Student/Teacher Technology Use
Examples of Student Technology Use in the MSD of Wayne Township:
Wayne Township’s students are diverse in many ways, including ethnic, economic, and academic. Technology helps meet our students’ needs in many ways. Our “Bridging the Gap” program provides used PC’s to students helps to encourage digital learning to continue at home. This past year over 1000 PC’s no longer able to meet the needs of the schools networked software needs have been repurposed and distributed to our student’s homes. High school students produced a video as part of a PBL unit to teach families how to set up free computers they can receive as part of this program. The outdated computers are imaged with open source software and given to school for distribution to need families that apply to the schools to receive them.
Student projects exemplify creativity and innovation, which are two key 21st Century Skills. Some projects are the products of project based learning units. Students produce screencast tutorials, posting them to the teacher’s blog to allow for student and parent review and comments beyond the school day. Some other examples:
- A South Africa audio podcast was produced and published as a multicultural project. Junior High students created it as part of a multicultural unit It was included in a showcase at the Indiana State House in 2007.
- High school ENL students produced a video as part of a PBL unit on diversity, which they presented to a panel of experts.
- “Skype the Boarder” is one example of the innovative use of a web 2.0 tool to engage our learners with authentic issues and discussion with outside experts both local and distant. High school social studies students arranged a Skype call to a border patrol officer in California and assembled a panel of experts to answer questions about immigration. Students did this as part of a PBL unit and created all the questions on their own. These conversations dive deep and encourage students to foster real understanding of the complexity of many social issues.
- Aaron— Developed the logo for the Hoosier Educational Coordinators conference through the high school art program. This is published as part of the State HECC conference web site.
http://www.hecc.k12.in.us/ - Carly— Developed the logo for the Wayne Township iTEC Educators as a part of a project she was assigned. Published on the Angel Learning collaboration place (password protected site)
http://angel.wayne.k12.in.us/ - Each year many students produce projects celebrating the life and accomplishments of Dr. King. Many of these projects use digital tools to express their ideas and publish their work as a part of state aligned instructional standards.
- One of our Pre-K teachers started a podcast series two years ago. The students help produce it. Their teacher posts in online and allows parents to subscribe to the RSS feed.
- There are also examples from products of project based learning units at the high school level. Students do a great deal of research, collaborate with peers, and present their projects to a panel of professionals.
- Interactive whiteboards provide an engaging and kinesthetic tool to interact with an activity. These devices are a critical component to promote Universal Design for Learning in an increasing number of classrooms. Students from a variety of backgrounds are able to produce products tailored to their learning ability.
- Sound Café—Students developed this commercial as a piece of their PBL unit on creating a business. This project won 1st place!
- Ribbit and Count—Elementary students reinforced basic math facts through digital storytelling. The teachers who facilitated this project won an IPL Golden Apple Award.
- Racism—ENL students developed this digital story as part of a PBL project on diversity
- Act I, Scene I—High School English students developed this digital story as a recreation of Hamlet.
- Creating the Constitution—Students in one junior high classroom created a video about the creation of the Constitution. What a great way to learn!
Teacher-Learner-Centered Projects
The MSD of Wayne Township teachers have been honored in record numbers in a local competition (IPL Golden Apple) award showcasing teaching innovation thanks to the many technology focused projects they create.
Teachers are the archetects of learning in our classrooms. A variety of projects are promoted by teachers that put the student at the center of the learning activity. Our district has a history of success using a number of technologies to promote understanding and student interaction. Projection technologies allow students to experience and interact with new information. Handhelds found in our schools everywhere from developmental preschool through junior high allow for portable assessment, simulations, and information tools. Other examples include:
- Student tutorials are created as large group activities using Jing, and then placed on the teacher’s blog site.
- DNA Lab—A teacher at our 9th grade center developed a video tutorial as part of our technology master’s program to guide students through a DNA lab.
- Divisibility/Place Value— Through the facilitation of thier teacher, Screencasts were developed by 5th grade students to teach concepts to the class and upload a recording to the teacher’s blog for parental and student review and comments.
- Pre-School Handhelds—Developmental preschool students use Palm handheld devices for letter recognition, shape recognition, and various fine motor activities. Amazing!
- Big Fish/Little Fish—Junior high students experience ecology first hand through a Palm handheld simulation.
- Smartboard/CPS—Garden City Elementary students are engaged thorugh learner centered activities using the Smartboard and CPS on a daily basis.
