Which came first: The chicken or the digitally enhanced mp3 file, replete with authentic barnyard clucks?
At Heritage Academy Elementary — and in classrooms across Columbus — even life’s most basic conundrums are receiving a high-tech makeover as quaint nostalgia gives way to new methods of educating today’s ultra-wired, gadget-savvy students.
For Kelly McKeller, who teaches four-year-old kindergartners at Heritage, blending traditional teaching with technology feels natural. When six unhatched chicken eggs landed on her desk, she knew exactly what to do: She led her 10 students through an online exploration of the poultry life cycle.
They were delighted when soft peeping sounds began to emanate from the unhatched, fertilized eggs, but they hit a snag: The baby chicks needed the answering cluck of their mother to encourage them to break free of their shells.
Once again, McKeller — and Google — had the answer. The students set their iBook laptops next to the eggs and played audio clips of nesting hens. Soon, they were rewarded with six downy chicks.
For anyone who remembers the days of farmyard field trips and dusting erasers after school, such MacGyver-esque techno wizardry may seem humorous, but for children who have grown up immersed in digital experience, using technology as a means to an end is part and parcel of daily life.
Gone are the nights of frantic, last-minute trips to the store for tri-fold poster board; students at Heritage created their science projects online this year.
Gone is the novelty of raising hands in class and waiting to be called upon; students at Stokes-Beard Elementary now use interactive pens and clickers to instantly interface with teachers’ electronic whiteboards.
Gone are the days of hiding report cards; most schools now offer portals where parents can view grades, sometimes as soon as tests are completed.
Without a doubt, technology is reshaping the classroom experience. Here are five important ways:
Increased Communication Between Parents and Teachers
From weekly newsletters to classroom websites, today’s teachers are as wired as their students. Many list their email addresses, home phone numbers, and Facebook accounts and encourage parents to email, text, or contact them however its most convenient.
For parents like Candace Shelton, the plethora of information available after-hours is a much-appreciated benefit. Her son, Austin, is in McKeller’s K4 class at Heritage, and Shelton stays in frequent contact with her.
“Any time I have a question or need to give her a heads-up, we email each other back and forth,” Shelton said. “She’s really great about getting back to me quickly. We even text each other. It saves time not having to make a phone call.”
Last week, when Austin celebrated his fifth birthday at school with cupcakes and classmates, McKeller took photographs with her digital camera and emailed them to Shelton. It’s not something she has to do, but it enhances the parent-teacher bond, and that, in turn, enriches the overall learning experience.
Improved Student Motivation and Self-Esteem
Many teachers report being surprised when struggling students turn out to be whizzes at the keyboard. Even some of the most recalcitrant pupils, the unreachable ones, the ones whose eyes glaze over when presented with a textbook, come alive when traditional lessons are combined with technology, they say.
That comes as no surprise to Janet Lewis, public information officer and tech trainer for the Columbus Municipal School District.
“They come to school, and they’ve played video games since they were old enough to hold a controller,” Lewis said. “They’re tech natives. They grew up with it, and they want to use it.”
That was certainly the case in Martha Claire Fitzner’s first grade classroom at Heritage Academy on Monday. Students received 8 GB iPod Touches to use at school for specific lessons. Not only did the majority of the students already know how to use them, but also several had them at home.
“This is not as easy as it looks,” Fitzner said to 5-year-old Ayden Mitchell as they peered at the fingerprint-smudged screen, trying to play a word game.
“Oh, I know what to do,” he said, taking the gadget and wandering away.
Ayden used to have an iPod Touch, but he gave it to his little sister last Christmas. Why? Because he received an iPad.
When the recess bell rang, Fitzner gave the students a choice: They could play outside, or they could stay inside and continue to use the new iPods. Seven students stayed, including Sara Hutchison.
“People say we need fresh air, but we don’t,” she quipped.
More Apps, Fewer Textbooks
In Georgia, state legislators are considering replacing textbooks with wi-fi-enabled Apple iPads preloaded with course materials. Will Columbus schools make a similar move?
“Sure,” said Lewis. “With the access to better-defined and affordable digital devices, along with the cost effectiveness of digital textbooks, there is research that indicates digitally delivered content is on the rise.”
“I can see maybe down the road there won’t be any books,” said Heritage Academy Elementary principal Yandell Harris. “But there’s nothing like teaching and instruction time with the teacher. Our teachers still teach.”
Already, some local schools are using online textbooks for accelerated math and reading programs. With the increased cost of publishing, and schools struggling under the weight of budget cuts, anything that saves money is a compelling option for educators.
Combine that with Apple’s iPad Donation Program — which encourages iPad owners to donate their old iPads to Teach for America for use in low-income school districts — and chances are good that it’s coming soon to a school near you.
Less Talk, More Action
When it comes to retention, proponents of technology in the classroom say nothing beats hands-on experience. This has always been true, but for teachers like Fitzner, who is approaching her third decade in the field, it’s becoming even more apparent that not only have times changed, but children have changed as well.
“The first year I came (to Heritage Academy) to teach, my students could sit and listen and listen and listen,” Fitzner said. “Now, they’re so stimulated; it’s hard to teach without there being some sort of interaction.”
She gestured towards the iPods scattered across a child-sized table in her classroom. “They get on these and you cant break them away, but if I’m teaching something where I have to talk to them, they daydream.”
Janet Lewis saw the same phenomenon nearly 25 years ago. Her principal rolled an Apple IIe into her classroom, and she said, “What do you want me to do with that?”
She said she shoved it in the corner and let it gather dust until one day, a student asked if he could hook it up. Within minutes, he was surrounded by classmates, all staring intently at the screen as the display sprang to life. The first thing that appeared was a math program. And what happened next astonished Lewis.
“It was like there was this light in their eyes, this gleam when they sat down to engage with that game,” Lewis recalled. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m fixing to learn about this technology. I want that light in their eyes when I present something.'”
Dr. Linda Mahoney, an associate professor in the College of Education at MUW, said this is one of the biggest benefits to integrating technology into traditional lesson plans. Because it stimulates multiple senses — sight, sound, and touch — students not only focus more intently, but they learn more as well, she said.
She dismissed the opposing view that technology is a diversion, much like educational psychologists once said of television.
“TV is a passive media,” she countered. “Being able to interact with technology is not just, ‘Sit back and listen.’ They’re interacting with the content.”
Better Behavior, But More Sophisticated Cheating
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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