Grand Prize Winner
Voice of the People
Carol Ferguson
Northfield Middle School
(Long-term Project for Grades 6 to 8)

Technology in the Classroom 2002 Contest

The Atlantic County ETTC encourages the creative incorporation of technology in the classroom to meet the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJ CCCS). The ETTC wishes to build on the many exciting ideas and resources available today in South Jersey, and also wants to foster the growth of new ideas on how technology fits in K-12 education. The annual contest has brought us a bountiful harvest of great ideas - browse the winning ideas from past years at www.ettc.net/contest/

We thank all the teachers who have applied in the past and encourage them to apply again in 2002!

Deadline: April 22, 2002

Contest Guidelines

For the past four years, the contest has attracted entries that are brief lessons to last just a few days as well as large-scale projects that last a few months. Comparing these ideas has been sometimes resembled comparing apples and oranges. Therefore this year, the ETTC announces a different structure.

In this year's contest, teachers can submit entries to be judged in one of three separate technology integration concepts:

1. Best Teacher-Created Webquest
2. Best short-term lesson (5 or fewer class periods)
3. Best long-term lesson (more than 5 class periods)

Teachers can submit entries in one of four categories:

1. Instruction suitable for Grades Pre-K through 2
2. Instruction suitable for Grades 3 through 5
3. Instruction suitable for Grades 6 through 8
4. Instruction suitable for Grades 9 through 12

One first-prize winner will be chosen for each category and concept grouping. One grand-prize winner will be chosen from among the 12 first-prize winners. Additional prizes will be awarded only if a significant number of entries are received within a particular category and concept.

The ETTC expects to award first prizes valued at approximately $500 and a grand prize valued at approximately $1,500. Prize details will be posted on this page soon.

The contest is open only to teachers and staff members of schools and school districts that are members of the Atlantic County ETTC Consortium.

Participants agree to give the Atlantic County ETTC rights (including the presentation of student-created supporting materials) to reproduce the entries for distribution to other teachers and posting on the ETTC website.

The contest is judged by a committee that includes several members of the ETTC Curriculum Committee. (Persons interested in serving as judges are encouraged to contact Ms. Anu Vedantham, Director of the ETTC at (609) 652-4931.)

Judging Criteria

1. Clear Objectives and Goals: The application should clearly explain what students will learn and why. Who is the audience? What does the lesson accomplish?
2. Organization: Clear sense of beginning and ending, and orderly sequence of activities.
3. Originality and Creativity: reflects original work by the participants. Lessons should be built around original ideas.
4. Easily Replicated or Adapted: Reproducible in another teacher's classroom.The lesson should clearly convey to another teacher how to conduct the lesson from scratch in her or her classroom.
5. Details/Specific Activities. The application should provide sufficient detail about proposed activities. When possible, we recommend providing sample worksheets, student activity forms and assignments.
6. Relevance to Standards: Explanation of how the NJ CCCS are addressed. What standards are addressed? Are the connections between the lesson and specific standards clear?
7. Technology Enhances the Lesson: Technology improves an otherwise pedagogically sound lesson.Technology should not be used "for technology's sake" - its role and contribution to the learning process should be clear. Technology use should be integrated throughout the lesson, and should not seem like an after-thought.
8. Active use of Technology by Students: Student involvement in technology use should be clear and substantial. Activities where students actively use and learn from technology use should be prominent. Samples of student work are often a helpful supplement here.
9. Provides Opportunity for Assessment: Assessment of students clearly defined. How does the teacher know what the students have learned? What content has been learned? What technology skills have been learned? How is learning reinforced through assessment?

Judging Rubric

The criteria below need not be weighted equally. The Judging Committee evaluates all entries on the criteria below, and determines the winning entries through consensus.

Participants can view winning entries from previous years through the main Contest Page at www.ettc.net/contest