Tech+Wizards+Yr.+1

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The Technology Wizards program is a student centered framework designed to transform the delivery of professional development. The program seeks to develop a cadre of student leaders equipped to provide technology training and support to teachers. The design plan, as created by the CLIU 21 Educational Technologies Department, offers the opportunity for the participation of student/teacher teams from each member district of the IU. Teams consist of up to three sixth and/or seventh grade students and one teacher/advisor. Faculty members nominated students to the program based upon:
 * Program Information**
 * the student's demonstrated proclivity for technology
 * student acceptance of the task of assisting in and leading technology professional development for teachers

Teacher/Advisors were nominated by building principals.

(Click on the links below to view the Tech Wizards informational flyer and nomination forms. **Please be advised that all the forms listed below are the property of CLIU 21.**)

Forms
[|Technology Wizards Flyer.pdf] [|Technology Wizards Student Nomination Form.pdf] [|Technology Wizards Teacher Nomination Form.pdf]

**Curricula**
The Technology Wizards curricula was based upon emerging technologies and aligned to the NETS standards for students. The first year program of study included the topics of:
 * web page design
 * the Classroom Performance System by e-Instruction (CPS, also known as the "clickers")
 * Video Editing (MovieMaker for PCs and iMovie for Mac)
 * Podcasting
 * Internet Tools (wikis, Camstudio and NetTrekker)
 * Google Tools (including Google Earth)
 * a year-end showcase demonstration of the activities and support provided by the Technology Wizard teams to their faculties

**Professional Development**
The Technology Wizards teams have created a variety of forms of support for teachers:
 * one team has created Tech Tuesdays - a once a month 45-minute technology training session led by the Wizards. The session takes place prior to the school day and is attended by teachers interested in learning about the topic of the month as provided by the Tech Wizards.
 * another team has created a Tech Academy - an after school series of workshops attended by interested teachers.
 * still another team has created a website to provide information about the Tech Wizards program and 24/7 access for teachers to technology tips and tricks.
 * several teams have offered their services to teachers by either creating technology materials for classroom use; or offering to schedule appointments with teachers to provide tutoring on the use of a variety of technology tools. (Teacher/Advisors commented on an interesting and unanticipated result of this approach; although teachers have no qualms about breaking appointments with other teachers, they will not break their appointments with students!)

**Presentations**
On February 18, 2008 several members of the Tech Wizards teams attended a meeting of the Board of Directors of IU 21 to demonstrate their technology training skills. The Tech Wizards set up four training stations and worked with Board Members at each station to introduce a particular emerging technology.

media type="file" key="Tech Wizards at the Board Meeting.wmv" width="300" height="300"

**Sample Work**
Throughout the year the Tech Wizards have created exemplars of the application of technology in the classroom across content areas. Take a look at some of their examples as listed below:

a sample web page designed to provide for the dissemenation of information to all members of a school or school district: http://eschool.cliu.org/instructorHomepage.cfm?ID=nwlms
 * Tech Wizard Web Page:**

The Tech Wizards were asked to use Discovery Streaming videos to create an original persuasive commercial convincing teachers of the benefits of using multimedia in the classroom. Check out the result in the sample commercial listed below:
 * Tech Wizard MovieMaker Video:**

media type="file" key="MB and KF (Northwestern).wmv" width="300" height="300"

The Tech Wizards learned how to create podcasts using the Audacity and Lame freeware software packages. Listen to their content based podcast examples listed below.
 * Tech Wizard Podcasts:**


 * Science Review Podcast: media type="file" key="science review.mp3" width="240" height="20"

Math Podcast: media type="file" key="podcast_triangles.mp3" width="240" height="20"**


 * Social Studies Podcast: media type="file" key="japan story.mp3" width="240" height="20"**

Sample content area Google earth virtual field trips:
 * Tech Wizard Google Earth Work:**


 * Amazon River Virtual Field Trip:**

**Showcase**
On May 15, 2008 the Tech Wizards students presented an overview of their work for the 2007 - 2008 school year in a showcase event for administrators, teachers, parents and CLIU 21 staff members. A survey of the effect of the Tech Wizard program revealed that the students involved in the program had impacted over 350 faculty members and over 3600 students. In addition, twenty-two of the twenty-seven student participants in the Tech Wizard program indicated that their teachers used technology in the classroom more frequently this year as opposed to last year. Ten of the students indicated that their teachers were using new and emerging technologies in the classroom this year as oppposed to last year. To view a photostory of the Tech Wizard showcase event please click on the object below:

media type="file" key="Tech Wizards Showcase.wmv" width="300" height="300"

**Discovery Education Headquarters Field Trip**
The CLIU 21 Tech Wizards program has been featured in several media publications throughout the year. As a result of the publicity the program came to the attention of members of Discovery Education, who have worked closely with CLIU 21 in the past with regards to Discovery streaming video and the Discovery Educator Network. The Discovery educators were so taken by the program that they invited the Tech Wizards to spend a day touring Discovery Education Headquarters in Silver Springs, Maryland on June 4, 2008.

Nineteen of the Tech Wizards participated in the field trip and spent the day touring the facilities of Discovery Education. Students saw the creative process involved in bringing educational videos to completion, participated in the creation and filming of video vignettes using "green screen" technology and had a "sneak preview" of a new Discovery program called "Weird Connections" to be launched in the fall of 2008. The producer of the "Weird Connections" program spoke to the students and led a question/answer session regarding the work and process of developing a television program from idea to completion. To view a photo montage of the Discovery Education field trip, click on the object below.

media type="file" key="Discovery Field Trip.wmv" width="300" height="300"

**Year Two**
The CLIU Educational Technologies team is in the process of planning the curricula for year two of the Technology Wizards program. Check back to this wikispace frequently for updated information regarding the continuation and expansion of the Tech Wizards framework!