Timing is Everything
By Caroline McCullen

When school rankings, state-wide test scores, and in many cases even cash incentives are directly related to student performance, every minute counts. Teachers have no time to waste on fruitless web searches or visits to sites that are not directly related to the desired learning outcomes. That is exactly why Vicky Hill, technology facilitator at West Carteret High School in Morehead City, NC, decided to introduce SAS inSchool^® resources to her faculty. It was a good match since all of the activities and web sites in Curriculum Pathways^® are mapped to NC academic standards.

Hill began by introducing social studies teachers to Web Inquiries, because these tightly designed activities require only one class period. "It was easy to justify working on the Web Inquiries in the computer lab," she says, "because they didn't require a lot of preparation or lab time, and we could all see the direct link to our NC standards. One of our first success stories occurred when social studies teacher Mike Bernstein tried to use the Web Inquiry about yellow journalism. He loved it, and the students were really enthusiastic about learning on the web."

"Mike's first experience was a real test case," Hill adds, "because he substituted a day in the computer lab for his regular lesson plan. It worked! He was quite impressed because when students returned to class, they knew the content, and they had the background knowledge to discuss yellow journalism effectively."

So how did Hill introduce Curriculum Pathways to teachers at West Carteret High School? "We introduced the software in gradual stages," she says. "First I met with departments after school to do a quick overview … just to let them see what was available in their content area. I asked the department chairs if they could hold their regular meeting in the computer lab, and I was just an agenda item. I showed them key features, how to access the NC Standard Course of Study, how to launch and assign the Web Inquiries … just basic stuff."

That simple approach certainly seems to have worked because teachers are now teaching each other about favorite resources and activities as they discover them.

And what about Mike Bernstein? What is he up to these days? Mike now enjoys Web Inquiries so much that he selected key URLs from Curriculum Pathways Web Resources section and created a customized web inquiry of his own. Talk about a fast learner!

SAS inSchool In Your Classroom?

What benefits can you expect in your classroom as you use SAS inSchool products? Hill feels that the students in her coastal North Carolina town have been exposed to reading and vocabulary they would have otherwise missed. "These experiences have broadened their world view," she says. "The students are engaged because they enjoy learning in this interactive way. They love listening to the sound and video clips, and we can tell from the questions they ask that they are learning so much! But the fact that they are learning exactly what we need to be teaching is the best part of all. Technology helps us take learning to the next level at West Carteret. We use it to engage students and get them to think independently … and that is often the most difficult skill to teach."

Teacher-to-Teacher: Tips for Your Classroom

• Before you introduce a Web Inquiry, print copies of the convenient Respond Sheet so students will be ready to record their answers as soon as they get to the computer. This saves precious time and reduces discipline problems by getting students focused on the activity right away.
• All SAS inSchool activities have a Plan Page with prerequisites, objectives, and other guidelines, as well as an Assign Page with instructions for accessing the Student Gateway. Save time by printing out the Assign Page and creating a transparency for display on the overhead or copy the instructions on the chalkboard. Have this ready to go before students walk in the door.
• Save your sanity by assigning a regular computer for every student. Use the table feature in your word processor to create a computer lab seating chart, or use one of our seating-chart templates! This lets you know who last sat at the computer with the missing mouse ball and keeps you informed about events for which you need to keep students accountable.
  Seating Chart Template (RTF Format)