Thirty secondary school teachers from schools in Montgomery, Baltimore, and Prince George’s counties recently presented technology research projects at the Action Research Gallery Walk held at Silver Spring International Middle School.

Each project was designed to answer the question, “How can technology improve student achievement in reading and writing?” Teachers collected, analyzed, and summarized data from their own classrooms. Presentations were set up using Powerpoint and backboards summarizing the research.

This first-time event was sponsored by the Maryland Technology Consortium, which is working with eleven schools throughout Maryland to provide professional development that will improve the integration of technology into reading and writing instruction and improve student achievement. The Consortium is funded by a federal technology challenge grant.

Participating schools and teachers from Montgomery County, and their project titles are:

§ Silver Spring International Middle School: Michela Amatucci, How Inspiration software affects students’ success with reading and writing expository texts; Jennifer Whiddon, How the use of technology enhances student responses to Question-Answer Relationship-type questions.

§ Takoma Park Middle School: Karen White, How daily integration of technology in Language Arts and U.S. History motivates and increases performance outcomes of special needs students when they read and write.

§ John F. Kennedy High School: Mary Cush, How technology affects students’ critical reading/thinking skills.

§ Albert Einstein High School: Donnis Crump, Effect of the CLOZE reading technique on helping 10th grade English students learn and use vocabulary.

§ Wheaton High School: Tanya Ramos, How technology can improve students’ writing, especially in terms of organization and elaboration.