RITTI FELLOWS

Fellows:	Project Focus
Holly Barton bartonh@ride.ri.net Information Literacy	In today’s technology-rich environment, physical access to information has never been easier. However, intellectual access to information can be denied to the student who does not possess information literacy. Today’s students must possess the cognitive strategies of selecting, retrieving, analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, creating, and communicating information. When these abilities are in place, technology opens the door to greater volume and depth of information acquisition than has ever been possible before. It demands a shift in approach to resource-based learning, where students create their own paths to knowledge. I am investigating Information Literacy as a tool of empowerment for all learners, making them ready to function effectively in society.
Kathy Blair smart036@ride.ri.net Tech Times	In an effort to establish one element of ongoing communications, and support for all teachers with regard to technology, a newsletter will be developed and offered to interested colleagues on a monthly basis. The newsletter, RITTI Links, will cover topics, developed locally as much as possible, including: Special Ed Connections Connected Classrooms Software reviews Grant ideas Support group/workshop calendar Local Sites to See My Favorite Site this Month Mac and PC Tip of the Month Fellow Feature Occasional Editorials
Jane Carlson-Pickering rif00227@ride.ri.net Multiple Intelligences	My research focuses on whether technology enhances student learning due to the fact that when it is developed to incorporate a combination of learning modalities, it may stimulate many of our innate intelligences.
Vin Doyle doylev@ride.ri.net Student's Point Of View	We seem to be focusing on the delivery side of education and now in particular, on the technology aspect of the delivery. For many years now, I have been interested in the receiving side of education. "I know what you are saying, but I’m really interested in what the ‘kid" is hearing." We all seem to know that technology is working in the classroom. We need to explore the how and why. I would like to focus on capitalizing on what the students bring to the classroom in the way of skills that can enhance the delivery side. To be able to integrate this with what the standards are demanding would be a focal point of my research.
Jackie Fitzgerald rif00299@ride.ri.net Curriculum Integration	I am a Special Education teacher, working at Western Hills Middle School in Cranston, RI. My Fellows project shows that when technology is integrated into the curriculum, "more and better" learning will occur - if "more and better" teaching occurs.
Denise Frederick ride0881@ride.ri.net Reforming Geography Education through Technology	My curriculum area is social studies and I teach World Geography in grades seven and eight at Wickford Middle School in North Kingstown. The focus of my research is the impact of technology on teaching and learning in the area of social studies. Starting with my own classroom experiences and those of other RIITI teachers, I am attempting to discover how the use of technology leads to improved teaching and learning.
Paulajo Mays pmays@etal.uri.edu Early Childhood Integration	I plan to compare and contrast the current research on successful technology integration in early childhood classrooms and the actual classroom-practice taking place in Rhode Island classrooms as a result of the Rhode Island Teachers and Technology Initiative
Peter McLaren rcq256@etal.uri.edu Scoring Rubrics	The pace of both technological development and the introduction of new technologies into educational settings has dramatically accelerated during the past decade. Teachers are increasingly asking questions about how can technology be more effectively used in the process of teaching and learning. Though there are many variables which affect technology's impact on teaching and learning, my research focuses upon the use of technology standards and scoring rubrics to assess the student's (and the teacher's) understanding of technology usage.
Diane Morris dmm@etal.uri.edu Impact on Written Expression	In keeping with the overall goal of RITTI, to assist teachers in the use of educational technology in a way that will result in improved student learning, my focus is both student and teacher related. As a resource to teachers I plan to work towards connecting the middle school "language arts standards" with the wealth of curriculum units available on the RITTI web site. Since an integral part of a student's academic performance depends on communication skills, I also plan to review today's research, in the area of written expression, to determine if technology has a significant effect on student proformance.
Pat O'Donnell ride0941@ride.ri.net Making Room for the 'Engaged Learner'	How do we educate the "new child," raised in a world of instant information, where interactive technologies have led them to believe they can act on the world with the press of a button? Not by simply thinking up clever ways to use computers in traditional courses. What is needed is a guiding philosophy that suggests principled changes in the curriculum, and effective uses of technology as part of these changes. My project will take a look at several of these approaches and give you some sample strategies to test in your classroom.
Ron Poirier poirierr@ride.ri.net Exploring With Computers in Chem Class	My project involves looking at those factors that encourage the effective use of instructional technology in the instruction of secondary science and specifically chemistry and physics.
Linda Poulton lpoulton@etal.uri.edu Digital Media	Educating the Net-Generation is one of the greatest challenges facing teachers. Teachers must change their roles and become more adapted to the new way of teaching and learning. As the digital media penetrates the classroom environment what is the role of the teacher and what strategies are successful? What strategies work or end in digital disaster? My focus during this RITTI Fellowship is to investigate classroom strategies for the middle school curricula that integrate technology and the standards.