Section I: 21st Century Learning Teams

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Section I 21st Century Learning Teams
Stevens Middle School

• A tool for school learning teams to document
  effective teaming strategies and results

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Part I About the team
Stevens Middle School
School name
Location
Port Angeles, Washington
Grades
6-8
Team members and roles
Patrick Durr, Language arts teacher Rob Edwards,
Media and technology teacher Dwayne Johnson,
Physical education teacher
How and when team was formed
Rob Edwards had been teaching the Digital
Portfolio as a stand alone project since 1996. He
realized the potential for connected learning and
in 2003 recruited Pat Durr and Dwayne Johnson to
begin their technology training. Within a year,
both had digitized their entire curriculum,
hosted class websites, and posted student grades
on-line. The Digital Portfolio Project began to
gain ground. Other content-area teachers saw how
technology tools could help them manage their
growing administrational duties, and the grade
level team began to grow. Teachers realized that
after the initial investment of time and
training, more time was saved, teaching time was
increased, and administrational duties could be
handled more efficiently.
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Part II Goals and team time (page 1 of 2)
At Stevens, our 8th grade team developed The
Digital Portfolio Project to improve education
through the use of technology. We are using
computer networks, teacher websites, and digital
curriculum. Our students are building digital
portfolios with laptop computers. This project
has three distinct goals (1) to provide relevant
technology training for teachers, (2) to increase
student performance through the use of
technology, and (3) to elicit parent and
community support in the learning process.  Our
team goals align with No Child Left Behind
guidelines, Washington State curriculum
expectations, Port Angeles School District goals,
and Stevens Middle School building goals.
Team goals
Common norms, agreements and learning beliefs
We believe that preparing students for their
world (not the world we grew up in) requires us
to provide a truly integrated learning
environment where teachers act as consultants to
the students. Through the Digital Portfolio
Project, students see the teachers as a resource,
and request help even when the teacher is outside
of his or her classroom. This project also
allows us to provide enrichment opportunities to
students who meet basic expectations, and
remediation for students who need help to master
class objectives. Students are motivated to work
ahead and learn more. Advanced media students
produce a live daily school news broadcast, and
student webmasters publish news stories on the
schools web site. We are able to provide
enriched learning opportunities that include
collaboration and teamwork.
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Part II Goals and team time (page 2 of 2)
Team meeting time, duration, and frequency
The Port Angeles School District uses a
late-start Wednesday schedule for the middle
schools and high school. Staff meets for planning
purposes from 750 am to 850 am each Wednesday.
Our team uses this time in several different
ways to develop integrated units, to identify
and monitor students needing remediation, to
study data from class assessments and make
adjustments, and to evaluate student
achievement. At the end of the school year, time
is spent in reviewing student digital
portfolios.
Since teachers go through the same training as
the students, we have much more empathy for each
other. Technology becomes the platform through
which we and our students solve problems, and
through which we integrate curriculum. As the
teachers go through the technology training they
see how different parts of the training apply
specifically to their content areas, and they
learn how to connect their curriculum to the
portfolio in a meaningful way. Outside of the
Wednesday morning meetings where we formally come
together, we know that simple proximity of
classrooms allows for conversations to occur
naturally as needed. Prep periods, lunch time,
and after hours conversations along with email
and text messages help us to stay connected.
Team communication tools and strategies
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Part III Teamwork in action (page 1 of 3)
The Digital Portfolio Project provides the
foundation for a team approach to technology
integration, classroom instruction, and learning
by students and staff. It enables us to further
our professional development so that teachers,
and then students, engage in powerful learning
experiences appropriate to each individual.
How does the team organize its work to stay
focused on student achievement?
Teamwork strategy 1 Teambuilding and goal setting
How does the team use best-practice strategies to
foster professional growth and student
achievement?
The Digital Portfolio Project supports
professional development and student achievement
not just within our own team, but for everyone on
the staff who is involved with it. The teachers
complete the same portfolio foundation that the
students complete, and so can design units that
support student portfolios. As teachers progress
through their digital literacy training, a new
learning paradigm is adopted that allows for much
greater teacher collaboration and content
integration.
Teamwork strategy 2 Instructional planning
Our team has tied the Digital Portfolio Project
into our grade level curriculum calendar. Each
content area has specific skills to teach with
associated assessments. Weve built this calendar
into the project.
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Part III Teamwork in action (page 2 of 3)
Teamwork strategy 3 Examining student work
How does the team use best-practice strategies to
foster professional growth and student
achievement?
Student work is posted to a share file, and
accessed by team teachers for assessment. Our
school is networked so that teachers (and
students) can hold virtual conferences to discuss
student work when face-to-face conferences cannot
be arranged. Student projects are posted on
the school website and shown on our daily live
school news program. Some are also shown on class
websites. Students realize that their work is not
intended for an audience of one (the teacher).
The entire school, and parents and others
visiting the class website can enjoy the
projects. Students now complete much more
polished projects.
Teamwork strategy 4 Co-teaching and sharing new
instructional strategies
As teachers hone their technology skills within
the context of this project, the walls between
classrooms disappear and true integration of
assignments across subject areas occurs. In one
example, students complete field research on a
bike trip. Social Studies classes study the trail
geography, charting rivers and creeks and
researching the history of the trailbed. Physical
Education classes work on cardiovascular fitness
so students have the ability to bicycle for up to
four hours. Industrial Technology classes study
the structure of the various bridges along the
trail. Science classes study vegetation, animal
and bird life along the way. Language Arts
classes provide writing support for the
publication of the students findings. Technology
classes provide communication support, digital
cameras, and GPS and GIS mapping for the
students. (Continued)
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Part III Teamwork in action (page 3 of 3)
Teamwork strategy 4 (Continued)
Through the project created by our team, teachers
gain pedagogical support for creating quality
integrated assignments, and the technology skills
that enable them to efficiently and effectively
accomplish that integration.
Teamwork strategy 5 Developing student support
strategies
How does the team use best-practice strategies to
foster professional growth and student
achievement?
Our grade level team meets every Wednesday
morning, and part of each session is devoted to
identifying and monitoring students needing
remediation, reviewing data from assessments, and
making adjustments in instruction to support
student achievement. Teachers in several core
content areas check student progress about every
five weeks with mini-assessments. Data from these
assessments is analyzed and lessons are adjusted
as the data indicates. Specific skills in
reading, writing, science, and math are focused
on at the team level so students will see how
skills cross content areas. Assignments are
created within the context of the digital
portfolio, linking student work across subject
areas. This allows teachers to do integrated
assessments and to collaborate when a student
needs extra support to meet standards, or has
earned an opportunity to engage in enrichment
activities.
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Part IV Team success (page 1 of 8)
Our technology infrastructure allows all teachers
the ability of dynamic essay revisions for class
assignments. Because of this, more teachers
include writing assignments within their units of
study since they have the skills and the
equipment, such as box lights and laptops for
group instruction. With more teachers
implementing writing into units, the students get
more writing practice across the content areas.
This has resulted in more writing, better
writing, and better thinking skills.
How has the team directly contributed to improved
student achievement?
Most of the teachers begin their training
somewhat skeptical. They all have their plates
full and see technology training as just one more
thing to take up their time. While it is true
that the initial training takes time, the payoff
is surprising. Our most significant team learning
so far is that once connected, teachers and
students gain time. Curriculum content is covered
much faster. Students seem to master skills more
quickly because each content area tends to
reinforce skills from other areas. Students are
completing basic projects more quickly. Many
students are completing involved, complex
projects that are more polished and
professional-looking.
What has been the most significant team learning
thus far?
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Part IV Team success (page 2 of 8)
How has the team impacted the school structure
and culture?
Our school structure now has evolved so that
grade levels have formed into small learning
teams. Since every academic area showcases the
best students, we now see the student culture of
the building starting to change. It is now very
cool to be an academically excellent student.
More students want to perform at a higher level
and be held to a higher standard.
One team member, a veteran teacher of twenty-nine
years, had difficulty keeping up with changing
technologies. Participating in this project has
helped him to become digitally literate, retool
his teaching skills and re-invigorate his career.
He has created a web page that contains his
curriculum for the entire year. He has an on-line
grading system, and has completed a grant-funded
program to outfit his classroom with wireless
laptops. His students writing assignments have
never been stronger. With this approach, he has
received Port Angeles Wal-Mart Teacher of the
Year recognition.  Our team member who teaches
Physical Education has helped our team see how
Physical Education can be integrated into
Language Arts, Math, and Technology. He also
coaches football, gymnastics, and track at the
high school. He was asked to present his twenty
years of experience in coaching track at the
Pemco All-Sports Coaches Clinic in Washington. He
was the only presenter to be able to present from
his website.  (Continued)
What are other indicators of team success?
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Part IV Team success (page 3 of 8)
What are other indicators of team success?
(Continued)

• Our team leader set the foundation of the Digital
  Portfolio Project, piloted the project, gained
  the trust of other 8th grade team members, and
  instructed the core teaching group in basic
  technology skills. He was one of twelve teachers
  selected from the United States as part of
  Microsofts 2005 Worldwide Innovative Teachers
  Forum.
• Besides those individual honors, other awards and
  grants associated with the Digital Portfolio
  Project include
• Washington State School Directors Association
  Exemplary Model Program (Seattle, WA, 2007),
  selected programs to present at their annual
  regional conference.
• Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Teacher Forum
  (Philadelphia, PA, 2006), which recognized the
  best educational projects using technology from
  around the world.
• ING Corporations Unsung Heroes Awards (2004 and
  2005), which provided a grant to the top 100
  educational projects across the U.S.
• Jordan Fundamentals Grant Award (2004), which
  provided a grant to the top 200 educational
  projects across the U.S. assisting low income
  student populations.

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Part IV Team success (page 4 of 8)
Teaming challenges solutions
One challenge is that of funding. We have applied
for small grants, and then with the proceeds we
buy laptops from EBay. This strategy has enabled
us to have a 1-to-1 student to laptop ratio for
under 150 each. Our biggest challenge is
declining enrollment in our district. School
closures, teacher reductions in force, and the
combining of faculty and student populations may
stall our project until our district reaches
stability.
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Part IV Team success (page 5 of 8)
How does the team demonstrate 21st Century
Skills?
1 Core subjects
Our team is certified to teach all relevant
subject areas and members are highly qualified as
defined in No Child Left Behind. Each teacher,
then, brings his or her specialized skills to
bear on the Digital Portfolio Project. As in the
business world, teams are assembled with members
of various skills, each contributing something to
the project at hand. Weve built our educational
team around that plan. Thus, students see how to
assemble teams for the success of their projects.
2 21st Century content
We show that in the digital portfolio, the
student himself is at the core. Education should
not encompass only abstract skills. The digital
portfolio addresses concrete issues for the
student. In one example the student completes a
cardiovascular health plan in PE class. In
another example, students draw, write, scan
pages, and record the readings of a childrens
audio book with illustrations that they can post
on the school website. This then becomes part of
their community service since young children from
the district can click on these links to have the
audio books read to them from district
computers. Thirdly, the completed digital
portfolio becomes a scholarship notebook for high
school students detailing school work, hobbies
and sports, and community service theyve
accomplished.
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Part IV Team success (page 6 of 8)

• 3 Learning and thinking skills

The Digital Portfolio Project uses simple,
concrete units that the student masters to create
the foundation of the portfolio. As students work
through these units, each challenges the student
into using higher order thinking skills. They
begin through simple knowledge and comprehension
of concepts, then must apply them to create HTML
links to their portfolio. As they begin to
connect other content areas, the integrated
assignments cause the students to synthesize
skills and evaluate projects. These projects
highlight student clubs, hobbies, work, community
service, family, awards, and education. All
projects show how school skills are used in the
students life to improve, showcase and
communicate these interests to others. The
projects are set up so that as the students
progress, the more difficult projects often
require them to put together a collaborative
team.
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Part IV Team success (page 7 of 8)
4 Information and communications technology
literacy
How does the team demonstrate 21st Century
Skills?
The first phase of the project assists teachers
in developing technology skills that enable them
to create a class website to host course
curriculum, communicate class expectations, and
post on-line grades and performance reports. The
project includes accredited teacher training
through City University. That class, taught by
our technology class team member, helps teachers
develop the skills to manage a web-based
classroom. Upon completing the class, teachers
are able to (1) Customize a digital work
environment. (2) Become organized and efficient.
(3) Monitor and discard inefficient methods of
working and learning. (4) Develop multiple ways
of accessing and manipulating information. (5)
Learn to communicate effectively through digital
means. (6) Maintain knowledge of current
communication trends. (7) Continually train to
use new technology. (8) Utilize student
portfolios as a foundation for teaching and
learning.
5 Life skills
Our team models life skills for our students.
First is accountability. Our gradebooks are
basically open for student inspection. Once
assignments are posted, students can see when
they are graded. Teachers must live with
deadlines, as do our students. Second, students
see that as we learn technology skills, our
ability to adapt to a better way to do things
trumps this is how weve always done things.
(Continued)
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Part IV Team success (page 8 of 8)
5 Life skills (continued)
Third, students see that through the use of
technology, our own personal productivity has
increased. Our websites contain assignments,
curriculum, and information that students and
parents can access at any time, from anywhere.
They regularly receive over 15 hits each day
after school our teachers cant imagine
answering that many phone questions every
evening. Fourth, we model personal skills of
working together professionally sometimes
disagreeing, collaborating, finding a middle
ground, and coming to successful resolutions.
What else would your team like to share?
The pilot phase of the 8th grade Digital
Portfolio Project clearly proved itself a
success. At this time teachers are continuing to
expand the project with additional units, and
integrating additional content areas into the
project. Overall the Digital Portfolio Project
results in a paradigm shift in the way teachers
teach and students learn. The scope of this
project has local, national, and international
potential and could be expanded to include
schools throughout the world.
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Section II 21st Century Projects
Stevens Middle School

• A tool for learning teams to document effective
  student project designs and results

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Part I Project overview (page 1 of 2)
The Digital Portfolio Project
Project title
8th Grade
Grade subject(s)
Stevens Middle School, Port Angeles, Washington
School location
Patrick Durr, Language arts teacher Rob Edwards,
Media and technology teacher Dwayne Johnson,
Physical education teacher
Team Members Names roles
The Digital Portfolio Project originally was
implemented as a semester-long, stand-alone
project in technology class. It is currently used
year-long in all content area classes.
Project duration
Students create web-based electronic portfolios
representing their academic work and community
involvement in areas such as jobs, awards,
scholarships, internships, community service,
athletics, hobbies, and music. The electronic
portfolio allows students to move through
different categories of cognitive learning
application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Assignments become more concrete and product
orientated. Students see how all classes and
activities fit into the totality of their
education and that school is a part of their
total self. The electronic portfolio becomes the
core of the learning experience. (Continued)
Overview
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Part I Project overview (page 2 of 2)
In the first phase of the project teachers
develop technology skills that enable them to
create a class website to host course curriculum,
communicate class expectations, and post on-line
grades and performance reports. The Digital
Portfolio Project provides the foundation for a
team approach to technology integration,
teaching, and learning. It enables us to further
our professional development so that teachers,
and then students, engage in powerful learning
experiences appropriate to each individual (as
stated in our district goals). The
second phase of the project addresses student
technology skills. Students are initially
enrolled in a technology training course that
establishes the foundation for the digital
portfolio. They learn basic computer and
networking skills and knowledge, basic HTML and
Web design, and basic concepts of photography,
video editing, and graphics design. They learn
about professional presentations, and create
personal resume portfolios. Upon completion of
this training, students can digitize content from
other classes and enhance their digital portfolio
by documenting community involvement and
showcasing personal hobbies and
activities.  Parents are also integral to the
success of The Digital Portfolio Project. They
support the digital learning environment by
learning to access curriculum websites, check
on-line posting of student grades, and
communicate with teachers via email.
Overview, continued
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Part II Project development (page 1 of 3)
Idea source design steps
The project was originally established with the
purchase of 50 refurbished wireless Toshiba
laptops, purchased to assure a one to one student
to laptop ratio in all 8th grade language arts
classrooms. The wireless laptops established the
hardware infrastructure from which the team-based
portfolio project expanded beyond the one
teacher, computer lab model.  
With this project, students are empowered to
control much of their learning environment,
manage their personal files and portfolio, and
work collaboratively with their classmates.
Students utilize the class website or peers to
get answers to their questions before asking a
teacher for help. This approach helps them
develop as independent learners while also
learning to collaborate with peers. The teachers
role then becomes that of a facilitator of
learning rather than controller of knowledge.
This open philosophy creates a truly integrated
learning environment where students prepare for
the world they will enter, rather than the world
from which their teachers came.
Concepts/themes
The Digital Portfolio is resume based. This
drives the student to reflect how their education
affects their work, awards, and community
service. By creating a portfolio, they then can
see which of these areas needs further
development in their own lives. Students also
reflect on how they are doing in an Academic
Journal and plan how to be more successful in
their academic classes.
Essential questions
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Part II Project development (page 2 of 3)
Core subject area integration
Students learn basic technology skills to develop
the framework for the portfolio, then incorporate
work from other classes. Work from technology,
science, language arts, art, social studies, PE,
and industrial technology classes is incorporated
into the portfolio to some degree. Students also
incorporate extra-curricular and community
activities into their portfolios.
This project addresses No Child Left Behind
guidelines that 8th grade students demonstrate
proficiency in the use of technology. It also
addresses these Washington (state) Academic
Learning Requirements in writing Writing in
Content Areas in Grade 8. Student (a) Analyzes
and synthesizes information from a variety of
sources. (b) Adapts some writing for visual
formats (e.g., graphs, charts, outlines, bulleted
statements, web pages.) (c) Retrieves, selects,
organizes, synthesizes, and evaluates material
from a variety of resources, including
technology. (d) Presents final copy in a variety
of ways, often using technology.
Standards
In developing their portfolios, students gain
skills in the 21st century content areas of
financial/business/entrepreneurial literacy and
civic literacy. One activity incorporated into
the portfolio involves the area of
health/wellness awareness, in that students take
a 17-mile bike ride along a local trail. They
work on the fitness level for this in P.E.
classes, and incorporate what they learn from
that, and from the study of local history and
ecology along the trail, into their portfolios.
21st Century content
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Part II Project development (page 3 of 3)
Learning thinking skills
21st century learning and thinking skills are
developed in every phase of this project.
Students develop critical thinking,
problem-solving, and information/medial literacy
abilities as they gain basic skills and then
apply them to develop their portfolios.
Communication, creativity/innovation,
collaboration, and contextual learning skills are
developed as students incorporate learning and
experiences from a wide range of classes and
extra-curricular activities into their
portfolios, and work on presenting their life
experiences in a compelling way.
The Digital Portfolio Project helps students
develop many life skills and awareness of their
own strengths and weaknesses because it is resume
based. By completing resume links to work, clubs,
awards, community service, and hobbies, each
student begins to mold his or her life and
develop each area to become a more well-rounded
individual. Our school provides a 20,000
scholarship each year to an eighth grade student.
It is compelling to know that of the three
scholarships given so far, all have been to
students with completed digital portfolios even
though these students have not been in honors
classes. Since not all of our students go through
this training, students completing a digital
portfolio seem to have an advantage over other
students in our building.
Life skills
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Part III Project implementation (page 1 of 3)
Student teaming strategies
Student teams are created by the students
themselves. Natural groups are formed as students
progress through the technology units. They work
together to solve problems. They become resources
for other students when those students progress
to their level.
Planning time provided by our school district is
critical for us to develop, implement, revise and
extend this project. Scheduling also is critical.
The project runs best when a team of teachers has
the same students in common. Otherwise, there
would be students in the classroom without the
critical training. It is possible to move forward
in such a way, but it is much slower.
Required resources (human material)
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Part III Project implementation (page 2 of 3)
Students use refurbished laptop computers at
school in order to be able to do real-time work
on their portfolios. The primary computer lab
functions as a media-technology center where
students complete the 23 technology units that
make up the portfolio foundation. The machines
are donated Dell Pentium 133s, as not much power
is needed to finish the basic portfolio.
Students who need more powerful machines move to
video editing stations and use advanced programs
for higher level work. The video editing machines
are also used to view online lectures. These are
a very powerful resource because students can
easily get caught up if they miss school, and
highly motivated students can work ahead on their
assignments. Thus, both remediation and
enrichment components are easily embedded
throughout the program. The Port Angeles School
District has supported the project by making
Stevens Middle School Wi-Fied for wireless
access to student accounts throughout the
building. This support, along with district
server space, school email access, and teacher
and school websites enables the project to grow
to its full potential.
Information and communication technology
Review the skills online www.21stcenturyskills.org

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Part III Project implementation (page 3 of 3)
First, teachers need to receive basic portfolio
training so they can digitize their curriculum,
host class websites, and post grades online.
Second scheduling must allow teaching teams to
have students in common. Teacher planning time
and classroom proximity also are key. Third,
students begin their training. Fourth, a parent
night needs to be held to share project
information with parents, and show them how to
access assignments and check student grades
online.
Implementation steps
Implementation tips
Student portfolios are divided into three areas
Information, Resume, and Academics. In the
Information section, students link to reading
test scores, current grades, personal web- based
libraries, and other administrative data. The
Resume section is the heart of the digital
portfolio and the place the student makes the
initial buy-in. This section is about the
student. They create a professional resume, then
create links to illustrate exactly what is
important to them. Included in this section are
family, work, education, community service, club,
awards, hobbies, and reference pages. Many of our
Native American students proudly showcase tribal
activities and potlatches. This aligns with our
building goals of providing realistic and
relevant activities, and ensuring that life
skills are included in the curriculum and that
all students have marketable skills.  Portfolio
programs that ignore student interests result in
students who have no ownership in their
portfolios and who abandon them at the end of the
school year. Not so with our students. Many
continue to expand their basic portfolio until it
becomes the basis of their high school
scholarship portfolio.
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Part IV Project results
Teachers in several core content areas check
student progress about every five weeks with
mini-assessments. Data from these assessments is
analyzed and lessons are adjusted as the data
indicates. Specific skills in reading, writing,
science, and math are focused on at the team
level so students will see how skills cross
content areas. Assignments are created within
the context of the digital portfolio, linking
student work across subject areas. This allows
teachers to do integrated assessments and to
collaborate when a student needs extra support to
meet standards, or has earned an opportunity for
enrichment activities.
Assessment strategies
Student products/ performances
Students create individual digital portfolios
from this project.
The students most significant learning that
results from this project is that of self
knowledge. They are empowered to realize that
their education is in their own hands, that they
can shape and direct where they are headed. This
starts when students chart reading scores, and
health plan fitness levels, and keep an academic
journal to plan for future success in class.
Students most significant learning
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Part V Project artifacts

One example of a student digital portfolio may be
found at http//www.dliteracy.org/example/index.h
tml
Student work samples
All digital portfolio unit assignments may be
found at http//www.dliteracy.org/
Project descriptors rubrics