High Point Elementary School - Kindergarten - J.W. Shook
At a very young age students are now being exposed to technology. In J.W. Shook’s kindergarten class at High Point Elementary he is exposing his youngsters to the use of computers and the ability to take a physical object and present it on a computer. What is their assignment? They use six different types of blocks and create a design. Using this design they use a computer program that allows them to recreate the design they made in the physical space on the computer. Once created the students then overlay on their computer design a narration about their piece. This type of project does two valuable things for the students. One, it starts to familiarize them with the use of the computer. They learn to use the mouse, to drag and drop objects and how to print something on the computer. While these skills may appear basic, they are a stepping stone towards more advanced uses of the computer. Two, this project helps the students realize that things they see in the real world, such as a design of blocks they have created, can be transformed onto a computer and then manipulated. Instead of starting with blocks they could just use the computer program to create their design. This helps them realize that they can use the computer to perform real life projects. The computer will start to become a tool for them in their daily lives, which is something that is readily becoming apparent as society continues to advance technologically.
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Whittier Elementary School - 4th Grade - Elizabeth Engel
At Whittier Elementary in Ms. Engel’s fourth grade class students integrated computers into their writing all year. In one project students were paired with senior citizen through the school’s “Spice” program and were instructed to create a power point presentation. Through this program it actually educates students and senior citizens with the use of technology. In addition, as an added benefit, it helps bridge the generation gap between the two groups. Another assignment had the students creating instructions on how to use a computer, while using a computer to create the instructions. The compiled directions will then be provided to younger students to help them learn and understand technology.
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Roosevelt High School - 9th Grade - Dave Kessler and Pace Leake
On a more complicated level Mr. Kessler’s ninth grade “IT Physical Science” class creates an ‘element resume’. To create the ‘element resume’ students are paired together and they research a single element using websites. Their objective is to gather information and data about this element so they become an expert on the element. Once they gather information and a picture they must then create the resume for the element and present it in a professional, crisp manner. This project allows students to work in teams, but also allows them to use the internet and various search engines to gather information.
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