Summary:
Students at the Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel
Hill, North Carolina attend a school that is technologically rich. Each student
has his/her own account, participates in many technology activities, and checks
their website from home to review or complete homework each evening. The daily
news cast is performed live each day with fifth-grade students that manage and
produce the show. Each classroom in the school tunes in to watch peers from all
levels participate in the broadcast over the school-wide data network. Every
student has a network account, and all documents are available to them at any
computer in the school.
The school promotes the use of inspiration to help students
organize thoughts before writing a paper or project, and students often work in
pairs with students who spend more time on the computer at home helping
students with less access or experience. This technologically rich environment
gives all students more opportunity to become part of the increasingly digital
world we live in. Even though not all students have equal access, he Tech at
Home program provides computers and low internet fees for families that
receive free and reduced lunch. This new environment gets good reviews from both
teachers and parents. Parents enjoy the new technology because it allows easier
access to contacting the teachers, and the school recruits new teachers easily because
teachers are treated as professionals. The use of technology at Mary Scroggs
has connected all students to technology in a way that they anticipate will be
more widespread in the future.
Reaction:
My first reaction was that this was that technology has
taken over this school! Students in kindergarten are going to know more about
computers by the time they are in first grade than many adults. I guess this
system will be preparing students to fit into the technological work field.
Making the transition from work to school will be simple, but that is a long
way away. Instead, the use of technology helps motivate students to complete
their work as many of the activities are in the form of a game. I like that
this is not asking our students to grow up too quickly and presents information
in a way that the students will appreciate. As technology becomes more and more
present, these students will be better prepared as a result of this early and
engaging education.
The morning news was especially interesting. What a great
practice and experience! Although I mentioned that we do not want our students
to grow up too quick, opportunities like the morning news production can help
students to recognize interests earlier and will help them to develop skills
sets that are valuable. This practical experience is worth a lot and will be
something that the students will always remember.
Even though the use of technology at Mary Scroggs Elementary
was initially overwhelming to me, I am intrigued and interested to find out
what type of opportunities exist locally for the students in my neighborhood.
Resource:
Curtis, Diane. From curriculum to communication, a school
immerses itself in tech. Edutopia, Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-digital-divide-scroggs.
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