The Educational Technology Department is pleased to announce details about the upcoming 2018-19 Issaquah Technology Project.
As a program originally conceived to meet the growing technology needs of the 21st Century classroom, ITP has continually evolved to meet those changes. This year will be no different, and marks a dramatic change in the scope and direction of the program.
What’s New
Technology Allocation
This year we are excited to announce that 3rd-12th grade teachers who participate will receive a class set (25 for elementary, 32 for secondary) of laptops to be housed in and assigned to their classroom.
We will also offer a pathway designed to promote hands on digital tools that support learning for primary learners. Kindergarten-2nd grade teachers will receive 7 iPads and get to select age appropriate tech tools from a menu of options.
Eligibility
While opening up abundant opportunities for powerful learning, always having a device for each student does come with additional challenges and often requires new methods of instruction and approaches to learning.
Recognizing this, we have decided to divide ITP into three focused pathways:
- 6-12 Class-Set Pathway
- 3-5 Class-Set Pathway
- K-2 Digital Workshop Pathway
Class Set Pathways
This pathway will examine teaching in a 1:1 setting and use touchscreen convertible laptops.
Participants who teach grades 6-12 will receive 32 laptops assigned to their room. They will work with building administrators to mitigate for classes with more than 32 students and create a plan for storing and charging of the laptops in their room.
Participants who teach grades 3-5 will receive 25 laptops assigned to their room. They will work with building administrators to mitigate for classes with more than 25 students and create a plan for storing and charging of the laptops in their room.
Narrowing class set eligibility to teachers of grades 3-12 will allow us to focus and target support while learning from the participants about how best to teach with and manage devices in a 1:1 environment. As we plan and prepare for the 2019-2020 ITP program during next school year we will revisit eligibility options.
Digital Workshop Pathway
We recognize that there is a tremendous amount of innovation and integration occurring in K-2 classrooms, and that much of that innovation is centered around the use of iPads, along with digital tools that teach computational thinking skills. With that in mind we created the Digital Workshop Pathway for teachers of grades K-2. Those participants will receive a set of 7 iPads and be able to choose digital tools such as BeeBots, Spheros, Osmo and Ozobots that interact with those iPads and promote hands on learning. Participants will get a chance to interact with those tools this summer before making a choice about which to bring back to their classroom.
Teachers who apply and are accepted to ITP will be placed in the pathway that corresponds with their current teaching assignment as of March 31.
Finally, we are opening the program to any classroom teacher in grades K-12 who have not attended ITP during the summer of 2016 or the summer 2017.
Timing
Over the course of ITP’s life as a program we have most often held separate sessions for secondary teachers and elementary teachers. This year we are combining both groups and having a single week-long session July 29 – August 2 at the Sleeping Lady. We will still differentiate learning for grade levels, but are excited to bring everybody together to learn from each other.
Other Changes
In the past teachers have received equipment that is designated as ‘teacher equipment’ which included a laptop and more recently an iPad among other technologies. For ITP 2018-2019 we will no longer be offering teacher equipment.
We will also be changing the number of spots to 20 for K-5 teachers and to 20 for 6-12 teachers. Since this is a competitive program, we have a rigorous application process that helps us choose qualified applicants. Those applications will open on March 2 and close on March 30. Applicants will be notified on April 27.
Important ITP Dates for 2018-2019 School Year
Application Process |
Program Dates |
Application Live03/02Applications Due03/30 |
Summer7/29 – 8/02Follow-Ups10/05, 11/16, 2/01, 3/22, 5/17 |
ITP Background Information
The Issaquah Technology Project was created in 2000. Teachers who participate in this year-long program receive technology coupled with intense training and work centered around successful integration of technology.
Training begins with a 5-day, immersive training session at the Sleeping Lady in Leavenworth, WA. During this time teachers learn about software and hardware available to them through ISD and begin preparing for how to integrate those tools into their instruction.
After the summer session, teachers will receive the student equipment and begin using it with their students. Throughout the school year, participants attend five follow-up sessions where they reflect, share and learn about teaching with digital tools.
This one year immersive program centers its focus on student use of technology to support their learning, and is aligned to the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators.
We are excited for the possibilities of the next ITP, and eager to make sure all your questions are answered. Please don’t hesitate to contact your Tech TOSA to learn more about this great program.
BITS AND PIECES 