville

SILENT SUSTAINED READING IN ROCHESTER NEW TECH HIGH by Teresa Baxter

                Rochester New Tech, in Indiana, sets aside 20 minutes during each day to allow students to read for pleasure. Rochester teachers and administrators spent time looking at successful tools to improve reading and writing skills for all students, not just high achieving ones. This simple action improves vocabulary and a student’s ability to write well. Also, employers ask operators to read the technical manuals. Good jobs require the ability to read and comprehend what is read.

                The program starts the first week of school. These are the guidelines:

1.       All students, teachers, administrators, and staff will read 20 minutes during the day.

2.       Students will no read textbook or do homework (no pencil or pens in hands).

3.       Reading materials must be secured before the reading time.

4.       Magazines, newspapers, and journals may be read, but books are more likely to raise reading levels.

5.       Students and teachers will not read on the computer.

Electives in New Tech schools

          For those teachers who teach electives, students take electives too. This is what I learned in the I&I tour. Not all classes are integrated with other subjects. For example, Spanish is a stand alone class and they offer three years in both new tech schools we visited. Students may choose to take a fourth year of  a different foreign language but it is a computer class.
         The difference between our schools and a New Tech is that in addition to meeting state content standards, PBL and the use of technology are required and the students have to have a major project every nine weeks. The major project is interdisciplinary. They can have smaller projects throught the entire year. Group work is required too. All students must have at least one integrated class a day. That means two subjects combined in one classroom (double size room), two class periods, with two teachers, one for each subject (certified), with interdisciplinary projects. Student get two grades in their transcripts. Not all core classes are integrated. For example, Algebra two and up are stand alone. Each school decides what combinations will work for them. We'll learn more as we go through the training in May.
         If you think of any questions you want us to ask when we are in Texas, email them to the Texas team: Mary Anne, Alex, Heather, Sunda, Josie, Angela, April, and me, Teresa.

Teresa

Band and Dance Team at Rochester New Tech, IN

by Teresa Baxter

                The band meets daily for both symphonic and marching rehearsals. The band plays for athletic events, parades, concerts, and special events in the school, community, and state. There are, also, awards for senior band members who have given four years of service, and awards are presented to outstanding band members each year. Dance Team will meet during band class for practice. The purpose of the Dance Team is four-fold: to provide color and visual interpretation for the Band, to develop skill in the “Performing Arts” through the medium of dance, to set an example of good behavior at all times, and to promote friendship between members of the squad and schools with whom we compete, perform and go to camp.

What's it like to teach in a New Tech School?

With 62 high schools across the country, New Tech Network creates an environment in which teachers are empowered and students are deeply engaged in the kind of learning that is rarely seen in traditional high schools.
Unlike students in traditional high schools, where most teachers lecture and use textbooks as a teaching approach, teachers in New Tech high schools design rigorous, real-world projects tied to state and district standards and customize them to their location and the interests of students. As a result, students develop important skills such as critical thinking and collaboration.

There are three key elements of New Tech’s success:

“Gone are the days of assembly line education. The New Tech approach is exactly what increasingly competitive and global business leaders expect and demand in today’s public schools.”
— Barry Schuler, Former CEO of America Online

• A new instructional approach that engages learners - Project-based learning (PBL) is at the heart of our instructional approach. PBL uses technology and inquiry to engage students with issues and questions that are relevant to their lives. In New Tech classrooms, teachers design rigorous projects aligned to state and district standards and customize them to their location and the interests of students. Students then work in teams to acquire and apply knowledge and skills to solve problems. Students acquire not only subject-matter knowledge, but also the skills they need to thrive in college, career and life.
• A culture that empowers students and teachers - Trust, respect and responsibility are the hallmarks of New Tech culture. At New Tech schools, students and teachers alike have exceptional ownership of school administration and the learning experience. Students acquire a level of responsibility similar to what they would experience in a professional work environment. Working on projects and in teams, students are accountable to their peers, while taking individual responsibility to get work done. In this trusted, respectful environment, students decide how to allocate their time, team roles and how to collaborate.
• Fully applied technology that supports deep learning - Smart use of technology supports our innovative approaches to instruction and culture. All classrooms have a one-to-one computing ratio. With access to Web-enabled computers, every student becomes a self-directed learner who no longer needs to rely primarily on teachers or textbooks for knowledge and direction. A proprietary Web-based system — New Tech Learning Platform — unifies students’ learning experiences, enabling them to share projects online, collaborate, communicate, research and create new knowledge.

The Results

From North Carolina to California to New York, New Tech is working nationwide with schools, districts and communities, providing services and support that enable schools to fundamentally rethink teaching and learning. We want to enable students to gain the knowledge and 21st century skills they need to succeed in life, college and the careers of tomorrow. Across the New Tech Network, students are going to school more often and graduating in higher numbers. They are outperforming peers in similar schools and going on to college ready to take the next step toward success in the careers of tomorrow

Editoral about Danville, one of the schools North Marion teachers toured

Danville High's New Tech 'upper house' already a hit

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 8:03am | Noelle McGee

Michael Orr, left, information services coordinator for Danville High School, and summer intern Brett Elliss prepare Hewlett-Packard laptops Monday at the school for use in New Tech 'upper house,' which will begin in August.

DANVILLE – When it comes to school, Ashish Patel and Lynze Bray like:
a) Learning by doing hands-on projects and activities,
b) Using computers and the latest technology,
c) Working with their peers in groups, or
d) All of the above.
The answer is "d." That's why Patel and Bray, both incoming juniors, jumped at the chance to be part of Danville High School's New Tech "upper house" this year.
"I think it will be cool," Bray said of the New Tech program, which will incorporate those elements and more. "I'm into technology. And I'm not the kind of person who learns well from reading textbooks. I don't really memorize that well. I think project-based learning will be a lot more interesting."
"Your teachers aren't telling you what to do or what to learn. You're figuring it out for yourself," Patel added. "That's how they do things in the real world."
Danville High officials are looking to fill about 30 more openings in the program for the upcoming school year.
"We have about 220 right now," said Kathy Houpt, director of secondary education. The program will have a maximum of 250 sophomores and juniors the first year, and 350 to 400 sophomores through seniors in subsequent years.
New Tech is one of three upper houses, or small learning communities, that's being put in place this year as part of the school's restructuring plan to boost student achievement.
The other two houses are: GLOBAL (Global Leadership Outlooks through Business, Action and Learning) House, which will equip students with the tools needed to thrive as world citizens who can contribute to the global and local community; and ACE (Academy of Creative Experiences) House, which will integrate music, art and creativity into core classes and use the arts to teach key concepts and lessons.
New Tech was partially funded by a Vermilion Healthcare Foundation grant and modeled on the successful Napa New Technology High School. The program uses a project-based approach to learning, in which students gain information and skills by doing multilayered, "real world" projects, and gives them 21st century skills – such as critical thinking, communication and working together as a team – desired by employers.
The mission is to prepare students to excel in an information and collaboration-based technically advanced society, said Assistant Principal Darin Chambliss, New Tech's administrator.
Also in New Tech:
– Students will take core classes including English, math, science and social studies, as well as electives and state-mandated classes such as consumer education, physical education and auto safety.
– English and social studies classes will be double-blocked (110 minutes long), and teachers will use a team-teaching approach that integrates both curriculums.
– Students will work on their own Hewlett-Packard laptop and use a Web-based program for their classes, which they can access at home. The program will have their e-mail, a grade portal, the school calendar, and everything they need for their classes and assignments. Teachers can grade assignments online.
– Students will learn to use digital and Web cameras and other technology, and computer software such as Microsoft's Office and Movie Maker and Adobe's Dreamweaver and Photoshop.
– Classes are student directed, and teachers are project facilitators, rather than lecturers.
– Students still will have homework, quizzes and tests. They also will do projects that begin with an entry document highlighting the tasks and learning skills that students will discover, and end with students making a presentation before a panel of local business and community leaders, just as they would do in college and the business world. (Student projects will be assessed on content literacy, written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, collaboration and work ethic.)
– Projects focus on building character, a strong work ethic and good citizenship.
– There will be involvement from people in the local business and industry, as well as increased parental involvement.

Photo by: Noelle McGee

Echo

Echo is New Tech Network’s learning management system (LMS) designed to support project-based learning (PBL), facilitate communication and collaboration, and improve teacher practice. Teachers, students, and parents at New Tech high schools use Echo on a daily basis to access course resources, project plans, assignments, a multi-dimensional gradebook, online groups, and an extensive library of instructional resources for teachers. Google Apps for Education is seamlessly integrated into the platform, providing schools with a powerful suite of communication and publishing tools including Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sites.
Echo is delivered as a web-based service that is accessible 24/7 via any web browser with an Internet connection. It is built on New Tech’s deep experience with technology-enhanced, PBL instruction and assessment practices, and it includes access to hundreds of exemplary projects that can be easily customized and implemented by teachers. As a result, Echo is an integral component of New Tech Network’s professional development programs.

Tools to support school-wide, project-based learning

• Course agendas
• Project management tools
• Outcome-based gradebook
• Student journals
• Discussion forums
• Peer feedback tool
• Behaviour tracker tool
• Tools to award and encourage
• School and Network-wide groups
• Community directory

School and instructional resources

• Training materials for principals, teachers and support staff
• Searchable library of standards-based projects developed by teachers in the New Tech Network
• Sample rubrics
• Sample school policies and procedures
• Student/parent handbook examples
• Staff handbook examples
• Digital portfolio guidelines
• Staff recruitment and training tools
• Student recruitment samples
• Partnership development materials
• Master schedule and calendar samples
• Counseling and college planning materials
• Technology infrastructure and support guidelines
• Software tutorials

Echo Screenshots

Homepage

The Echo homepage enables easy access to personalized content for each user as well as featured, Network-wide content.

Gradebook

The Echo gradebook allows teachers, students, and parents to track student progress on multiple learning outcomes.

Groups

Echo groups enable users to share ideas, resources, and calendars to collaborate within schools and across then entire Network.

Definition of a Textbook?

How would you define Textbook?

Webster would define it as folllows:

Textbook - A book used by students as a standard work for a particular branch of study.


Thanks to the New Tech philosophy, the state of Indiana would beg to differ!



In the state of Indiana a textbook is defined as a laptop!



I think it's time that Marion Country and the state of West Virginia adopt the same definition! Imagine the possibilities!

Get Those Desks Outta Here!

One of the great feature of a new tech high's classroom is that the desk we use in our classrooms now become obsolete! In a PBL classroom, desked are replaced with tables and commonly chairs with wheels that allow the students to move around. This type of setting promotes student collaboration!



Here's an example of just one of the many ways that a New Tech classroom is set up.

What's a New Tech High?

It began in the mid-90s in Napa, California. The local schools were meeting education standards, and the community thought of Napa High School as a good school. However, local business leaders remained concerned that meeting basic standards would not be enough to ensure that students were graduating with the skills needed to meet the needs of the new economy.
These business and community leaders decided to make a difference. Working with the local school district, they began researching innovations in education to re-imagine what a truly great school might be like. In 1996, the Napa Valley Unified School District established Napa New Technology High School with the first class of 100 students.
 New Tech's create a rigorous and engaging high school experience that features project-based learning, the seamless use of technology, and a positive and empowering school culture.

The New Tech model provides an instructional approach centered on project-based learning, a culture that empowers students and teachers, and integrated technology in the classroom. Our hands-on, multi-year approach gives schools structure and support to ensure long-term success.

New Tech Network helps students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life, college, and the careers of tomorrow. We work nationwide with schools, districts, and communities to provide services and support that enable schools to fundamentally re-imagine teaching and learning.
Project-based learning is at the heart of our instructional approach. In project-based learning, learning is contextual, creative, and shared. Students collaborate on projects that require critical thinking and communication. By making learning relevant to them in this way, student engagement reaches new levels. This higher level of engagement is associated with better educational outcomes.
The smart use of technology supports our innovative approach to instruction and culture. All classrooms have a one-to-one computing ratio. With access to Web-enabled computers and the latest in collaborative learning technology, every student becomes a self-directed learner who no longer needs to rely primarily on teachers or textbooks for knowledge and direction. We use an online learning management system to create a vibrant network which helps students, teachers, and parents connect to each other, and to student projects, across the country.
Finally, each New Tech school maintains a culture that promotes trust, respect, and responsibility. At New Tech schools, students and teachers alike have exceptional ownership of the learning experience and their school environment. Working on projects and in teams, students are accountable to their peers and acquire a level of responsibility similar to what they would experience in a professional work environment.
Check out Danville and Rochester New Tech High's websites .... Links on the right side