Classrooms for the Future

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Edward G. RendellGovernor

Gerald L. ZahorchakSecretary

Technology has transformed our society into… A global marketplace with immediate and

unlimited access to Information 24/7 Newer and better services and goods

A culture that demands that we possess the skills and knowledge to use technology resourcefully as both a consumer and a worker

Pennsylvania Students will compete in a global market It no longer matters where workers reside. Companies are looking for the highest

skilled workers

Change is constant

Technological exploration and innovation facilitate constant changes to our world and how we inhabit it…

we must now redesign education to

reflect a new human paradigm.

High School ReformA national report released March 2006 identified “threefundamental ideas about today’s high schools that are not yetwidely perceived:

There are results that matter for high school for high school graduates in the 21st century – and these results are different from and go beyond traditional metrics.

Improving high schools requires the nation to redefine “rigor” to encompass not just mastery of core academic subjects, but also mastery of 21st century skills and content.

The results that matter – 21st century skills integrated with core academic subjects – should be the “design specs” for creating high schools that are truly effective for students and the nation.”

Results That Matter: 21st Century Skills and High School Reform, Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Classrooms for the Future

A bold step toward large-scale high school reform for the 21st Century Grantees commit to -

Improve teaching and learning in English, math, science, and social studies

Assist us to prepare our students for tomorrow’s postsecondary and workforce opportunities

Support models for future classrooms Promote leadership & advocacy for systemic

change in organizational and instructional practices

Classrooms for the FutureFocus: $200 Million over 3 years for “smart”

classrooms $6 Million for Professional Development

“Smart” ClassroomsEach public high school and AVTS/CTC core

subject (English, Math, Science, Social Studies)

classroom the following:

one laptop per student desk A teacher laptop A printer/scanner imaging software productivity software A web cam An electronic whiteboard A projector up to three digital still cameras (per eligible school) up to five digital video cameras (per eligible school) Infrastructure (wireless network, servers) technical support

Professional Development Extensive professional development

In class modeling Face to Face workshops On-line courses Just in time learning Leadership

Professional Development Support

In addition to the funding to acquire technology, infrastructure, and support, PDE will provide:

An on-site Classrooms for the Future Coach to guide – Data driven needs assessments and strategic recommendations Collaborative planning with teachers Identification of appropriate instructional technologies In-class modeling The delivery of local hands-on relevant professional

development

A stipend for Keystone: Technology Integrator teacher(s) to engage in activities that support the program

High School Reform in PA

Leveraging Pennsylvania’s Programs

Project 720 Dual Enrollment Job Ready PA School Improvement Career and College Grants Accountability Block Grants Pennsylvania Inspired Leadership Pennsylvania High School Coaching Initiative Keystones: Technology Integrators Getting to One Grants

Classrooms for the Future Year 1

103 Schools 79 Districts Urban, Suburban Rural schools All areas of Pennsylvania

The Future Classroom

But every destination begins with a single step of awareness..

And technology-enabled instructional models are a great way to start the journey.

The Challenge

Efficiencies and Innovation Authenticity (inquiry and project based

learning) Learner centered classrooms Responsibility of learners Collaboration-teachers and students

Sustainability

XXX School

Year One Focus: English and math Grades Xx Classrooms, teachers

Use this slide to insert the local specifics about your grant.

XXX School

Use this slide to share your English and Math PSSA data

Share your school improvement goals

XXX School

Use this slide to share your strategic plan for using technology to meet your strategic goals.

XXX District

Use this slide to share your district’s strategy for assisting students to acquire 21st century skills

XXX District

Use this slide to link the Classrooms for the Future project with other district programs

XXX School District

Use this slide to highlight the your grant partners and their role in the grant

A Social Studies teacher might have students create a weblog to identify views on the most significant causes of World War II which can then be used as theses for collaborative multimedia presentations

Math teachers might use the design and

construction of virtual stair systems as a meaningful, standards-based approach to bridge theory and practice

English teachers might develop webquests with rubrics that support critical literacy and advanced research skills through producing digital movies, composing songs, or writing narrative essays on Langston Hughes’s poetry

Science teachers might lead students on a NASA eMission where they need to analyze jet propulsion forces and cargo load requirements to outmaneuver a meteorite

The Future Classroom

For students, it can be about moving

from passive listener to active learner

through contextual immersion.

For example, students might –

Examine online artifacts of the anti-bellum South and then webcast discussions with anthropologists to better understand the cultural exigencies that led to slavery

Observe Martin Luther King delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech and then digitally produce a presentation that might have similar social and historical ramifications on a group of people today

Travel underwater to discover sunken treasures of lost civilizations or the golden scales of a new species of fish through live streaming video from a research vessel

Create a ‘virtual’ universe using online Hubble Space Telescope resources and calculate the event horizon around a black hole or the lifespan of a red dwarf star

The Future

Culture and pedagogical high school reform

Early indicators of systemic impact will be changes inperformance and perceptions, including: Increases in –

Attendance Student engagement Time spent on task Assignment completion Course rigor

Decreases in – Classroom disruptions Drop-Outs Overall disciplinary actions

Overall Teacher and student attitude improvements. 

Questions?