Bringing Technology Education Into K-8 Classrooms: A Guide to Curricular Resources About the Designed World

"Are published curriculum materials really standards-based? The authors answer this in unprecedented detail. A must-read for technology, design, and engineering educators."

―William E. Dugger, Director

Technology for All Americans Project, International Technology Education Association

"If you enjoy teaching science because it engages students, you will want to include technology and design. This book provides everything you need to find curriculum materials that fit your situation. Helping students become technologically literate as well as scientifically literate is a must in our world."

―Senta A. Raizen, Director

National Center for Improving Science Education (NCISE)/WestEd

Bring a whole new world of technology education into every classroom!

We live in a world where technological advances happen daily. But technology is more than computers and electronic devices. Technology encompasses every man-made creation that meets human needs, even a pencil or a book. Technology education helps students design and make improvements in the designed world around us, such as transportation systems, manufacturing, and biotechnology, as well as many other fields.

This must-have guide is the first independent review of curriculum materials for technology. In Bringing Technology Education Into K-8 Classrooms, authors Edward Britton, Bo De Long-Cotty, and Toby Levenson provide a practical guide to the latest technology textbooks and integrated resources (including technology and supplementary resources), and descriptions of more than 100 informal resources. The guide fully describes the strengths and weaknesses of each product′s features by analyzing the technology topics covered, types of technology design activities, assessment strategies, types of teacher support, and much more.

Bringing Technology Education Into K-8 Classrooms includes:

• An introduction to technology education and its importance for students today
• Complete information for choosing technology resources that meet district and classroom needs
• Practical analysis of how technology topics address standards
• Helpful tips on how technology activities help students understand a design process

Featuring an easy-to-follow organization and sample pages from major products, this resource will help all students become technologically literate!

Edward (Ted) Britton is associate director of the National Center for Improving Science Education (NCISE), housed within the Mathematics, Science, and Technology program of WestEd. Dr. Britton brings long experience in research and evaluation of curriculum issues and materials to this book. In collaboration with Senta Raizen and others, he developed methods for a cross-national comparison of textbooks in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). He led a review of curriculum materials that connect science and mathematics to workplace contexts, Connecting Mathematics and Science to Workplace Contexts. Britton currently serves on the Technology Education Advisory Council of the ITEA. His earlier NCISE research includes comparing high-stakes mathematics and science examinations across countries and studying U.S. innovations in mathematics and science education as part of an international study under the auspices of the Paris-based Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). As project director for Mary Budd Rowe of the University of Florida during the 1980s, Ted developed the first CD-ROM in science education and produced videotapes for the professional development of science teachers. During the late 1970s, he taught science courses for Grades 7–12 at a rural junior-senior high school in Florida. Britton earned an EdD in science education, an MS in analytical chemistry, and a BS in chemistry and education from the University of Florida.

Bo De Long-Cotty is a developmental psychologist and has worked for WestEd since 1991. She currently serves as a pro­ject director in the WestEd Math, Science, and Technology program and as director of the Learning and Teaching with Technology initiative for the WestEd Regional Technology Education Consortium (RTEC). Her work at WestEd includes directing pblnet.org, a project-based learning resource, guid­ance, and collaboration site for teachers; providing informa­ tion and resources to families and teachers to promote community–home involvement in schools; evaluating educational software and online curricula for Grades K–12; and evaluating and developing teacher profes­sional development programs and projects. She is also Director of Educational Content for Alligator Planet, an animation company whose work includes children’s educational television programming. Dr. De Long-Cotty has served as director of evaluation for several science and math programs at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, as director of the GALAXY Classroom Science and Language Arts Evaluation for Teacher Universe/Riverdeep Publishing, and as director of evalu­ation for NASA’s online Celestia Solar System activities. Until 1995, she served as coordinator for the WestEd evaluation of the California Statewide Systemic Initiative, focusing on K–5 science and 6–8 mathematics. She has also developed multimedia curricula and products in language arts, math, and science for Disney Ed Studio and Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Dr. De Long-Cotty earned an MA in developmental psychology from Teachers’ College/Columbia University and a PhD in developmental psycho­logy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Toby Levenson is a senior research associate for WestEd’s Mathematics, Science, and Technology program. She has worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit education sectors as an educational designer, producer, and manager. She has developed science software and videodiscs; created math software, video, and curricula; designed literacy soft­ ware and curricula; developed technology-related ancillar­ ies to textbooks; and produced other educational technology and edutainment products. She has been a primary con­tributor to more than thirty products from companies such as LeapFrog, The Learning Company, Scholastic Inc., Harcourt, D.C. Heath, Education Development Center (EDC), and CAST, among others. At WestEd, Levenson continues her interest in technology and curriculum with evaluating the effects of educational technology on student performance and developing interactive Web sites for teachers, curriculum specialists, and other school leaders. Levenson’s specialties include using interface, interactive, and information design to increase student learning; applying cutting-edge technologies to increase educational opportunities for students with disabili­ties; and conceptualizing and developing differentiated curriculum in mathe­matics, reading, and other subjects to meet the needs of all students. The daughter of an MIT-trained engineer and an art teacher, Levenson was building and designing inventions from a young age. After earning a BA, with a major in archaeology and a minor in computer science, Levenson was a com­puter programmer and trainer in industry for seven years while also serving as a curriculum advisor at the Boston Museum of Science. Levenson received an MEd in interactive technology in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.