School: Culbertson Elementary School in Newtown Square, where she teaches fifth grade.

What she has done: Sweeley, 35, has made literary stations and technology integral parts of her language-arts class for the last four years. With a doctorate in educational administration, she also is an adjunct professor of graduate education at four local colleges, including Cabrini in Radnor.

Question: What are literary stations?

Answer: Literary stations are approximately 20-minute intervals where students rotate through various tasks to learn or practice a skill in language arts.

Q: What occurs in the literary stations?

A: Different tasks are assigned for each station. While the students are at a station, they are learning, practicing or receiving support or enrichment of a skill. The skill is typically a language-arts skill - for example, working with vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, etc.

Q: What's unique about your literary stations?

A: I always include a technology component to my literary stations, as well as promote student independence in critical thinking and creativity. Differentiation of curriculum and tasks is always considered in order to reach all students' learning abilities and styles in my classroom.

Q: What technology do you incorporate?

A: I am fortunate to have many resources in my school. These tools include SMART boards, a laptop cart with eight computers, handheld iQuests [Leapsters] for each student, podcasting, and a handheld Senteo for each student.

Q: What is a Senteo?

A: Wireless recording device that immediately checks and tracks students' progress through a set of questions. They promote active learning at all times.

The students make a selection on their handheld "clicker," for example, choosing A, B, C or D. Then the students immediately receive feedback on their "clicker" to let them know if their selection is correct. This information is also demonstrated and recorded on the SMART board in a chart format, circle graph, Excel spreadsheet, or class-result percentile.

Q: Why do you use technology?

A: I use technology because it is beneficial to students in many ways. Students have a very high interest level when it comes to technology; therefore, using this method extends student participation and, moreover, their ability to acquire and retain information.

I also work with students who have learning disabilities. By using various technology tools, these children feel more confident and achieve more success because their weaknesses are not readily apparent and, in some cases, nonexistent where technology is concerned.

For example, a student who is unable to write well with a pencil can type well, or a child who has difficulty with distractibility sustains more attention due to the more frequent changes occurring with software programs and curriculum activities online.

Technology is a vital part of our daily lives, and I ultimately believe using technology in my classroom is providing students with a foundation of experience and opportunity to better prepare them for a lifetime of advances and learning.

Q: Would you have liked to have used technology to learn when you were in elementary school?

A: Absolutely, I would have loved to have used technology when I was in elementary school. I personally am very interested in technology and advances today, and assimilate new, innovative tools into my own life.

Q: Do you think you would have learned better?

A: Yes, I believe I would have learned better as a child if I had the opportunity to use technology because gathering information today is instant and abundant. This access to information allows students to acquire information through different modalities than the traditional pencil-and-paper method, therefore allowing for more depth in learning.

Q: Have you noticed changes in students since they began using literary stations and technology?

A: The changes I have noticed from using literary stations are that the students' interest levels and excitement toward reading have definitely increased. The children's technology ability has also significantly improved. My students are much quicker, more confident and independent, as well as self-sufficient, using the various technology resources available in my classroom.

What the school's principal says: "Dr. Sweeley is an outstanding teacher because she uses innovative teaching methods to bring instruction to her students," Tom Cook said.

"Case in point is the use of literary stations in her language arts teaching. She makes learning interesting and meaningful for her students by using technology to enhance instruction, especially through the use of laptop labs and SMART board technology. Dr. Sweeley also shares her methods with our teachers at staff sharing sessions."

- Shannon Hallamyer