World Bank Caribbean Learning Project

Bette Manchester and MICDL staff are working with World Bank staff to consult with 10 Caribbean countries on planning for improved use of technology in teaching and learning process. We will host a conference in Maine on July 18-22, 2011 for educational and governmental leaders from these countries. The World Bank is providing financial support for this project.

Study Visits

We host groups of visitors who want to learn about the MLTI project and visit model MLTI schools. Since Decemer 2010 we've hosted study visits by educators from Argentina, Denmark, Chile, Australia, Canada, and Sweden. Two additional study group visits from Europe are being planned for December 2011.

Other International Activities

Since 2009 Bette Manchester has done consultation work with government and university leaders in Italy, Brazil, Chile, Austria and Canada. In June 2011, Bette Manchester attended the EDUsummIT in Paris. This invitation-only conference was organized by UNESCO (Teacher Policy and Development Section) and other partners, and brought together 120 distinguished policy makers, educators, researchers, journal editors and private sector leaders - those key to ICT in education - to build on the outcomes of EDUsummIT 2009.

BIG Summits

We are working with the IdeasLAB and the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation to co-plan and co-host the 2011 BIG (Big Ideas Global) Summit on October 12-14, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. This Summit follows the successful 2010 BIG Summit held in Maine in June 2010 that addressed global issues of policy and practice in digital learning.

Digital Literacy Project

This project, initiated in 2009, helps students and teachers develop the online reading comprehension and information literacy skills they need in order to deal with the vast amounts of online information they encounter every day. These skills, which are listed in a taxonomy of skills called TICA, include using the internet to locate, evaluate, comprehend, create, and communicate information, as well as the skills needed to engage in collaborative, cross-cultural, and problem-based learning. There is research evidence that the teaching strategies and practices that have been developed in tandem with this framework of skills lead to improvements in online reading comprehension, problem-solving and communication skills. Don Leu of the New Literacies Lab at the University of Connecticut leads this project; we provide coordination and facilitation support in Maine.

Google Geo Teachers Institute

We hosted a Google Geo Teachers Institute for educators led by national-level Google staff on Sept. 26-27, 2011 at USM LAC. This will be a free professional development experience designed to help educators get the most from Google's geo products and technologies. The Geo Teachers Institute is an intensive, two-day event where participants get hands-on experience using Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google SketchUp, including a focus on features like Ocean, Mars, Moon and Sky in Google Earth. Attendees will learn about innovative instructional strategies and receive resources to share with colleagues. The Google Geo Education team hopes this event will empower educators to bring the world's geographic information to students in a compelling, fresh, and fun way. Since 2009 we have worked with Google to bring workshops and related opportunities to Maine educators. Google staff are providing their services for this institute at no charge.

See the following link to learn more about Google Geo Teachers Institute.

See Video from WCSH Ch6 Google Visits Maine to Teach Educators

More Resources: Google SketchUp Blog, Google Lat/Long Blog, GTI Links and Materials

Maine Cohort for Customized Learning

We provide support to a consortium of districts in Maine (6 districts and growing that include more than 11,000 students) that is working to implement a technology-rich and completely standards-based model for teaching and learning.

Mainely Digital Learning Video Project

This project supports the creation of short (2-5 minute) videos of strong 1-to-1 teaching and learning practices that are occurring in Maine middle and high school classrooms. The intent is to provide teachers with more examples of good teaching in a 1-to-1 environment, particularly teachers who may not have had many good opportunities to see strong examples in the past. The deadline for Maine middle and high school students to submit videos was July 1, 2011. The student producers of the videos that have been posted on this website have received an initial payment, and they will receive a second payment in April 2012 based on the cumulative ratings their videos receive from Maine educators between September 2011 and March 31, 2012.

MAINE EDUCATORS - we invite you to view and rate these student-produced videos!

To view the videos and for more information, visit http://www.micdl.org/video_project

Acknowledgements: MICDL wishes to thank the many people who have supported the launch of this project, especially those at MLTI & ACTEM for sharing features of their WatchMECreate Project on which the design of this project is based.

Maine Online Course Collaboration

We are exploring new ways to help provide Maine teachers and students with more and better online and blended teaching and learning opportunities.

College Digital Learning Group

As part of our efforts to influence changes in practice regarding the preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers for digital learning in the classroom, we coordinate and facilitate monthly Skype and occasional face-to-face meetings of the College Digital Learning Group, which consists of education faculty members at Maine’s colleges and universities. These meetings provide opportunities for participants to learn from and with each other regarding digital learning practices.

Teacher Certification Revisions

We are working with members of the Maine Board of Education to update Maine’s teacher certification rules regarding technology in order to ensure Maine teachers have adequate knowledge and skills for digital learning and teaching.

School Leadership for Innovation

We are working with the UMaine Foster Center for Innovation to support greater innovation in Maine schools. In addition, we have a strong connection with Michael Fullan and are working to help bring his work on supporting school innovation to Maine school leaders. We hope to offer a workshop on these ideas at the 2011 MPA fall conference.

Teachers Terrified of Technology Project

The grant proposal for this project, which would be led by Tora Johnson of the University of Maine at Machias, was submitted to the National Science Foundation in May 2011. If funded, this professional development research project would work to increase the use of the MLTI devices and digital resources among technically-challenged teachers through an innovative professional development model. We would help develop and refine the model and facilitate collaborations that help link the project with Maine schools. The National Science Foundation (through UMM) will provide financial support for this project.

ICT Workforce Stimulation Project

The grant proposal for this project, which would be led by Glenn Wilson of the University of Southern Maine’s Information and Innovation Center, was submitted to the National Science Foundation in May 2011. If funded, this project would explore how schools can increase students’ computational thinking skills, promote student success in STEM courses, and help increase the number of students who are prepared to work in the ICT field. We are collaborating with USM and UNUM on this project. The National Science Foundation (through USM) will provide the financial support for this project.

Other Activities regarding Promising Educator Practices

In addition to those mentioned above, we are supporting numerous other efforts to identify, develop and disseminate promising educator practices related to digital learning: a) we are active in the STEM Collaborative, ACTEM, and other groups and organizations; and b) we are working with others to support the exploration of the use of digital technology to assist the learning of young children.

TESLA Project

TESLA stands for Transforming the Engagement of Students Learning Algebra. Project TESLA is a large-scale research project led by Chris Dede of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and funded by the National Science Foundation. This project is investigating the relationship between specific technology-based motivational activities and students’ interests in STEM careers along a developmental span. Part of the project involves a simulation - students experiencing a virtual world as planetary explorers, in which they encounter mathematical puzzles focused on pattern identification, description, and generalization. The project needs a large number of partner school districts in the 2011-2012 school year to implement a week-long math unit in grades 5-9 that brings together innovative technologies, rich mathematics lessons, and principles of motivation in a middle-grades setting. More information, including a fun, stop-motion video summarizing the project, is available at: http://teslahgse.wordpress.com/. We are currently recruiting Maine schools for this project and will be providing support during the implementation phase. The National Science Foundation (through Harvard) is providing financial support for this project.

Accuplacer Project

The official title of this project is Supporting College Readiness with Online Resources. The Accuplacer Exam is the primary tool used in Maine to determine whether an incoming college freshman needs to take one or more remedial courses. This project is a collaboration with Walch Publishing to develop materials to improve students’ Accuplacer math scores and lessen the need for remediation. These materials will be available free of charge to high school students and teachers in Maine (via their laptops and the web). Phase 1 of this project, which is nearly complete, has focused on developing materials for approximately half of the Accuplacer Math sections. The Davis Family Foundation has provided funding for this project. Discussions are underway about a proposal for a Phase 2 to add more digital content to the materials and develop materials for the other half of the Accuplacer Math sections.

Immune Attack Project

Immune Attack is a video game that teaches students about immunity and the cell biology and protein biochemistry involved in immune reactions. It is designed as supplemental teaching tool to be used in conjunction with middle school and high school biology textbooks, and introduces molecular biology and cellular biology in detail that is usually reserved for college students while using the familiar and motivational video game format to explore the strange world of cells and molecules. Melanie Stegman of the Federation of American Scientists leads this project. The game requires three 40-minute gaming periods over two weeks. A new Mac version of the game is expected to be available in Spring 2012. We are helping develop effective instructional units that utilize the game. The Federation of American Scientists is providing financial support for this project.

Other Games and Simulations for Learning

In addition to those mentioned elsewhere under Digital Student Resources, we broadly support efforts to identify, develop and disseminate games and simulations for learning, such as the Newtonian physics video game, SURGE (led by Brian Nelson of Arizona State and Doug Clark of Vanderbilt).

Open Education Resources (OER)

We received one of the first K-12 grants for a research project on OER, which included collecting OER resources for Maine educators. We produced an "MICDL Brief" on this project that the Hewlett Foundation shared with its national and international partners as a model during the April 2011 Hewlett Foundation OER conference. We are currently exploring other OER projects.