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Iowa State assists Ankeny schools implement digital devices

ISU School of Education assistant professor Amy Hutchison is helping Ankeny teachers learn how to use technology in a way that best supports and enhances student learning. Photo by Blake Lanser.

 

College of Human SciencesFaculty NewsResearch News

September 15, 2014

By Lynn Campbell

 

 

About 1,900 Ankeny fifth and sixth graders have received Chromebooks from school as part of a district goal to get a digital device for every student.

Beginning this fall, Iowa State University will play a key role in helping Ankeny teachers learn how to use the technology in a way that best supports and enhances student learning.

“When they launched it, it was just to get it into the hands of fifth graders to get them used to the device,” said Amy Hutchison, an assistant professor in the School of Education. “Teachers are striving to become increasingly skilled at integrating Chromebooks into their teaching and I will support them in that process.”

Hutchison provides expertise on using technology as a literacy tool. Through her research, she’s identified a seven-step process for integrating technology in the classroom. She also wrote a book this past summer about integrating technology with the Iowa Core standards, which identify skills students should have and concepts they are expected to know.  

Now, Hutchison has a chance to put her theory into practice.

“Getting the device in the hands of kids is the easy part of the battle,” said Steven Hopper, curriculum technology coordinator with the Ankeny school district. “The harder part is changing and adapting teaching and learning practices.”

 

Fellowship opens door for Iowa State-Ankeny partnership

Hutchison was just named as a fellow with the Center for Educational Transformation, a PreK-12 education research and development hub based at the University of Northern Iowa and funded largely with $2 million from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.

The fellowship will provide the resources for Hutchison to apply her research and expertise in the classroom. The center will pay for project costs, two graduate assistants, and release time to work on the project.

Hutchison approached the Ankeny school district about the partnership this past summer. She then held kickoff meetings with Ankeny teachers Sept. 9 and 11, introducing her planning cycle for technology integration based on her research.

Participation is optional. So far, teachers appear enthusiastic.

“We see her research goals aligning very closely with our own goals,” said Hopper, who graduated from the ISU School of Education with his bachelor’s degree in 2006 and master’s in 2010. “It’s providing an additional resource directly from an institute for higher education that is helping to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the classroom.”

Hutchison’s goal is to help teachers better prepare students with 21st century skills and digital literacy skills they need to be successful, such as knowing how to put together a multimedia presentation. The digital devices, such as iPads and Chromebooks, should help them achieve these goals.

“I am looking to support teachers in integrating technology in a way that develops students’ literacy skills — both traditional and digital — and enables them to use technology in transformative ways,” she said.

 

Establishing a long-range plan for integrating technology

Hutchison is also offering teachers professional development and ongoing resources throughout the year to work with their new technology, such as apps and sample lesson plans.

Together with her graduate assistants, she’ll then study the planning cycle for technology integration that she’s developed as Ankeny teachers implement it in the classroom. They’ll see whether the planning cycle is working, or whether it needs further refinement.

“If teachers don’t do a long-range plan for integrating technology, then they integrate it when they can. It’s haphazard,” she said. “My goal is to integrate it in a way that builds in the complexity of skills that students need, and plan for it so it’s not haphazard and it’s closely aligned with literacy goals.”

The ultimate goal is to use this experience in Ankeny to come up with a set of materials that can be replicated in other school districts.

 

Center aims to connect research and practice

The new partnership between Iowa State University, the Ankeny school district, and the Center for Educational Transformation is exactly the kind of collaboration that the center is looking for.

The center aims to leverage partnerships, share best practices, conduct research and produce innovations that transform teaching and learning. The distributive model of research and development aligns closely with Iowa State’s land-grant mission of making higher education accessible to all.

“The whole idea of the center was to create a larger footprint with research and development — to connect teacher practitioners with faculty researchers to promote continuous inquiry and applied research,” said Alan Heisterkamp, interim director of the Center for Educational Transformation.

 Literacy and technology are focus areas of the center, which currently has six research projects underway. Other researchers provide expertise in math, science, and engineering.   

“I think Amy is exploring some things that will be very helpful in minimizing the number of students who aren’t proficient,” Heisterkamp said. “Her research stands out. Technology is such an emerging area, and looking at how these tools reinforce learning.”

Under an initiative called “Reach In, Reach Out,” the center will soon be conducting a statewide survey of all Iowa teachers to further share information about real-life challenges and best practices for addressing them.

 

KEY CONTACTS:

Amy Hutchison, assistant professor, School of Education, Iowa State University, 515-294-1952, amyhutch@iastate.edu

Steven Hopper, curriculum technology coordinator, Ankeny school district, 515-289-8984,steven.hopper@ankenyschools.org

Alan Heisterkamp, interim director, Center for Educational Transformation, 319-273-3124,alan.heisterkamp@uni.edu

Lynn Campbell, communications specialist, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University, 515-294-3689, lynnc@iastate.edu

 

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