Connected Schools

Teachers, principals, instructional technologists, and other experts share their knowledge, experience, and opinions about the best ways to effectively integrate technology into classrooms to enhance learning. The program features real-life classroom applications, demonstrations, concrete examples, and proven methods. Students share completed projects throughout the film. Six easily accessible sections can be viewed individually. The six program sections which can be accessed individually. "Welcome to the Digital Classroom" introduces the host, Lynn Murray, who stresses the fast-paced technological changes educators are facing while encouraging them to harness technology to enhance learning. "Technology Trends" discusses wireless computing, ubiquitous computing, open source tools/the cloud, and virtual worlds as they relate to today's classrooms. Sections three and four provide the meat of the program, exploring ways to connect technology to learning through content in the real world environment and follow it up with continuous assessment. "Digital Factors" discusses how to determine methods to help students and educators become digitally literate. The last segment emphasizes the importance of integrating technology into learning now. The 41-page viewer's guide provides an ideal professional development opportunity. This program does a very good job of explaining the vital part technology plays in the educational setting for students and teachers, and would serve as an excellent source of professional development.—Linda Teel, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC