Page 24 - Lakeland Catholic Technology Plan

Entry Level
“A CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS OPENING HEARTS MINDS AND DOORS....”
FRAMEWORK FOR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN EDUCATION
• All Alberta schools are connected to a provincial learning network
• There is province-wide coordinated planning for the integration and imple- mentation of technology
• Accountability measures are in place to monitor progress; results are commu- nicated to Albertans
• Management of information and busi- ness functions of the education system are more efficient
• Business partnerships and community resources are extensively used in sup- porting technology integration and im- plementation
• A smooth transition between grades and levels of education is facilitated through the use of technology
• Government assists in developing con- tent and knowledge-based industries in Alberta
• Alberta Education Publications - ISBN
GOAL TWO
TEACHERS, STAFF AND CURRICULUM
Introduction
All teachers will have access to enhance and improve instruction. In addition, all teachers and staff will have access to a wide variety of information and communication technology inservice, training and sup- port programs as appropriate to enable them to integrate information and communication technology into daily learning curriculum integra- tion and administrative activities.
The gap between the use of information and communication technolo- gies in the business community and their use in education continues to widen daily. We must continue to narrow this gap because we be- lieve that these technologies have and will continue to contribute sig- nificantly to the improvement of education.
Information and communication technologies can provide teachers with engaging, effective, productive and motivating ways to meet stu- dent’s needs. Easy access to computers and information technologies can help teachers improve their classroom practice by expanding their opportunities for training, by fostering collaborative work with other teachers and professionals, access educational research, download Alberta Learning curriculum documents, download lesson plans, ac- cess libraries and engage in on-line professional development.
Information and communication technologies can also be used to pro- vide teachers with the tools which will expand their scope in handling and sorting information, relieve them from administrative burdens, and expand their capabilities and creativity. However, it is only after a teacher starts to use the computer and information technologies as part of their daily activities that the power and potential educational value becomes apparent.
According to a recent survey of 15 000 teachers use of technology for Education Week, as interpreted by Tim Johnson, Editor of the Fall 1999 issue of The ATA Magazine,Technology, Grade 10 to Grade 12 (Interim Program of Studies).
Alberta Learning. Curriculum Standards Branch. January 1999, Learn- ing Technology in Alberta’s Schools: Information For Parents.
“One finding of the survey expressed the correlation between teacher age/experience and the likelihood of using technology: “Teachers who have been in the classroom five years of fewer are no more likely to use digital content than those who have been teaching for more than 20 years.” My take on this is that veterans are just as likely to use digi- tal content as are novices because computer technology has become so pervasive in everyone’s life.”
Johnson continues to report interesting findings of the survey, such as:
97% of all teachers use a computer at home and/or at school for pro- fessional activities.
53% of teachers use software for classroom instruction. 61% of teachers use the Internet for instruction.
Teachers who don’t use software or Web Sites are likely to cite a lack of classroom computers more than any other reason.
Of those teachers who use software for instruction, about 50% say there are titles they would like to use but cannot because their comput- ers are not powerful enough.
48% of teachers using Web Sites for instruction say it is difficult to find sites that fill specific classroom needs.
Science teachers report the greatest difficulty in finding software, fol- lowed by English, math, and social studies teachers.
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