ITUG-DE Minutes
February 12, 2002

TOPIC: Web Resources for Technology Integrated Lesson Plans and Resources

Attendees

Sherritt Burger
Jim Cecchini
Judith Conway
Susan Cornett
Doreen Gold

Amy Gordon
Wendy Modzelewski
Joyce Nerlinger
Pat Sine
Esther Steffens



Meeting was called to order at 5:15 PM.

General Business

  • Thank you to Doreen Gold for hosting our first "ITUG On-the-Road". The group appreciated her efforts.
  • Introductions were done all around.
  • Jim Cecchini gave the group a tour of his Technology Education lab (the new terminology for labs that have replaced the old "shop" classes) and talked about his modular, computer-based curriculum. Thanks to Jim for his impromptu and fascinating tour.
  • Wendy provided an update on the Delaware Instructional Technology Conference. The dates this year are April 10-11, 2002 and everyone is invited to attend. Some members were upset that they would be unable to attend due to their districts' policy on attending professional development activities. Wendy said that she would discuss these issues with the districts to see if anything can be done to remedy this situation.

Major Topic: Web Resources

The group discussed the availability of web resources for lesson plans and the fact that we are all told that we can find lesson plans on the web.

Background:
Recently, Joyce Nerlinger and Alyssa Rosenthal were conducting a review meeting for a webquest that they are developing. The webquest has teachers evaluate technology integrated lesson plans and activities based on their applicability to addressing the principles addressed in Best Practice: New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's Schools by Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (Portsmouth: Heinemann, 1998). For a resource for the webquest, Joyce and Alyssa prepared a list of well-known instructional technology integration activity resources. The resource list is quite extensive (22 sites) and each resource itself is also extensive. As the review group looked at the resources, they were met with varying enthusiasm. Joyce and Wendy decided that a better review of these sites would be a valuable exercise for ITUG and could produce a "living document" for ITUG members.

Process:
The group accessed Joyce and Alyssa's resource list and began to explore. We agreed that we would each attempt to evaluate the sites on some type of standard criteria. The criteria was:

  • Were the lessons standards-based?
  • Was the site easily searchable?
  • Was the site easy to sue?
  • Did you find "good stuff"?

While not exactly scientific, the group felt that these criterion would allow members to evaluate the sites based on teacher needs. There were not assignments of sites from the list of 22. Members were invited to preview sites that interested them, so the resource produced is not a comprehensive review of all the sites (hence, the title, Living Reference, as it is subject to growth and modification in the future).

Good of the Cause and Adjourn:
Next meeting is March 13, 2002.. The location will be determined through an invitation through the listserv for someone to host the meeting . The topic will be a continuation of this meeting since the members in attendance were not able to evaluate all sites and also because they felt it would be valuable to have others evaluate these sites. There will be no April meeting.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:20 PM.