Taking Note
March 2013
Page 2
Technology Integration in Tennessee Schools
Goal:
Strategy:
Expand access to technology.
Students receive the opportunity to engage with technologies and develop digital
skills they may not otherwise have access to and will need in college and career.
In Practice:
Memphis’s Power Center Academy, a 2011 SCORE Prize winner, partners with Apple Inc. to provide every student with a MacBook to
use for homework assignments and school projects. The school also partners with Comcast to help disadvantaged students purchase
low-cost computers and affordable home internet.
Goal:
Strategy:
Engage students in the classroom.
Various classroom devices provide students the opportunity to learn through
multiple pathways. Modern design elements invite students to engage with the
teacher and each other.
In Practice:
Teachers in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools use student response systems to meet the needs of individual students. Technology
is also embedded in open and flexible learning spaces that can be adapted to specific activities and subjects. Instead of computer
labs, for example, schools such as Buena Vista Elementary incorporate technology into regular classroom activities with netbook and
iPad carts. At Hillwood High School, the new library offers a multitude of technology resources to support instruction; students can
check out computers to aid with homework and projects, and teachers can book the library’s presentation space to bring lessons to
life with the help of an audio-video setup.
Goal:
Stra tegy:
Tailor instruction for individual students.
Online platforms can be used to provide opportunities for rigorous learning and
remediation.
In Practice:
The Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium (NETCO) uses technology to expand opportunities for high school
students to earn college credit. For example, audio-video equipment in Advanced Placement classrooms enables teachers to broadcast their lessons from one school to students in 29 different high schools across the region, while facilitators in the remote-classrooms
supervise the learning that takes place there. In rural Putnam County, district leaders saw geographic challenges as a catalyst for action to adopt district-wide technology programs. Putnam provides opportunities for students to earn dual credit and credit recovery
through online courses with the support of a learning facilitator through the Virtual Instruction to Accentuate Learning (VITAL) Labs.
Goal:
Strategy:
Support and train educators.
Online resources can be used to provide professional development and facilitate
professional learning communities.
In Practice:
Faculty members at the University of Memphis have developed a professional development program for science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) K-12 educators that uses an online portal to supplement their training. Faculty post relevant articles
and resources on the portal throughout the year for teachers to reference. In addition, they facilitate a discussion board online to
answer content and pedagogy questions. The goal is to create a virtual professional learning community that reaches across schools
and districts and can be sustained over time.
Goal:
Strategy:
Enhance assessments and use of data.
Technology can provide immediate feedback on student performance that can help
teachers identify individual student progress and specific needs.
In Practice:
At Prescott Elementary and Middle School in Putnam County, classrooms are equipped with Promethean boards and student response
systems that allow teachers to administer benchmark assessments and use data immediately to target student needs. Results from a
2012 survey of Tennessee educators as well as an opinion poll of Tennessee voters show that there is strong support for assessments
that provide immediate feedback and can be used to improve instruction. However, the polling data also show that the public does
not yet understand the connection between technology and immediate assessment results. Sharing best practices such as the work
occurring at Prescott can help educators and the public better understand how technology can be used to support instruction.
1207 18th Avenue South, Suite 326, Nashville, TN 37212 — tel 615.727.1545 — fax 615.727.1569 — www.tnscore.org