The Instruction Learning & Technology Leadership Institute  provides the following information for assistance to our Academy participants in preparing their own Units of Practice. 
Apple Computer provides "Curriculum Connections Kits" along with their bundled software.  These kits were created with several important instructional principles in mind. The first two are a result of ACOT (Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow) research. They address how students learn and how teachers plan for technology integration. The third is the result of research done by Dr. Judi Harris of the University of Texas at Austin. She has divided 18 Internet-based learning structures into three categories. Each of these guiding principles is described in this section.
Ohio SchoolNet and the ILTLI make use of the UOP as our lesson planning structure to enhance the infusion of technology and school infrastructure reform into our daily lessons.  Ian Jukes has written about how teachers face "Stages of Technology Learning."

ACOT: Constructivist Learning and the Unit of Practice

When Apple Computer was first established, it recognized technology's potential in the classroom. It launched a major educational research initiative, the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT). ACOT schools received computers and staff development in order to learn more about how education could best be served by technology. In partnership with local universities, the ACOT project studied the impact of technology in schools. For over 15 years, these partnerships have yielded valuable data on how teachers and students' lives are changed with these new and exciting tools.

Integrating Technology 

ACOT research found that the best technologies were tools that supported the existing curriculum, and fostered active learning and creativity through collaboration, communication, and cooperation between students and teachers. Two of the principles for effective education that emerged from the ACOT research are central to this teacher's guide.

	Students must have opportunities to construct their own learning. In order for students to grasp new ideas, they must engage in activities and projects that allow them to invent these ideas for themselves. Through purposeful activities, students construct meaning. This guiding principle is the foundation for the use of manipulatives in mathematics, the whole language movement in reading, and the case study approach in law, medical, and business schools. The activities in this Teacher's Guide and the software tools in the kit all support this constructivist approach to learning.
	Technology use must be part of the plan in a dynamic and flexible classroom. The curriculum comes first, then the technology supports it. The technology does not stand alone as an event: "We are going to see each other using Internet videoconferencing today." But, rather: "Today, we'll use Internet videoconferencing to show each other our inventions for building a better mouse trap. You'll be able to see why some inventions are better than others." The first is a description of technology as an event, separated from the curriculum; the second describes a learning situation which is facilitated by the technology. The planned incorporation of technology in the curriculum facilitates meaningful, creative, and innovative learning experiences.
Unit of Practice Planned integration of technology into the curriculum was one of the focal points of the ACOT projects. Over the years, ACOT research led to the development of a planning tool that many teachers have found useful for creating technology-rich, constructivist learning in their classrooms. The Unit of Practice (UOP) consists of seven elements:
	Invitation: Frames the challenge that faces the teacher. Describes what the unit is about in the form of a series of questions.
	Situations: Describes where the activities will take place and in what time period.
	Tasks: What the students will be asked to do.
	Interactions: Who will interact with whom? A statement that describes if students will work independently, in pairs, and/or with a group. Tells what the teacher's role will be and if there will be outside visitors (mentors, experts, etc.).
	Standards: Describes what local, state or national standards this unit addresses.
	Assessment: The criteria by which the students are evaluated. How will you know that students have met the challenge described in the Invitation and the Standards?
	Tools: The tools that the students and teacher will use to accomplish the task.

The Unit of Practice is a dynamic planning framework. Making a change in any one of the seven elements changes the whole unit. As you read through the Units of Practice presented here, we invite you to consider how you would change the elements of the 14 UOPs to meet your curriculum goals. Many teachers have found that when they plan a project or learning activity using the UOP framework, they become more creative.

What are the implications of the ACOT research in relation to the potential presented by the Internet and the tools in this kit? The Internet is the perfect resource for students to engage in authentic communication, original research, and collaborative problem solving.

¥ A child participating in a keypal relationship with another student experiences the immediacy of e-mail communication. What a different experience it is to send an e-mail message as opposed to a letter where the time lag between the exchange is so long that some of the excitement of the interaction is lost. ¿Que Pasa? is a Unit of Practice in this kit which uses keypal relationships to help students develop second language skills. E-mail keeps the interaction fresh and allows students to construct their own relationship with their keypals.

¥ Collecting information on the Internet is potentially a richer and more powerful experience for students carrying out research. By searching among millions of sources, students are more likely to expand their explorations beyond the traditional card catalog, constructing new connections and understandings. In the News, one of the Units of Practice in this kit, is a good example of how the Internet invites students to construct their own understanding of current events. Students go online to get the latest news about an event, search for the histories of the people shaping the event, and see how others are reporting the event in world newspapers. They can even post their reactions to the event and predict what will happen next. All this can be done from their own school library or classroom in Anytown, USA.

¥ Collaborative problem-solving holds the richest potential for the Internet as a tool to support constructivist learning. Here, students engage in activities that combine collecting information with interpersonal communication to respond to curriculum-based challenges. The Internet brings these activities beyond the classroom walls and creates a virtual community in which students construct learning. Most of the Units of Practice in this kit suggest different ways you can collaborate with other classrooms.

ACOT research findings point to the power of planned integration of technology in the curriculum. The tools in the Internet Curriculum Connections Kit facilitate both planning and integration to make the Internet a powerful tool in the curriculum.