Norwalk schools integrate technology into curriculum
NORWALK — In the city’s public schools, technology should be part of students’ every class.
At least that’s Norwalk Public Schools’ vision as educators try to incorporate STEAM — or science, technology, engineering, art and math — topics into every aspect of the curriculum. Doing so is one of the district’s primary goals this academic year.
“We’re constantly thinking about how we are continuously improving and modifying practice so that we ensure not only that we are up to date and looking at the best, most practical ways of supporting our scholars, but also that we are constantly refining our craft to ensure that all students succeed,” Superintendent Alexandra Estrella said at a Feb. 7 Board of Education workshop.
During the workshop, board members and school officials examined how they’ve progressed on their 2022-23 goals halfway through the year.
The STEAM work is part of the district’s fifth goal to “develop and/or refine our instructional programming options to increase opportunities for students and to ensure all students have access to high quality instruction and support.”
By April, two grade levels will “have implemented new STEAM integrated units of study,” according to the report presented to the board. These two grade levels are the first to experience the transformation with the intention that the same plan will spread to all grades.
The district is using a framework developed by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida to visualize a structured method for integrating STEAM.
The goal is to reach the point that technology “facilitates higher-order learning activities that may not be possible without the use of technology” in every aspect of learning, according to the framework.
To accomplish this plan, library media specialists and coaches have been working with the Connecticut Science Center “to integrate the use of technology into existing curriculum units of study,” according to the presentation. Teams in the schools will meet by grade level and focus to understand how to best integrate technology, as well as opportunities to learn from the science center.