About Maine Digital Textbook

       This project, submitted by the Fayette School Department on behalf of Syntiro and AcrossWorld, is designed to integrate best practice teaching and learning strategies using Syntiro’s Celebratory Learning Model, innovative technology and platform development, and rigorous Project Based Learning (PBL) units. These units will support cross content curricular integration of technology to develop a 7th grade and 8th grade e-textbook aligned with the Maine Learning Results (MLR) parameters for essential instruction. These e-texts will implement a project based learning design to create exploratory, research/standards based integrative, celebratory e-learning modules that focus on 7th grade Social Studies (SS) and 8th grade Visual and Performing Arts(VPA).
       We believe that by providing educators with quality PD creating e-textbooks to conduct learning sessions across the content areas, we will encourage, motivate, and engage educators to integrate the best of what we know about technology to enhance student learning. We are cognizant that students’ learning and technology literacy will be greatly enhanced when their teachers can integrate technology into their day to day teaching. Additionally, given that our students are “digital natives” we believe that increasing the use of technology in the classroom will improve student engagement, motivation and, ultimately, achievement. Building the capacity of educators to integrate technology has a secondary outcome as well: teachers will be more likely to engage in the emerging world of distance and web based PD using a myriad of technology strategies saving travel time, and valuable, but increasingly limited, fiscal resources.