PD10-11GroupB

What do you hope to learn in this study group? Please try to make your goals specific, relevant and trackable. As your study group evolves, your goals might change as short-term goals lead to long-term goals. We will take time to refine goals about half-way through the year. This is our first priority: Dear Alumn, We are participating in a study group exploring technology in education. We are interested in learning about your digital experiences at Newtown Friends and beyond. We will use this information to help us better prepare future graduates. Please be as specific as time allows. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
 * We hope to better understand the idea of Web 2.0 and what it entails for teachers and students
 * Discovery Education: Web 2.0 is a useful overview site you might want to check out.
 * Better integrate the multiple applications of technology for the benefit of students
 * Great! Let me know how I can help you... You might consider using some of your study group time to share what you're doing in your classes individually and help each other to make them better . You might also use study group time to plan collaborative work that involve web 2.0 and project based learning.
 * Measure outcomes of technology integration over time on student performance
 * This sounds interesting. What aspect of student performance would you measure? Content area knowledge? Content area skills? Technology-specific skills? All of them? Could you use the baselines we're already doing for the digital portfolios to assist in the process?
 * Identify gaps and redundancies in use of Web 2.0 technologies in Upper School and explore the undiscovered
 * You might use the ISTE NETS for students to help you organize this process.
 * Explore ways technology education has prepared recent alumn and explore needs for improvement for high school preparation
 * This is especially interesting to me. I'm wondering if Jody includes anything about this in her traditional survey to 9th graders and their families. If not, maybe she could? I have emailed her and will post what I find out!

1. What school are you currently attending? 2. Since leaving NFS what technological presentation tools have you been expected to use? (i.e.PowerPoint, Photostory, Glogster, web sites, etc.) 3. Since leaving NFS what social networking tools have you used for educational purposes? (i.e. Facebook, Wiki, Ning, Blogs, Twitter, etc.) 4. What digital organizational tools do you rely on for educational purposes? (i.e. Smart phones, iPads, laptops, handhelds, etc.) 5. How adequately did NFS prepare you to deal with digital citizenship responsibilities? 6. Compared to your classmates coming in from other schools, how adequately did NFS prepare you to meet your high school's technological expectations? 7. In what specific ways could NFS have better prepared you for your high school's technological expectations?

We thank you for your time, and encourage you to stop by and see us when you are in the area.

Melissa Carroll Steve Haines Kevin Davis Katie Johnson Neil Somers 

What resources can you identify to help you reach these goals? Human resources are an option but not the only option.
 * Kristen Sanchez and colleagues in study group
 * Colleagues outside NFS in other independent schools and businesses
 * Curriculum mapping/Scope and Sequence for Technology
 * Internet research and print materials
 * Contact recent alumnae by e-mail and conduct research (survey monkey) to determine benefits of NFS technology preparation and current high school technology usage (Dianne Zimmaro)