The tech project's- setting, participants and needs assessment

Setting and Participants
The setting for the tech project will be a small public charter of Waldorf inspired instruction. The educational setting selected offers one class per grade. The participants will be a single class of eighth grade students at the Waldorf inspired setting. The eighth grade students complete a yearlong thesis project with a mentor to explore a skill, interest or vocation which includes research, proposal writing, internship, production, and ultimately presentation. It is proposed to use the self-selected eighth grade project as to be the basis of all technological activities. In this way the eighth grade students will develop technological skills in subject area of their choosing and building meaningful editions to their year portfolio and presentation integrating technology learning and exposure to hardware, software, and training.

Needs Assessment
The success of this project depends on access to materials, faculty support to offer instruction, time allotted to the projects, the teaching faculty’s ability to implement technology teaching through a constructivist approach in the 8th grade Waldorf inspired educational setting and individual student needs.
The technology situation at the Waldorf inspired educational setting has approximately 20 Macintosh lap tops that are available to the students to use; the current schedule is once per week. There is not a permanent computer lab, rather a locking cart which is wheeled in to the classrooms and students are allowed to use the laptops during a technology block, or lesson.
There is a specialty teacher who offers instruction on technology and physical education to all eight grades at the school. The classroom teacher supports the pedagogical views of Waldorf education and sees the value of offering instruction in technology. There is enough materials for all students to use and there is faculty with proficient technological skills to offer instruction.
Student needs will be based on each student’s abilities and comfort with technology in regards to California department of Education eight grade technology standards. Opportunity to use computers with greater frequency will be needed to improve student’s technological fluency.