Enhancing Education Through Technology (E2T2)

Title II D federal funds finance the Rhode Island Teachers and Technology Imitative (RITTI) program in Rhode Island.  The focus of the program is always to bring technology to the hands of students as well as provide effective professional development embedded in real work and real efforts.  Since 2003, RITTI and E2T2 have reached 605 K-3 teachers in the Literacy Classroom Initiative (03-06) and 800 grade 9-12 teachers in the Model Classroom Grant (05-08).  RIDE was able to almost double the number of participants that are typically reached annually with the added ARRA funds during the 2009 program year.  Approximately 400 teachers in grades 5-8 from 17 districts are participating in the Model Classroom Grant this summer.  75% of the program dollars were awarded to districts to fund classroom equipment and 25% of the program dollars fund the RITTI professional development sessions.  The typical award brings $3300/participant to the district to purchase equipment for the participant’s classrooms.  The first criteria for equipment selection must be to put technology in the hands of students to address the student access issue.

The 2009 RITTI program targets the middle school/upper elementary school level with priorities in the Technology Infused Math Classroom Initiative and the Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Initiative.  A smaller number of grants were given to support high school teachers in Physics, Chemistry and Biology Classrooms.  There are approximately 50 participants in the Technology Infused Math Initiative and 350 participants in the Reading/Writing in the Content Areas Initiative.  All of the participants are using the SAKAI collaborative learning environment tools to share resources and communicate throughout the sessions.  There are 36 participants in the RI-ITEST high school training sessions. There are eleven sites across the state holding two week RITTI summer institutes.  The two sessions are being held on July 6-17 and July 20-31, 2009.

Past RITTI Initiatives

RITTI 2009 - Model Classroom Grant (Middle/Upper Elementary)
RITTI 2008 – Model Classroom Grant (High School)
RITTI 2007 – Model Classroom Grant (High School)
RITTI 2006 – Model Classroom Grant (High School)
RITTI 2005 – Literacy Classroom Initiative (Elementary), Model Classroom Initiative (Middle & High School)
RITTI 2004 – Model Classroom Initiative (Middle & High School)
RITTI 2003 - Literacy Classroom Initiative (Elementary)
RITTI 2001 - Intensive School Support (ISS), Model Classroom Initiative (MCI), School Leadership Initiative (SLI), Teacher Network Support Trainers (TNS)
RITTI 2000 - Intensive School Support (ISS), Model Classroom Initiative (MCI), School Leadership Initiative (SLI), Network Leadership Initiative (NLI)
RITTI 1999 – Laptop Program
RITTI 1998 – Laptop Program
RITTI 1997 – Laptop Program Pilot Year

Thinkfinity, the Verizon Foundation's literacy and technology education initiative, has partnered with the Department and RINET to bring high quality instructional content and professional development to Rhode Island's educators. Expanding on awareness sessions embedded within the Department's summer technology training, RINET will schedule statewide train-the-trainers sessions for educators this upcoming school year. 

Thinkfinity provides online resources that allow teachers to enhance their classroom instruction with over 55,000 standards-based lesson plans in a wide array of content areas. Activities that effectively use computers and selected online materials are organized by Thinkfinity so that they are useful to students, teachers and parents.  These materials have been provided by recognized educational content partners who ensure that the materials are appropriate and useful for students.