Technology Rich Classrooms

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More than 5,000 students across Kansas are well on their way to becoming digital citizens, thanks to a program called Technology Rich Classrooms (TRC). The program enables qualifying school districts to purchase technology for their classrooms and learn how to use it effectively with the assistance of a job-embedded coach or facilitator.

Since the program began in 2003, 80 school districts have received a two-year TRC grant from the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE). Funds for the grants come from a federal program called Enhancing Education Through Technology, commonly referred to as “EETT.” The primary goal of EETT is to help states improve student achievement through the use of technology.

To help manage the program, KSDE has established a contract with the KU Center for Research on Learning (KU-CRL). Staff from the Center’s Advanced Learning Technologies division coordinate the project and provide statewide professional development.

How the program works
To become a part of the TRC program, eligible school districts must apply for a competitive grant with KSDE. Districts that are funded are able to hire a half-time facilitator to work with four of their teachers. They also receive money to purchase equipment for the teachers’ classrooms.

Although the type of equipment varies depending on the needs of a district, all districts must have at least one laptop computer for every two participating students. In addition, each participating teacher receives a laptop, projector, and some sort of interactive whiteboard. Other types of technology that districts can purchase include iPod touches, interactive clickers, sound systems, digital cameras, printers, scanners, and software.

Professional development is a critical component of all TRC programs, says Amber Rowland, CRL staff member and project coordinator. “Research tells us that when school districts purchase a great deal of equipment but they don’t pair it with good professional development, the technology doesn’t get used. It typically just collects dust.”

Thus, TRC grants also provide each grant recipient with a facilitator or professional development person. All facilitators attend a summer institute where they learn about Technology Rich Classrooms. Then, when the school year begins in the fall, they spend the next two years working with four teachers in their classrooms.

The first semester of a project is typically spent providing some basic instruction to teachers and students in how to use the new equipment. In addition, facilitators model how to teach with the equipment using best instructional practices. As the semester progresses, instruction moves to more of a team approach, and by the end of the semester, many teachers are taking on the technology even without the presence of a facilitator.

Although the facilitator’s role is to help the teachers integrate technology, Rowland emphasizes a broader goal. “This is not just technology for the sake of technology,” she says. “Instead, it’s letting technology enhance the content of the curriculum. In this way, the technology becomes the tool that helps the teachers and the students learn and the facilitator is the person who helps the teachers envision the shift.”

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