Dibert/UNO Partnership Issues Forum
Dibert School
Dibert School Webpages
Maintained by Richard B. Speaker, Jr.
e-mail:RBSCI@uno.edu
Visit the webpages of the participants in this project:
Project Description:
Part 1 - About the Partners
John Dibert Elementary School is located in a working-class, Mid City neighborhood
in New Orleans, serving 400 prekindergarten through sixth grade students.
It is adjacent to historic Bayou St. John, 3 miles from Lake Pontchartrain
and 2 1/2 miles from the Mississippi River. Dibert serves as a neighborhood
as well as a magnet school, accepting city-wide enrollment on a space-available
basis. Seventy-nine percent of the student population is African-American,
10% Hispanic, 9% Caucasian, and 2% Asian and/or of other ethnicity. Currently,
81% of Dibert students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.
Our educational goals stress cognitive, affective, social, physical and aesthetic
development through a child-centered approach, emphasizing creativity and
the development of each child's unique talents. The school environment contains
a wide variety of learning opportunities where process is as important as
product, where the child takes responsibility for his/her actions, where teachers
have open access to each other, where parents become actively involved in
the learning process, and where community organizations can channel their
support. Dibert has a strong commitment to professional development, evident
in its unique schedule and program. By extending school hours 4 days a week,
students are dismissed early on Thursdays, thus allowing a regular block of
time during which the faculty and principal can collaborate for site-based
Management Team meetings, curriculum meetings, and inservice trainings, often
given by and for Dibert staff. These inservice trainings, known as Faculty
Study, facilitate communication among teachers, as well as serve as a means
by which teachers can continuously reenergize and recommit themselves to meeting
the needs of students. Many Dibert faculty members have trained as Peer Coaches
and Mentors.
One of Dibert's most unique and innovative programs is the environmental education
curriculum known as Sunship Earth, in operation since 1985. This program is
designed for fifth and sixth graders, although everyone at Dibert benefits.
Most faculty members have attended, and all students from the Pre-K program
up, look forward to eventually becoming 'members' of the Sunship Earth experience.
Through Dibert's Morning Meeting activity, in which the entire student body,
faculty, staff, principal and parents meet to begin each school day, classes
and individual students share information about field trips, areas of study,
questions, and exploration. In this way, a connection is maintained between
all grade levels, teachers and the school community as a whole.
Currently, Dibert has 6 Macintosh LC II's and 8 LC 575's, distributed among
regular education classes, with 1 computer in each class, at a ratio of approximately
1:28. Special Education classes have 1 Power Mac 5260, 2 Performas 631CD and
1 Apple IIE. One Compaq computer is located in the library. Most teachers
use the computer as a 'center' activity, with 1 or 2 students at a time working
on skill reinforcement activities. Recent Louisiana legislation was approved
providing all qualifying schools, including Dibert, with a one-time award
of $20,000 in hardware and software for the 1998-99 school year, with the
goal of developing one pilot classroom with a 1:5 computer to student ratio.
No other district, state or federal monies are available or anticipated.
The University of New Orleans (UNO), serving 16,000 students from the local
area, other states and foreign countries, is the urban campus of the Louisiana
State University system. UNO was established by the Louisiana State Legislature
in 1956 with a mission to bring publicly supported higher education to the
metropolitan area of New Orleans. The emphasis of UNO is on urban issues and
concerns; this is evident in the multi-ethnic character of the student body
and the many specialized courses related to such environments. UNO, in keeping
with its mission to prepare individuals for lives and careers which will help
build the future of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the United States, recognizes
the importance of collaborative education in meeting the demands and expectations
of an increasingly interdependent community. During the fall of 1997, majors
in education were 18% African-American, 3% Hispanic, 72% Caucasian, 1% Asian
and 7% of other ethnicity. UNO is accredited by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools. The College of Education is accredited by the National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and its teacher certification
programs are approved by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The College of Education (COE), enrolls approximately l,500 undergraduates
and l,800 graduate students who are served by a full-time faculty of 52, supplemented
by 43 part-time adjunct professors and additional graduate assistants. The
concept of joint university/school collaboration is not a new one to the teacher
preparation programs at UNO. In a Teacher Corps Project (1977-82) cooperatively
designed and implemented between the New Orleans Public Schools and UNO, it
was demonstrated that the teacher's own cultural background was not the critical
factor, rather effective teacher-student interaction results when teachers
have empathic feelings for and acceptance of the students' cultural background
and community. Further collaborative relationships between the COE and local
school districts have been developed under the auspices of the Urban Partnership
for Teacher Development (UPTD) founded in 1990. The UPTD establishes contacts
throughout the public school systems of the area for the development of field-based
teacher preparation and research. Under its guiding principle of theory-practice
interaction, preservice teachers in methods courses spend significant periods
of time teaching children in public schools before they culminate their preparation
programs with student teaching. Dibert is one teacher development site with
UPTD. As a result of this program, Dibert receives student teachers as well
as preservice students who regularly observe as well as demonstrate lessons.
The lessons learned from these collaborations indicate that the preparation
of teachers needs to include a significant field component where preservice
teachers interact with children, practicing teachers and university faculty
in order to build a wide repertoire of instructional strategies with which
to develop their own professional directions and practices.
This proposal will bring 20 to 30 preservice students in elementary and special
education (including gifted and talented) to Dibert, once a week for 2 1/2
hours during 12 week sessions, to teach small groups of children using technology
and distributed learning in a thematic, interdisciplinary fashion. This involvement
will provide preservice students with a model to develop such effective approaches
in their future teaching as well as assist them in understanding the role
of technology as a tool for facilitating and enriching learning. Currently
UNO preservice teachers are required to take one course in computer literacy
and participate in methods courses which infuse technology into the teaching
of content in literacy, music, art, mathematics, science and social studies.
All UNO students and faculty have access to e-mail and the World Wide Web
(WWW) through the Computer Resource Center and two computer labs in the COE
(a Mac lab with 24 networked workstations and two LED projectors; an IBM lab
with 30 networked 286 workstations). COE faculty also have access to a development
lab with 8 Macs and peripherals including scanners and color printers. All
faculty and staff in Curriculum and Instruction have office computers with
modems.
Part 2 - The Target Populations
Dibert's student population reflects the cultural and socioeconomic diversity
of the larger Mid City area. Students that will participate in the project
are as follows: 1 first grade class (25 students), 1 second grade class (25
students), 1 sixth grade class (33 students), 1 upper grade Special Education
class (12 students), 1 lower grade Gifted Resource class (25 students) and
1 upper grade Gifted Resource class (25 students). The rationale for selecting
these classes is to involve a cross section of the school population, including
varied grade levels and learning styles, to encourage a great diversity of
ideas to the project as well as to promote excitement about the project throughout
the school. Dibert faculty, in collaboration with UNO faculty, consultants
and the Educational Outreach staff of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
have identified technological literacy, ecological understanding and a sense
of empowerment as community members as primary needs of our student population.
UNO preservice teachers participating in this project will be enrolled in
three courses at UNO: EDCI 3140 (Elementary Mathematics Methods), EDCI 3150
(Elementary Science Methods), EDCI 3160 (Elementary Social Studies Methods).
Most of these students are undergraduates majoring in elementary education,
but approximately 30% are graduate students seeking alternative certification.
EDCI 3140 enrolls approximately 75 students per semester, while EDCI 3150
and 3160 enroll approximately 25 students per semester. Students in these
courses learn how to integrate technology and content in their teaching and
will practice teach with small groups of children at Dibert. UNO COE student
needs have been identified through a cyclical process of course evaluation,
follow-up of graduates and interviews with teachers who have worked with UNO
students in various capacities, but especially as supervising teachers of
student teaching experiences. These generally indicate that novice teachers
need to know more about managing classrooms and providing a variety of learning
experiences in integrated curriculum settings, specific needs which will be
addressed through experiences in this project. UNO is committed to cultural
diversity and serving the needs of students with varying backgrounds. Faculty
in Curriculum and Instruction work with students who learn differently and
have various special conditions to accommodate their special needs. All methods
courses include content about such learners and the students will apply such
knowledge and strategies when dealing with students at Dibert.
Part 3 - The Curriculum
The city of New Orleans is uniquely situated between Lake Pontchartrain and
the Mississippi River on land reclaimed from a vast swamp. In the old neighborhood
of Mid City, students of Dibert Elementary School grow up where in 1699, French
Canadian explorers Iberville and Bienville were shown a bayou by local Native
Americans that enabled them to travel from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain.
Nineteen years later this important "portage", now known as Bayou St. John,
was the reason for the choice of location of New Orleans.
Traditionally, the residents of Mid City have enjoyed the beauty and abundance
of their natural environment. Older residents reminisce about swimming in
Lake Pontchartrain and Bayou St. John, and harvesting supper for the family
during sunset outings on the lake shore. Today, due to storm water runoff
from streets, golf courses, and lawns, as well as inappropriate disposal of
trash and household toxic waste, unsanitary water quality has lead to the
posting of "no swimming" advisories on the lake shore and "no fishing" advisories
on many of the city's waterways. In addition, the abundance of fish and crabs
has diminished dramatically.
New Orleans' youngest citizens are growing up out of touch with their natural
environment and its history. This has caused a lack of appreciation and poor
stewardship practices. The proposed curriculum will be an interdisciplinary
study of the local natural environment, specifically Bayou St. John. Through
involvement in this project, it is expected that students at Dibert as well
as UNO will become knowledgeable about the habitat and history of Bayou St.
John, its significance in the neighborhood and city, and its relevance and
importance as a community resource and environmental treasure. Dibert students
will also practice vital decision-making skills in relation to environmental
quality issues. The ultimate goal is that students will gain a sense of ownership
of their environment, leading to ecologically sound practices and a greater
community pride. Students will become skilled in the use of computer technology
which they will use to communicate, do research, produce multimedia projects
and publish their findings. Preservice teachers from the University and Dibert
teachers will become experienced in the integration of technology within curriculum.
Specifically, UNO preservice teachers will develop 1) proficiency in using
technology as an integral part of language arts, mathematics, science and
social studies lessons and lesson preparation; 2) ability to design multimedia
web pages to be used in lessons; 3) communication skills using e-mail, chats,
forums and the Internet; and 4) proficiency with evaluation of software and
lesson plans using technology in integrated, thematic teaching and distributed
learning.
The proposed interdisciplinary study of the neighborhood environment will
be a natural extension of a previously established theme. For 13 years, Dibert
has been committed to the Sunship Earth program, immersing 5th and 6th grade
students in 5 days of camp-based experiences through which they learn about
the interconnections in the natural world and explore their personal relationship
to the Earth. Students involved in the Bayou St. John project will take part
in various interdisciplinary activities, depending on abilities and interests.
Combinations of lower grade students will carry out activities such as investigating,
identifying and sorting organisms that live in the bayou, videotaping interviews
of local residents on their experiences and feelings about the bayou, observing
the four seasons on the bayou and using photography, drawing, text and graphs
to compare them and display their findings. Upper graders will develop and
carry out activities such as researching the history of the bayou's development
and the establishment of the City of New Orleans, interviewing local historians
as well as environmental experts and looking at the connection between Bayou
St. John and the larger watershed, particularly Lake Pontchartrain. Students
will produce maps, as well as develop a 3-D model of the local watershed.
All students will publish their work via the development of a Dibert School
web site, fostering communication about the project with students from other
schools throughout the country and connecting with project-related sites at
UNO and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation.
Project Scenarios: 3 months:
Mrs. Kronenberg's first graders are learning about and creating acrostic poetry,
using the word 'bayou'. Ariel asks, "Can I say 'yucky mud' for the 'y'?" A
discussion about poetic use of slang follows. Down the hall, a group of six
second graders and Special Education students work with Ms. Peterson, a preservice
teacher on learning how to scan art work into the HyperStudio stack that the
class has developed to show autumn impressions of Bayou St. John. The rest
of the students work with Ms. Carianna and Ms. Cassimere on the first draft
of a flyer inviting the local neighborhood associations' oldest members to
meet next month to videotape bayou stories and personal experiences. At the
bayou, Mr. Harvey's and Ms.LeBlanc's classes are working with preservice students
and staff from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, using probes to collect
water samples to determine the effect of last week's heavy rains on water
quality. They enter the data into their eMates and make comparisons, graphing
the results. After school, Dibert team members and members at UNO communicate
via e-mail regarding the next monthly training session for preservice and
in-service teachers. Dr. Levitt from UNO will present at this week's Faculty
Study on the development of Dibert's WWW home page. Team Leaders meet with
the Dean at UNO to discuss plans for a special topics course for Dibert and
other area teachers on technology integration and interdisciplinary thematic
teaching.
6 months:
Gifted Resource and Special Education students present a banner-size time
line of the history of Bayou St. John at Morning Meeting. A kindergartner
talks about flying kites there with his family. Ms. Thorpe, the librarian,
works with a group of 5th and 6th graders searching for Internet sites related
to urban waterways and levee systems. Newspaper articles relating to the Pontchartrain
basin are collected, discussed and analyzed in their relationship to Bayou
St. John. Sixth graders compose and e-mail a letter of protest to the Corps
of Engineers regarding the recent decision to open the floodgates. A fish
kill is expected.
1 year:
Plans for the Bayou St. John Tricentennial Celebration are well underway.
Upper grade students work with the Art teacher and UNO preservice teachers
on creating 1699 costumes to wear for their skit at the celebration. Parent
musicians teach Louisiana swamp songs to first graders. Mr. Ates, Dibert's
principal, arranges the donation and transport of a tent to house project
displays and storytelling events. The neighborhood associations commits to
working with Dibert families and staff at a Saturday bayou clean-up, prior
to the celebration. Trash will be sorted and counted by first and second graders.
A Language Experience Big Book will be written, illustrated and published,
to be displayed at the celebration. Digital photographs will accompany the
children's scanned art work. Press releases are prepared and disseminated.
A special web page is developed by sixth graders and Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation staff, publicizing the event.
Major Milestones 1998-1999
*monthly team meetings and telecommunications will be ongoing
June: Professional Development Training; project time line developed
July: telecommunications between Apple and Partnership Team leaders; develop
assessment survey
August: presentations to District and Area Superintendents, UNO Dean, faculties;
initial faculty meetings and inservice; introduction of curriculum
September: UNO preservice students' field experiences begin; schedule field
trips with Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation staff; initial contact with
neighborhood associations; administer pre-assessment survey; student activities
begin
October: curriculum/technology inservice for faculties; Dibert Open House
presentation to parents; team members meet to plan UNO Spring '99 special
topics course at Dibert
November: WWW inservice by Dr. Levitt for faculties/preservice students; Dr.
Speaker begins facilitation of on-line forum for team members
December: Dibert's home page goes online; quarterly review and evaluation
of program
January: UNO special topics course EDCI 4993 Integrating Technology into Elementary
Instruction, Using Environmental, Historical and Cultural Themes begins at
Dibert; teams meet to initiate plans for Bayou St. John Tricentennial Celebration
February: Dibert and UNO teams meet to review curricula for preservice students;
meet with neighborhood associations and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
staff regarding Tricentennial Celebration
March: prepare for Tricentennial Celebration; contact Mayor's office; submit
initial proposals for local and regional presentations about the processes
and results of the project
April: press release prepared; Saturday clean-up of the bayou; WWW site updated
to publicize Tricentennial Celebration
May: Bayou St. John Tricentennial Celebration; presentation of student projects
and portfolio; Apple Site Visit; administer post-assessment survey; year end
review and evaluation of program
June: videotape of Tricentennial Celebration shown on New Orleans Public School
Cable Station; teams meet for initial planning of 2nd year implementation
of project
A pre- and post-assessment survey will be developed to measure knowledge of
Bayou St. John's history and ecology and administered to participating students
at Dibert and UNO, as well as faculty members, parents and community members.
Results will be compared to measure increase in knowledge resulting from the
program. In addition, written evaluations of the project will be solicited
from faculty members at both sites as well as from preservice students. Student
work will be assessed through development of portfolios, both electronic and
'hard copy'. Increased use of computers for Internet research, communication
and multimedia creations will be documented through use of logs, to be maintained
by each participating class throughout the year. Meetings for inservice and
within the community will be videotaped for analysis and use in instructional
settings. Team members will participate in an on-line forum about the progress
of the project moderated by Dr. Speaker. Through monthly meetings, the Partnership
Team will make use of the project time line, which will provide a source of
regular 'reality checks' and possible revision of objectives if needed.
Part 4 - Professional Development
Dibert team members have used Macintosh computers in their classrooms for
5 years, and are skilled in their basic use. Dibert's team leader has facilitated
faculty inservices on computer use and has attended advanced Internet training
workshops. UNO team members have computer skills which include word processing,
spreadsheet, database, the use of WWW browsers, search, and e-mail software.
Some have participated in listservs and on-line forums. Members will need
to update skills in specific project technology and further training in the
development of multimedia hyperstacks, web design, LAN, and listserv/forum
design and maintenance.
Collaborative faculty training will take place through regular inservices
offered at Dibert and UNO and participation in the on-line forum. Training
will be delivered by team leaders as well as faculty experts on particular
topics. For instance, Dr. Levitt will present on webpage development; Dr.
Speaker will present on interdisciplinary curriculum; Dr. Adams will present
on listserv, LAN and forum management; Ms. Maygarden will provide environmental
history as well as training in water quality and habitat assessment. Ms. Carianna
and Mr. Harvey will work with Dibert faculty members to develop basic Internet
skills including use of browser and e-mail, conducting searches and downloading
web sites onto the hard drive for use in the classroom. Unlike past technology
or curriculum workshops with a generic agenda, those upcoming will be tailored
to fit specific needs as they relate to the project.
Currently the COE at UNO is undergoing a major review of its teacher preparation
programs. Successful implementation of this project will allow for incorporation
of its ideas, specifically the effectiveness of distributed learning environments,
into the base program. A prototype course collaboratively designed by UNO
faculty and Dibert team members, tentatively titled EDCI 4993 Integrating
Technology into Elementary Instruction, Using Environmental, Historical and
Cultural Themes, will be offered in the spring of 1999 for Dibert teachers,
UNO students and other area teachers on Dibert's campus.
Release time for teacher training is available weekly at Dibert due to early
Thursday dismissal. In addition, a current Urban Systemic Initiative grant
will provide funding for stipends and substitute teachers throughout the duration
of the project.
Part 5 - Impact and Dissemination
The Orleans Parish School System, like many districts throughout the nation,
is slowly making its way towards realizing a new vision of educating its young
people. This vision, fueled by the movement towards national standards in
education and the compelling need to produce citizens prepared to work in
a rapidly changing technological world, is based on the understanding that
students need to become competent problem solvers and synthesizers of information.
The impact on the classroom teacher, teaching tools and even the concept of
the classroom itself is great. It is the intention of the team members at
both Dibert and UNO to successfully implement the proposed project and promote
its success as further impetus towards support of hands-on, interdisciplinary,beyond-the-classroom-walls,
meaningful teaching and learning.
Locally, project experiences and results will be shared with area schools
and faculties through system wide inservices sponsored by the Urban Systemic
Initiative, the Greater New Orleans Teachers of Mathematics, mentorship programs
to support beginning teachers and events such as the yearly science fair,
where teachers from other schools visit and absorb new ideas and directions.
Neighborhood associations and community members will be exposed to the impact
of the project through direct involvement as well as in viewing student exhibits
at the Tricentennial Celebration. A project videotape will be shown on the
New Orleans Public School Cable Station. In addition, articles will be submitted
to the local news media to publicize the project. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation will further publicize student activities and events through its
teacher workshops.
Beyond the local area, information about the project, its processes and results
will be disseminated on WWW sites at Dibert, UNO and the Lake Pontchartrain
Basin Foundation. Results of the project will be presented to the Louisiana
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as an innovative model of technologically
advanced, interdisciplinary curriculum. Through conferences and publications
of organizations such as the Louisiana Association for Curriculum Development,the
Louisiana Association for Gifted and Talented Students, the Louisiana Council
for the Social Studies and the International Society for Technology in Education,
Dibert and UNO team members anticipate informing other educators about the
successes of this program. In addition, Dibert will distribute information
about the project through activities as Online Class Web's project "Rivers
of Life: Mississippi Adventure" (www.onlineclass.com) which is constructing
a virtual trip down the Mississippi River during flood season in a project
designed by the Center for Global Environmental Education.
Part 6 -The Use of Technology
The design of this project necessitates flexible, diverse learning tools,
including technology. Dibert and UNO students will broaden their learning
environments to frequently include waterways, neighborhood homes, local museums,
libraries, and many other possible sites in addition to the traditional classroom
setting. Students and teachers will learn to use portable technology, such
as eMates, eProbes, laptop computers and digital cameras on a regular basis.
These tools will be carried to and from sites in order to collect water quality
and other environmental data, take notes, document interviews, produce files
such as graphs, maps, timelines and more. In addition, this technology is
needed in order to facilitate student movement within the school setting,
such as Special Education and Gifted Resource students working in regular
classrooms, or regular education students working in multi-age groupings,
or any number of possible combinations. Finally, with so many classes in the
project, it will be essential that equipment is able to be moved quickly and
easily from class to class.
Student investigations and research will demand easy and regular access to
the WWW and e-mail. Students will communicate with other schools and communities
with their environmental investigations and concerns as well as search for
information and contact experts in the field. In this way, knowledge will
no longer remain static, but will become dynamic and changing. Students will
become a part of their own explorations. What they discover on one day will
influence the course of their learning on the next.
With the use of multimedia tools and computer software, students of all learning
styles and abilities will have access to means of expression they would not
otherwise have. For example, first and second graders, many of whom do not
yet read or write with ease, can use their own drawings, photographs and speech
to express complex ideas through a simple HyperStudio presentation. A Special
Education student, who has difficulty with pencil and paper tasks, may find
keyboarding and the assistance of a grammar and spell check program freeing,
allowing her to focus on the expression, not the mechanics of the writing
process. Scanned images and graphics will easily add to her presentation,
motivating her to move beyond the limits she thought she had. The Gifted Resource
student who often feels frustrated with the confines of a textbook curriculum
is suddenly able to go without bounds, finding diverse avenues of inquiry
and exploration. All students, regardless of age, background or ability level,
will have opportunities through the integration of these tools in the curriculum
that they otherwise would not have had.
Collaboration and communication between the Dibert and UNO teams will require
the use of regular e-mail. In addition, the development of an on-line forum
will allow for immediate feedback for both faculty members and preservice
students who will use the forum to discuss what's working and what isn't with
students, troubleshoot technical issues, brainstorm about coursework, upcoming
projects, etc. This type of electronic accessibility to colleagues and peers
will strengthen professional growth, communication and development. In addition,
all participants will have access to a wide range of sites through the WWW
related to the project and will participate in developing the Dibert-UNO/EDCI
web site.
Dibert teachers and students will access portable and/or shared hardware through
use of flexible scheduling, to be determined by team teachers. UNO instructors
and preservice students will sign up for time in the MacLab and will be able
to check out project laptops for use in their classes and at Dibert. The major
impact at Dibert will be through immediate access to technology in the project
classrooms and in the field, while the UNO students will be impacted most
by using the technology in their instructional activities with students rather
than just as tools for lesson preparation at UNO (or at home). The technology
will not be something apart from classroom activities as it is for the most
part today, but a viable, active aspect of every lesson for children, preservice
teachers and practicing teachers at Dibert and UNO.
Software to be used in this program will be selected as a result of investigation
into developmentally appropriate applications for elementary students that
is also applicable to the content of the project. Some software that will
be used includes: ClarisWorks and ClarisWorks for Kids, for basic word processing,
database, and drawing; HyperStudio, for dynamic yet simple multimedia presentations
of student work; eProbe software, enabling students to collect and analyze
scientific data in the field; Neighborhood Map Machine, The Graph Club and
TimeLiner (Tom Snyder Productions), dynamic applications that make it simple
for students to produce attractive maps, timelines and graphs to be used for
in-the-field analysis as well as in-depth research and presentations. (These
last two pieces of software are also available for eMates.) WebWhacker software
will be used to facilitate teacher planning of WWW use and to allow for fast
and specific viewing of downloaded, copied sites. In addition, software such
as Claris HomePage or Adobe PageMill, allowing web site production without
the knowledge of html, will be explored to facilitate teacher and student
web authoring.
Richard B. Speaker, Jr. | RBSCI@uno.edu
| Speaker, Richard. Page, Web | 6/17/98