| In 2005 Portage Public Schools in Portage, Michigan, allowed high school science teachers to have two extra hours of preparation time to engage in the development of electronic technology related activities for high school students. Through this offering, a program was developed for these teachers to create, manage, and evaluate the effectiveness of technology in the classroom. The program, named the Science Educators Technology Sharing Initiative, was run through the 2005-2006 school year. Funding for the program was provided by the school district and funding has been granted to continue the program for the 2006-2007 school year. The program paired two teachers for two hours a semester to increase their understanding of how the technology can be used, development of activities that use the technology a well as manage and maintain the technology inventory. The program was evaluated from both teacher and student perspectives for both perceptions of technology and the level of its use in the classroom. The analysis of the data indicates a strong statistical correlation of an increased use of technology in the classroom through the school year. |
