Philisophy
The Technology Curriculum in the Newark School District is designed to promote knowledge of and involvement in computer, information literacy, and in technology education. Technology is multi-disciplinary by nature. The knowledge and skills acquired in using technology is used across the curriculum. Technology is a tool that adds an active dimension to the educational process, from hands-on tools, various software and media resources, to the ever evolving world wide web.
Globally, technology is the conduit by which humans modify nature to meet their needs and wants. Educational technological literacy promotes the use of specific computer hardware and available educational software, but does not propose to teach discreet technology skills in isolation. Classroom teachers who employ technology as an essential set of tools, can enhance the learning process, enrich academic performance, and equip students with the skills necessary to achieve success in life. Technology provides educators with the means to teach students in new and exciting ways and to have the students become active participants in the learning process. It extends the walls of the classroom by offering links to information and providing tools to explore, research, organize, and synthesize information.
This philosophy is grounded in the belief that our students are immersed in an ever-changing world that requires equally dynamic learning environments to meet and exceed its challenges. The curriculum will provide learning tools to enhance the student’s conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, and problem solving skills in technological skills and uses, its nature and impact, and its social, ethical, and human aspects.
The strength of technology is that it provides an excellent platform where students can receive and collect information in multiple formats and then organize, link, and discover relationships between facts and events. An array of tools for acquiring information allows students dynamic ways to enter the learning enterprise successfully and to live productive lives in the global, digital, and information-based future they all face.**
*Adapted from Long Range Technology Plan 2001-2004 Newark Public Schools and www.pvsd.net
**Statham, Dawn S., and Torell, Clark R. Computers in the Classroom: the Impact of Technology on Student Learning, Boise State University College of Education, p10. – DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
Technology Program
The vision and mission of Luis Muñoz Marín Elementary School in supporting student achievement lies within the use of 21st Century technology tools in the classroom and beyond. These 21st Century tools should be used to access information, to problem solve, expand communication, and imagine new possibilities for the future. Various technology tools will support our students in becoming life long learners and will assist teachers in becoming better managers and facilitators of learning while implementing the district curriculum and the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. We envision technology as a significant part of the way we work, teach, and learn. We also see technology as ongoing in its growth, access, and use.
Luis Muñoz Marín Elementary School has a population of about 1,000 students in grades PreK-8th grade. With this in mind, our vision is to lay a solid technology foundation for these students that will enable them to build upon their technology skills which will enrich their cognitive development, as well as the capacity to think creatively and critically, to exercise prudent judgment, and to acquire the skills necessary to be good decision makers when faced with the problems of the contemporary world.
Our mission is to make sure technology is incorporated into every facet of our school to enrich its environment and to offer additional strategies for instruction. Students will work cooperatively and independently to use technology to problem solve and apply critical thinking to projects and activities that foster a ‘community of inquiry’. Our technology should provide access to local, national, and international resources and experts in a variety of educational areas.
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