Reflect on teaching challenges
Consider how technology can support learning in these areas
 
Ideas from Chicago and Detroit:
Bogan High School technology teacher uses real-world work situations. Chicago teachers hold attention with technology-rich activities. Poetry project prepares Von Steuben Center students for district exam.
  Bogan High School negotiates with companies to develop vocationally oriented training programs.    


Resources from other areas:

Online teacher reflection as a scaffold to support reform-based curriculum implementation
http://www.umich.edu/~ids/proceedings/abstracts/ab324.html

Multimedia Project: Supporting project-based learning with multimedia
http://pblmm.k12/ca.us

NCRTEC's Learning with Technology profile tool
http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/profile/profwww.htm

Connecting learning to real-world practices

Previously a legal secretary, Bogan High School's computer applications teacher Marilyn Foster understands the ways in which computer applications are used in industry and wants students to acquire these skills in context.

"My advice to urban high school teachers using technologies is to keep the focus on skills that students will need to further their education or get a job." Foster requires students to follow common workplace practices when in her class. The computer applications class uses a book designed for industry (Learning Microsoft Office 97 by DDC Publishing), rather than a text designed for the school market. Following workplace practices, she does not look at drafts of assignments, but instead insists that students check their own work before submitting it for a grade. Students are encouraged to consult with and learn from peers, as well as present their work to their classmates. At the end of the PowerPoint unit, for example, each student gave a PowerPoint presentation 3-5 minutes in length, using the TV monitor to project his or her work for the whole class.

 
Use technology to focus student attention

Bogan High School teacher Trent Eaton typically introduces Internet use to his students just before Christmas break in order to maintain their attention in the face of the impending holidays.

Similarly, as the school year draws to a close, he brings a digital camera into his classroom and lets students incorporate digitized photographs into their reports and presentations. Bogan teacher Elizabeth Wagner notes several advantages of using technology with students that can help during normally disruptive times. Her students take pride in producing products that look just the way they want them to and are eager to fix mistakes to achieve the desired level of quality.

Encourage student projects
For several years, Von Steuben Center English students have been creating hard-cover books of poetry. Using desktop publishing, students format text, create drawings, and add scanned images to create their own bound literary works.

In one freshman English class, student books included ten poems of their own composition, including one sonnet and one haiku; five published works from other poets; and students' reflections on both sets of poems. Student knowledge of poetry forms and conventions is often tested on district and state exams. These concepts came to life for Jayshree McKechnie's students when they produced their own books of poetry.
 
Connect technology to work opportunities

Bogan High School is negotiating with three major technology providers (Oracle, Novell, and Cisco) for new vocationally oriented training programs.

These companies are providing equipment and training to selected high schools to help generate a greater pool of qualified potential employees. The Oracle program would train students to be Oracle database administrators. The Novell program would qualify students as certified network administrators (CNAs).

The skills these programs would develop are highly marketable in today's economy. Bogan is interested also in developing partnerships with local businesses to give students the opportunity to work on real-world tasks and give businesses and students exposure to each other.

As part of an ongoing effort to revamp and expand its desktop publishing course to create a three-year program, Bogan plans to start an after-school student enterprise program with $10,000 of funding from the Chicago Public Schools. Students will bid to do projects, such as business cards, menus, and advertising, for local businesses. The service will be advertised on the Bogan Web page, where businesses will be able to contact the students to request bids.