When I began using ALPS as a pilot tester for the Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool (CCDT), the tool itself was in infancy, as was my experience with Teaching for Understanding (TfU), though I had begun to revise old units (on paper) and was beginning to design new units using the framework. At first, I found myself using the CCDT to better learn how to use the TfU framework--using the help buttons to review descriptions about each of the framework components and looking at the Picture of Practice of Lois' Colonial Unit to help me in planning my own units. I began to use the site to support activities I was already engaging in and found that it supported so many aspects of what I was doing that it was much easier, and certainly more interesting and engaging, to plan and design online where I had multiple resources all in one location. As I worked with the tool, offering feedback on its function and design, it soon became apparent that not only was the site itself evolving, but also evolving was own my understanding of the framework and the positive effects TfU has on curriculum planning and students' learning. I began to think much more deeply about the incredible potential of the use of technology in education.

I've learned how to use this site through active exploration, participation, and engagement with the tools and resources here, and with the support of PZ staff. By exploring, discovering, figuring out how new features work, creating and recording my ideas in new unit designs, sharing designs with others, giving and receiving feedback, and participating in discussions, I've been engaging in the type of constructivist approach to learning that I hope is evident in my own classroom. The targeted feedback I've received from design team members has prompted me to focus and refine my thinking and surely move beyond where I would have gone had I been working alone.

The ALPS site and the TfU framework share an important feature in that each consists of multiple layers allowing for multiple entry points. This means you can begin creating a unit using the framework components or explore the web site in an order that best suits your needs. One starting point might be to take a look at the site map, determine what it is you are most interested in and begin there, knowing that you will be able to locate additional links to related resources, tools, and communication options.

My work at the ALPS site now goes well beyond what I had originally thought I might be doing here. Being here has helped me to reflect more deeply on my teaching and my students' learning and has encouraged me to reflect on ways technology is used in schools and ways it can be used beyond the usual applications in the classroom. Many of these thoughts and ideas have evolved out of ideas voiced by my students, which in turn have given me new insights into how children use and view technology, how adults use technology, and thoughtful ways in which technology and TfU can be integrated in the classroom.

Supporting Materials

Mentioned in this journal entry:

• The Teaching for Understanding Framework
• The Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool
• The ALPS Site Map
• The Colonial Biography Unit
• Education with New Technologies

• Using the CCDT to create a unit using framework components.