Probes and Models Across the Curriculum: Information Technology in Science Instruction (IT-SI)
Description
The goal of this three-year, comprehensive ITEST project is to prepare diverse middle- and high-school students for careers in information technologies (IT) by engaging them in designing inquiry-based science activities that use computational models and real-time data acquisition and analysis. The project provides 126 hours of lab-based, credit-bearing activities for 90 teachers and support for classroom implementation. Participants meet for two weeks in the summer of 2007, twice face-to-face plus online during the academic year, and again the following summer for one week. The program is offered at three sites, each supporting 30 participants: Desert Sands, CA; Olathe, KS; and Boston, MA. The three sites were selected to give the project a national reach by including geographic and ethnic diversity from the start. The schools participated in the development of the project and intend to continue and expand it post-funding. Additional dissemination efforts, including a project website and publication in the Concord Consortium's biannual newsletter, will reach many more.