A Wealth of Technology
If you love using technology in your teaching, then you might consider relocating to Northglenn High School near Denver, Colorado. This suburban school of 2400 students is blessed with the latest in computer technology, and more importantly, it has a dedicated staff that knows how to use it. With 600 computers (one in every classroom, the rest in eight computer labs and mobile laptop labs), students have close to on-demand computer access.

A lot of the credit for a deeply integrated technology program goes to science teacher Steve Owens. Working six-fifths full time (yes, on a five-fifths salary), Steve's responsibilities include teaching advance placement physics, coordinating technology integration, and acting as a liaison for preservice teachers through the University of Colorado at Denver.

Using Technology Well
With a heavy workload, it makes sense that the lines between Steve's distinct jobs are blurred. "The teacher candidates we get are very innovative," Steve says. "They have technology requirements they need to satisfy to get their degree, and we're the direct beneficiaries of their training. I keep up—we all keep up by their presence."

Wearing his technology hat, Steve works with another full-time technology coordinator to help allocate resources and provide hardware support. He helps teachers implement technology-rich lessons, too. He writes a weekly Techno Tricks newsletter for the staff, which serves as the basis for a weekly training session. "Each week I demonstrate the 'trick' featured in the lead article of the newsletter, and provide some hands-on practice for the staff. Just this semester we formalized the training so teachers could get district staff development credit."

Steve's job is made easier because he works with forward-thinking teachers and a supportive administration. "Our school is doing pretty well," he says, "We don't have any reluctant teachers, and everyone's moving along. Some teachers started from scratch just recently, and they're making huge progress. We've had a lot of teachers go through the Intel® Teach Program technology training, and their efforts are really supported by our principal. We're further along with technology integration than other schools."

The Physics of Phalling and Phlying
Steve has used Interactive Physics*, an animation modeling software program, to support his physics lessons for a long time. He wanted to develop a way to combine this tool with other technologies for a more robust learning experience for his students. Steve decided to take the project approach, and challenged students to model the principles behind applied physics problems. The results? "The Physics of Phalling and Phlying."

Project learning is hard to fit into an advanced placement physics class, because an immense amount of content needs to be covered at a fast pace. Even with time constraints, the "Phalling" is possible in Steve's AP class because his students are so technologically advanced. By the time seniors reach Steve's class, they've had such deep exposure to technology that, Steve says, "They are old pros. Other than teaching the modeling software, I spend very little time on technology instruction. The Phalling project is fundamentally content-driven."

Steve Owens isn't willing to rest on his laurels. When asked what he'd like to do next, he says, "I work with Schoolkit projects and other simulation software like Westpoint Bridge Designer 2000 (See Resources). One day I'm going to get the whole thing up on the Web."