A variety of on-line courses available through Merit, Michigan State University and others are linked from the Instruction web site 5 . Many curriculum coordinators have sponsored technology-based sessions as part of their monthly curriculum meetings for teachers. School staffs have participated in custom-designed workshops at their building or at the ECTC lab led by ECTC staff, building technical assistants, and other knowledgeable teachers. Our district rates itself as mid tech on the STaR chart assessment in the area of professional development. This is traditionally one of the weaker areas in districts throughout the country since access to professional development time is so limited.
Principals provide key leadership in all aspects of student learning at the building level.
This school year a variety of opportunities have been provided to support principals in their role as technology leaders. Instructional Council and focus group sessions, discussions with level councils and technology orientation sessions are components of this support. The Instruction Division web site includes a section specifically focused on providing information, presentation materials and training opportunities to principals 6 . Expanded instructional use by students Students are using computers to support their learning in a variety of ways. In addition to the improved writing skills developed through the use of word processing, our students are using spreadsheets and databases to analyze information and answer questions.