Overall Goal:

Project Integrate 2001 is a model to implement advanced integration professional development designed to 'change' teacher behaviors and develop 'practitioners' who are fully integrating technology into their classroom teaching and learning.

The model is designed to empower change at a classroom and campus level, but is based on a systemic design approach to be implemented at a district level and change the teaching practices of all teachers (over 75%) in a 4 year period.

This model (successfully implemented in four Texas districts in 1999) will be implemented through a TIE grant in a much larger scale beginning in the summer of 2001. The project will include ESC VI and 21 districts in the Houston and Region 6 area (representing about 180,000 students) including: Aldine, Bellville, Brenham, Bryan, Burton, Caldwell, Cameron, Clear Creek, Coldspring-Oakhurst, Conroe, Goose Creek, Groveton, Hearne, Huntsville, Latexo, Madisonville, Magnolia, Milano, New Caney, Splendora, and Willis (fiscal agent of the project).

Specific Objectives:

1 - to train a core group of educators (probably 6 teachers, 1 admin. & 1 tech support/librarian) from every campus to become practitioners of technology integration

2 - to train trainers to deliver these unique integration workshops so that after the initial implementation year, this integration staff development model can continue for other educators in future years (trainers will be trained from larger districts and ESC VI)

note: teachers are expected to become practitioners of technology integration and to continue those practices in subsequent years (i.e. it is not their responsibility to train other teachers - that is why trainers will also be trained to redeliver the workshops in subsequent years).

What the Initiative Would Involve:

Train-the-Trainers (May-June, 2001): 3 days of intensive training to develop the knowledge, skills, and strategies of trainers to deliver some of the integration workshops (and a 4th day through online activities designed to develop a community of trainers, and 3 follow-up days for trainer consulting)

Participant Identification (April-May,2001): principals will select a core group of teachers and administrative & instructional support staff from each campus (probably 8 people from campuses/districts with 400 to 1000 students, or fewer from smaller campuses)

Series of Integration Workshops (June,'01-Mar,'02): participants will be involved in 3 different two day integration workshops (Mac OS or Windows - various types of software)

Technology & Curriculum Integration (2 days in June-Aug): productivity applications based
(ex. word processing, spreadsheets, etc. with applications like Microsoft Office, Appleworks, etc.)

Internet & Curriculum Integration (2 days in Sept-Nov): web publishing based
(ex. content web publishing using tools like Netscape Composer, Pagemill, Dreamweaver, etc.)

Multimedia & Curriculum Integration (2 days in Dec-Feb): hypermedia based
(ex. data, text, audio, and video with applications Hyperstudio, MPower, iMovie, Quicktime, Powerpoint, etc.)

Evaluation (throughout the year): best when done by an outside agency, Project Integrate 2001 will be evaluated by SEDL - Southwest Educational Development Laboratory