ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL DISTRICT CONNECTS CURRICULUM AND TECHNOLOGY

The development of the printing press in the mid-1400s was heralded as one of the greatest advances of the second millennium. More than 500 years later, most schools are still bound to printed materials, relying on textbooks as their main information sources.

So now that we've entered a new millennium, how do schools make the leap from textbooks to 21st century digital resources? What kind of training and support will teachers need to merge the technology with their curriculum? How will teachers align digital resources with local and national standards? What skills will students need to effectively use these resources?

The St. Joseph School District (SJSD) in St. Joseph, Mo. stands on the cusp of such a transition. According to the district, getting the technology is the easy part. The challenge is to connect the technology with the curriculum.

With TCR, the leading publisher of primary source information for K-12 schools, the St. Joseph School District found a solution to connect curriculum with technology - and to create resource-based schools that help students develop the information literacy skills required in today's digital society.

Moving from Print to Digital Resources
"There has been much discussion about replacing textbooks with digital primary sources," said Nancy J. Mooney, director of elementary education for the St. Joseph School District. "The cost of print materials has skyrocketed at a pace faster than our budgets, so digital information is more economical."

The district felt it was a bit premature to consider tossing out the textbooks completely, so a transitionary approach was adopted. Primary source information from TCR was introduced as a new resource to support the district's curriculum, as well as district and national standards. The use of primary source information, Mooney said, can provide greater currency, depth, and multiple perspectives that challenge kids to think for themselves...not just memorize. A world leader in the educational technology market, TCR helps educators integrate current, primary source information into the daily curriculum to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

But Mooney cautions that access is the key. "Getting all students adequate access to digital resources is essential."

To provide equal access to computer- and Internet-based resources SJSD employs a fiber optic wide area network (WAN) and networked software to deliver online curriculum and references to its 18 elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools. Each school has a local area network (LAN). Every elementary classroom has four computers. Every middle and high school has a computer lab and at least one computer in each classroom.

Professional Development
To launch the use of primary digital sources in St. Joseph's elementary schools, the district first introduced TCR to school principals, providing them with extensive training and practical experience.

"A principal sets the tone in the building. If he or she doesn't believe in a product, it won't get implemented," explained Mooney. "TCR is about quality, not razzle-dazzle flash. The principals were 'sold' on it because they experienced it and learned first-hand all the wonderful things it could do. They took this excitement back to their teachers. I know that all 300 elementary teachers are using it because we started with the principals."
To train teachers, the district decided to focus first on social studies. "I strongly recommend picking a single subject area so that the teachers can directly relate the product to something specific," said Mooney. "TCR ties technology-based staff development directly to the curriculum. In addition, they understand 'just in time' staff development. If you're teaching a unit next week and you have to prepare for it this week, you can do your staff development just before you need it. It doesn't work to train teachers in February on a subject or topic they won't be teaching until October."

TCR provides "just in time" online staff development with instructional tools, correlations and lesson plans available at the moment a teacher needs them.

"The good thing about TCR staff development is that they get it. Their training and staff development isn't about how to turn on the computer. It's about how to improve teaching and learning," said Mooney. "One of the things that has really impressed me is the teacher resources. TCR really thought about what a teacher would need to use this product successfully. The resources are cross-curricular, unlike many products which apply only to single subjects. When teachers combine TCR teacher resources with primary source information, it can have very powerful effects."

Connecting Curriculum and Technology
To help teachers connect primary digital sources with their curriculum goals and standards, the St. Joseph School District created a "Curriculum Map." With the Curriculum Map, all teachers can see everything they have to cover each month in each subject area. The map, which is based on national standards, forms a framework around which they plan their instruction.
"Getting teachers to connect digital resources like TCR with their curriculum goals is key," said Mooney. "The real power of TCR comes with connecting the product to the curriculum. TCR fits within the current emphasis on addressing standards. TCR does not ask you to change your local curriculum. It helps you to meet the standards with the curriculum you have. This is an enormous benefit to the district."

Connecting Students with Primary Sources
Webster's New International Dictionary describes "primary source" as "firsthand, independent original ... direct ... transmitted without intermediary."

TCR provides broad and immediate access to a cross-curricular collection of primary information resources, including newspapers, periodicals, journals, historical documents, business and government publications. TCR primary sources support classroom instruction in virtually every subject area. They provide educators with power vehicles to address current, cross-curricular topics that textbooks cannot cover.

TCR selects sources and articles SPECIFICALLY for instructional value. It offers regional, national and international coverage, and gives students access to current real-world content. It allows students to explore different viewpoints and, most importantly, challenges them to think critically.

"There's a lot to be said for the Internet and what it offers. But if I want high quality text and news from the world, I use TCR," said Mooney. "You can search the Internet for free, but it takes forever to sift through the information and you don't know if you're getting the truth. We need information that is reliable and important, and we need it quickly. TCR provides reliable, copyright cleared sources. With TCR we can be assured our students are reading text we want them to read. Anytime you can get students to read primary sources is to their benefit."

TCR digital primary sources help students develop the ability the locate, evaluate and use information to answer a question or solve a problem, allowing educators to easily integrate technology and information problem-solving skills across the curriculum.

"TCR helps us connect digital technology with our curriculum and supports the development of information literacy, which is essential for students," said Mooney. "TCR has such a wide range of applications, it just makes good fiscal sense. That's a huge district benefit."