METC 2010: Sessions

Wednesday, February10: 1:00 - 1:50 PM
MathXL for School is a robust online learning system that helps students from Arithmetic to Calculus. Multi-media learning aids and immediate feedback are some of the features that are motivational for students. Automatic grading/easy assessment of required learning outcomes makes it possible for teachers to focus on helping students become better problem solvers while measuring performance, at the class or individual level, on required learning benchmarks.

Tuesday, February 9: 3:25 - 4:15 PM
This session will address the design, development and implementation of a District-wide assessment tool that has been successfully developed by the Independence School District, SMART Technologies and Pearson Learning. Participants will learn the criteria, planning considerations, and implementation realities for using SMART Response interactive response system. Learn about its versatility from a classroom teaching and assessment tool to a tool capable of integrating into third-party assessment systems that provide District-wide assessments in an efficient, timely and effective manner.

Wednesday, Feb. 10: 10:50 - 11:40 AM
Making math relevant and engaging to students means exposing students to real world connections and real world data. MICDS has developed a 4 year portfolio research project to allow students to explore data using several different software applications. We have moved non-fiction into the classroom and are increasing our student's exposure to statistics. We are recreating our own interactive textbooks to better match our math goals and to increase our ability to individualize instruction and give electronic feedback.

Wednesday, Feb. 10: 2:20 - 3:10 PM
Technology has given us the flexibility to revise and imagine a new and powerful curriculum that adds rigor and relevance to the history classroom. Technology allows us to make the course more student centered, research-based, and project/inquiry driven. Explore with us advantages in using a thematic approach that forces creativity and critical thinking.

Wednesday, Feb. 10: 1:00 - 1:50 PM
Explore the ways that technology can enrich and deepen the various types of assessment. Google Forms and Docs, Zoho Notebook and Web 2.0 quizzes can be used for formative assessment. Blogs can be an effective tool for diagnostic and conversational assessment. Skills assessment can be accomplished with electronic portfolios. Understanding assessment naturally moves into the realm of project and inquiry based assessment.

Wednesday, Feb. 10: 3:25 - 4:15 PM
An in-depth look at a major insurmountable problem with assessment: Does assigning numeric grades to student work accurately measure what they have learned? This workshop showcases a practical and powerful model to address this issue. A concrete step-by-step overview of how teachers can leverage tools like flickr, Google Docs, blogs, SlideShare.net and the internet to develop "expert voices" and foster creativity in their students. The model shown, applied to a math classroom, can be easily transferred across domains and disciplines. We also look at a new spin on assessment and how to involve students deeply in the design of assessment rubrics.

Wednesday, Feb. 10: 9:45 - 10:35 AM
Technology programs must be evaluated to ensure continuous change and improvement to existing curriculum. Program evaluation involves first determining what you want to learn about your program and then choosing evaluations to help make informed decisions. The technology program at Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) is composed of two areas: integration of technology into the classroom (including professional development and best practices) and the acquisition of hardware. This presentation will demonstrate how CID has used program evaluation to evolve their technology program.